#i would say chinese songs is the fastest way to learn but a lot of the chinese songs available to the west is either hk canto or tw mando

[nako-doodles]

中文很难学。☹☹☹ i have four different tutors right now for four different languages and scheduling with the timezone differences is impossible and i'm always tired. like, generally speaking, i enjoy the simplicity of the grammar structure (it'll prbly change as i continue my studies). like, it's easy enough to remember svo (ex: 你喝水) which is simple but then it starts to diverge with more complex sen. (obv. but i still! hate it ☹) anyways i'll be complaining to you often about this if you'll have me.

中文是很难学，但是我坚信你一定会学好的！加油加油加油加油加油！你如果有什么问题的话，可以来问我💖💖我尽量的去帮你🌸🌸l

Chinese grammar is a lot easier to make up for the nightmare of characters and idioms and tones 🤣🤣 the good news of chinese is that it gets easier the more you learn, and generally if you reverse the logic in most sentences it’ll be good. I always joke to my dad that Chinese grammar is literally ‘here let me just put all the essential words into a randomly cobbled string and 9 times out of 10 it’ll make sense’

[twelvehumss]

HOW TO BE HAPPY

I always believe that happiness is a choice, and you can be happy at all times. The little prince said that one loves the sunset when one is so sad, and he got to watch the sunset forty-four times one day. When the pilot asked the little prince if he was sorrowful that day, the little prince didn’t respond. Most of the time, you can’t explain what you truly feel, or you prefer to keep it to yourself.

Being happy was an easy thing for me when I was still a child. As long as there are delicious foods, new toys, and your family beside you, we get to be satisfied easily. As we grow up, we tend to be more greedy. We would always start by asking from the most little things, and whenever we have achieved those self-proclaimed needed things, we seek more and more. Being fulfilled with your life is the fastest key to happiness, but it is also the hardest thing to do.

For you to be happy, you must first accept that happiness is non-existence sometimes. Things won't always work as you have expected, and that's okay. One of my favorite Korean dramas, It's Okay to Not Be Okay, taught me various life lessons from the title itself. People would suffer from different emotions or even mental illness at some point of their lives, and that is perfectly fine. Emotions are our own ways of asking for help in situations that we cannot manage, it has been part of our coping mechanism.

Have you ever felt sad without any reason? Crying unconsciously and asking yourself what happened? I believe that most of people have experienced that. I can't explain that phenomena scientifically or mentally too, but I guess I learned how to cope up with those negative emotions.

Adults these days might be lost in their paths, but we knew the things we unlike clearly. We often get irritated with those things that we hate, and that adds to our frustrations and negative emotions. Perhaps, for you to choose happiness, determine what brings you joy first. Find yourself, discover more about yourself, and achieve your goals. The process of finding oneself might be tough, but that is what exactly makes your teenage life interesting.

I have uncovered my love for fashion since I was in elementary. I do get anxious whenever I sketch those ugly fashion illustrations, but I enjoy doing it whenever I’m bored. I hated how I couldn't cut a piece of cloth properly, but I would still daydream about my fashion design dream. I am not confident of passing my dream school and pursuing my dream career, but I decided to don't put too much pressure on myself and just enjoy the ride. I learned to be gentle to myself.

I discovered Chinese rap music and fell iin love with it about four years ago from a rap-related variety show. I started discovering more about it by listening to different rappers and learning their flows, beats, and lyrics. I don't have a nice voice nor can I sing gracefully like singers, but I thought if I could actually rap in Chinese. The hip hop culture also taught me about peace and love, and how cool we should be rather than giving a f*ck on things. Whenever I’m frustrated, angry, nervous or sad, I would listen to different rap songs that would lift up my mood. Instead of saying words that might harm other people's emotions, I put my AirPods on my ears and follow the beat of the rap songs as I try to learn those techniques in rapping faster. I really enjoy how I cope up with negative emotions using rap music. I also love making new playlists on sad days, it is surprisingly therapeutic for me. I guess music really heals the heart, especially the ones from your favorite artists, mine would be songs from Jay Chou. On days that I feel unmotivated to live, I’ll just remind myself that I need to work hard, for me to earn a lot of money, travel and watch my favorite singers, bands, and rappers live.

I told my friends that the only skill that I learned last 2020 was to learn from doing a perfect eyeliner, haha! One of my biggest insecurities is my body. Whenever I look in the mirror, I would hate my growing pimples and ugly face too. Most of the time, I just don't feel good about myself. But then, slowly, I learned to embrace myself with those imperfections that everyone else has. I started learning how to do makeup, and I enjoy the process of dressing and styling myself up. I put a lot of ideas and efforts every time that I would lock myself in the room and glam up. It boosted my confidence and creativity. I also love to see different supportive creatives on Instagram who inspire me to do what I want. Finding a group of people that shares a common interest in you is one of the best experiences ever. I felt a sense of belongingness and acceptance from this society.

Being happy is about how you treat yourself. I realized that there are days wherein I can do nothing and rest only without feeling sorry. I realized that it is okay for me to become selfish at times and prioritize myself, my welfare, and my happiness. We shouldn't be afraid to choose what we love and dream for what we want as long as we're not hurting anyone else. Don’t be tough to yourself, embrace your own emotions and enjoy life. You’ve got this! Treat yourself right, we are our own little prince and princess. Watch the sunset when you're sad.

- Spicy Chicken 🌶 🐔

[anderfels]

I know you ask, but can I get those Fun Fact deets on Rafe Shepard?

Oh, definitely! :D 

Also, uh. This got... long. Especially the first question. I’m so sorry. I went down the tropes rabbit hole. 

Which tropes do they fit? Which archetypes? 

For the tropes (which I looked up on TV Tropes, lol), I feel like Rafe fits these pretty well: 

Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Rafe shows his affection towards his friends by patting their head (and ruffling their hair if they have any). None of them are safe. He will pat your head. 

Berserk Button: Doesn’t like it when people bring up Mindoir. 

Brutal Honesty: While not brutal brutal, he will tell you exactly how he’s feeling. No sugar-coating. He doesn’t do it to be mean, he’s doing it to help people improve, but, you know... when he’s busy listing people’s mistakes, they don’t always see it that way. 

Challenge Seeker: He constantly looks for ways to hone his skills, and sometimes bites off more than he can chew. He also gets a bit disappointed when something turns out to be easier than he thought it would be. 

Deadpan Snarker: He has a dry sense of humor. You know that Vine that’s like, “Dad, look, it’s the good kush!” and the dad responds, “It’s the Dollar Store, how good could it be?” That’s him. He’s the dad. 

Death Glare: He has a particularly effective one, or so he’s told. 

Did You Think I Can’t Feel?: Because he does display himself as the Cool, Level-Headed Guy, people tend to think he just... doesn’t have emotions? But he does.  Source: Dude, just trust me. 

Don’t You Dare Pity Me!: “Are you alr--” “If You Finish That Sentence I Will Not Be Happy.” 

Even the Guys Want Him: I mean... when you’re Commander Shepard... 

Genius Bruiser: He’s also good at things that don’t require punching! I swear!

Go Through Me: You’re hurting his companions over his dead body, baby! 

Good is Not Soft: He is a good guy, but he’s not above intentionally hurting others that he thinks deserve it, whether that’s verbally or physically. 

Hot-Blooded: Pours his all into everything he does. He survives things that shouldn’t be survivable because he’s too stubborn to die... and also willpower and skill, I guess. 

Nerves of Steel: He has seen Some Shit. 

Nice to the Waiter: His parents raised him to be respectful, thank you. 

Rapid-Fire “Shut Up!”: Are you trying to bring up something embarrassing he did in the past? “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut--” Complete with him squeezing his eyes shut!

Screw the Rules, I’m Doing What’s Right!: “Rafael, you can’t--” “Lol ok *does it anyway*” 

Sore Loser: While he doesn’t outwardly express it (much), he does get upset over losing. You beat him in a card game? He says it was a good game and you did well, but I assure you, he is screaming/pouting on the inside. 

Sugar-and-Ice Personality (which is a fancier way of saying tsundere, I’m pretty sure): He seems aloof and stoic on the outside (especially at the beginning of ME1; by the time ME3 comes around, he’s looser and allows himself to show more emotions), but he really does want what’s best for people. He is like an egg... hard-seeming on the outside... but when you crack him open... he is Gooey. 

Thinking Tic: When he’s thinking, he tends to scratch underneath his jaw. 

As for archetypes, I feel like he’d be a mix of The Ruler (leadership skills, power, concern over being in control) and The Magician (strategy, knowledge, anger over not getting his way). 

Do they play an instruments? Sports? 

Rafael is not the most musically inclined person out there. Please don’t make him play the guitar. 

And he likes playing basketball! And table tennis, okay, that’s totally a sport. 

What are some items they always carry? 

An omni-tool, preferably by Ariake Technologies. Also: mints. You never know when you need fresh breath. And a baseball cap. Sometimes people recognize him and there are times where he’d rather not be. 

Other than that... he’s pretty simple, honestly. He doesn’t carry many things with him when he’s off-duty.

Do they collect anything? 

Model spaceships. A lot of model spaceships. 

He’s also said that he collects soap opera memorabilia before, but you know... with his deadpan sense of humor... no one knows if he’s joking or not and honestly they’re too afraid to ask. 

What position do they sleep in?

Curled up on his side. He has one hand under his pillow, gripping a knife. Remember: the man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one. 

Which emoji would they use the most?

🙄

What languages do they speak? 

In the event he has no access to a translator, English, Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, and Spanish are all languages he’s well-versed in. In Arabic, French, Brazilian Portuguese, and Swahili, he knows enough to tell civilians to get to safety or ask if they need help. Any others and he defers to another teammate.

He also learned some Khelish from Tali. 

What’s their favorite expletive? 

BOSH’TET. 

What’s their favorite candle scent? 

Pecan Pie Bites by Yankee Candle, next question. 

What songs remind you of them?

“Let Me Live / Let Me Die” by Des Rocs, “Higher” by The Score, “Fire” by Barns Courtney... “What’s Up Danger” by Blackway and Black Caviar. 

What animal would you say represents them? 

I’m not too sure, honestly. Maybe a lion? 

Where stereotypical high school clique would they fit into? 

Those jocks, but like... the Nice Jocks. They play Magic: The Gathering and call you “bro.” 

What would their favorite ride at an amusement park be? 

The fastest, tallest, scariest, windiest, and every other kind of -est rollercoaster there is. He will ride it 20 times and then insist on riding it 20 more. 

Do they believe in aliens? Ghosts? Reincarnation or something else?

Ofc, he believes in aliens (in the exist physically and in the encouraging “I believe in you, Grunt :)�� way), but I think it would be really funny if he didn’t. 

Rafael, gesturing at who’s standing in front of him: I don’t know. They look like a human to me.  Garrus: Are you fucking kidding me. 

But in the other stuff... no to ghosts and no to reincarnation. 

He sort of believes in the afterlife? He’s not a spiritual person by any means, but it brings him comfort to think about how his parents are in a better place. He hopes that he’s making them proud. 

Do they follow any religions/gods? Do they celebrate holidays?

He’s not religious, but if a friend invites him to celebrate a holiday with him then he’d join. 

Which Deadly Sin do they most correspond to? Which Heavenly Virtue?

Oh, gosh, hm. 

For the Deadly Sin... I’m tempted to say wrath, he’s always got this little bit of rage bubbling underneath his skin. He teeters really close to the edge, and when someone, somehow manages to push him over, he’s volatile. It’s like... he doesn’t get angry easily, but he’s always ready to get angry. 

I have no idea if that makes sense lol.

For the Heavenly Virtue, diligence. He prides himself on a job well done and constantly pushes himself to improve. There’s a reason he’s an N7 and the first human Spectre. He accepts nothing less than the best from himself (and others, which goes hand in hand with his Brutal Honesty). 

If you had to choose one tarot card to represent them, which would it be?

Nine of Wands, possibly! From a cursory search (I know nothing about tarot, excuse me aksdjaklsd), it represents resilience, courage, and persistence when upright, and struggles, defensiveness, and (the use of) inner resources when reversed. 

I couldn’t find a card that made me think, “Oh, this is Rafael,” but that card was the closest! 

[solargroup09]

Yue Bookish Stories ep.3

× episode three

× yueliang first impressions of the members

× wc 1026 words

× credit to @daybreakx for the banner

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅────���•

So… let’s talk about first impressions!

After joining the company, I slowly met the other members. Mina, Skitz and Ari got there before me, so they were the first people I met. And during the trainee period I also met the other girls. Some first impressions were very relaxed and some pretty chaotic.

As you know, I talked about my first encounter with Mina in my previous episode and that was pretty amazing, I still remember how amazing and cool she looked. Mina always took care of me and for that I’m so thankful.

Not long after joining the company, I met Skitz... and that was weird. Usually everyone has a pretty strong first impression of her, but I remember myself being definitely unimpressed. I heard the stories of this talented trainee that spent endless hours making music and practicing, but what I saw at first was just an overworked girl dressed in all-black running around the company trying not to be late to everything. Skitz was half human and half caffeine and I remember thinking that she couldn’t be making good music if she was so overworked. But I was actually wrong, and I learned later on that she’s like that naturally - that she has so much in her head that she can’t help working hard and that is admirable. But I still think it’s useless to overwork yourself, just don’t tell Skitz hehe

My first impression of AJ was that she was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. I was definitely starstruck when we met, but I soon learned that she is absolutely sweet, thoughtful and very entertaining.

My first time seeing Rin was incredible: she was practicing dancing and she was killing it. I remember thinking that she absolutely had to debut with me because I loved her style. Also, Rin has the sweetest smile and it’s impossible not to love her.

And when I met Hannah, I remember feeling so protective of her because she was so small and so shy and she came up to me and started talking in Chinese and my heart just exploded. We spent a lot of time together looking for the best Chinese restaurant in Seoul and, after finding it, we became regulars.

But the two craziest first impressions were definitely Ari and Luna!

Today I will tell you about Luna and in the next episode we will talk about Ari, because that’s a whole chaotic moment.

Luna joined the company one year after me. On her first day, the managers showed her around, introduced her to people and taught her the rules for the trainees. After the tour, they left her in the practice room me and the girls were using, so Luna could look around.

Just before she arrived, us girls were playing rock paper scissors to choose who had to go to the convenience store and buy food for everyone. Leaving during practice time without the manager's permission wasn’t allowed, and while we weren’t on strict diets, we should have not eaten random snacks during the day. But we were hungry and tired from dancing so we decided to send someone buying food. Unfortunately, I had lost so I was going to the convenience store when Luna appeared. And when I saw our new trainee, I thought I could use her as my alibi while leaving the company. If anyone had asked questions, we could just say that I was showing her the rooftop or something. So I linked my arm to hers and walked out. Luna was definitely speechless, and she looked at me like I was crazy.

-Where are we going?

-To get food for the others- I answered, grinning, -Hope you are hungry as well! I’m Yueliang, by the way.

-Well… actually yes, I’m pretty hungry.

-Great!

So I took her to the store and we bought snacks and drinks for everyone. We chatted and we found out that the stage name she wanted -Luna- meant “moon” like my name and we thought it was the funniest coincidence and on the way back we started to think about cool names for our ship and for a possible future collaboration. We didn’t even know if we would be able to debut together, but we were already imagining the great song we could perform together under the name of “Moon Moon”.

We were quite close to the company building when I spotted one of our managers coming our way. I took Luna’s hand and said: -Run!

We sprinted trying to put the most distance from the manager and I took her to the back entrance of the building, knowing that they always left it open because it was the fastest access from the parking lot. We went inside and run towards the elevators, but they were both unavailable.

-Stairs?- Luna suggested and I nodded. We run upstairs and literally flew inside the practice room. We just sat down and another manager entered.

-I came in to check if everything is fine- he said, looking around, -we heard some weird noises from the stairs… but you are all here so maybe it was someone else.

The manager left the room and I looked at Luna: -That was close…

She grinned and shook her head: -That “weird noise” was me nearly dying on the stairs.

I started laughing and pointed at the two bags of snacks that Luna somehow managed to cover with her jacket: -You saved the food, wise choice.

-Food first, life second- she replied and then we started eating together with the other girls. We shared our “adventure” and while eating and laughing, we became closer.

But I’ll never forget Luna’s confused (and slightly panicked) expression when I literally kidnapped her the second I saw her. It was too hilarious.

So these are my first impressions of my members! Next time I’ll tell you about Ari!

The book I recommend for this week is “Nevernight” by Jay Kristoff! I recently finished reading the last book in the trilogy and my life will never be the same! 100% recommended!

Stay tuned for the next episode! 🌒📖

[sheminecrafts]

Whether or not the Trump administration bans TikTok, it’s already helping Facebook

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. is “looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including the Chinese-owned company TikTok, comparing it to other Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE that have been deemed national security threats by the current administration. “With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you that the United States will get this one right, too,” Pompeo said.

The fear is the app could be used to surveil or influence Americans, or else that TikTok parent ByteDance could be made to provide the Chinese government with TikTok’s data on its U.S.-based users — of which there are at least 165 million. India, calling TikTok a “threat to sovereignty and integrity,” decided to ban the app late last week, saying it had similar concerns.

Though security experts disagree over how concerned the U.S. should be about TikTok, the move would would undoubtedly hobble what has become one of the fastest-growing social media businesses on the planet, with 800 million monthly active users worldwide, half of whom are under age 24. In the meantime, the mere suggestion of a ban is proving a boon to TikTok’s biggest rival, Facebook — and notably at a time when the U.S. company faces growing scrutiny over its decision not to take action on multiple controversial posts from Donald Trump.

The threat is already prompting some to speculate that Pompeo’s warning was politically motivated. In a new interview with Axios, for example, L.A.-based talent manager John Shahidi observes that TikTok users have said they were partially responsible for a Trump rally in Oklahoma two weeks ago that failed to deliver huge crowds.

Shahidi — whose agency currently oversees nine “channels” on TikTok that collectively enjoy than 100 million followers — doesn’t doubt the two are related. “I’m on TikTok a lot,” Shahidi says, and “there are no Trump supporters, no official Trump account; no one who is from his team is on TikTok.” Is it “just coincidence that we’re heading toward [the election], and the one app that doesn’t support him — with everything happening in the world — we’re going to talk about taking down TikTok?” he adds.

A shifting landscape

Either way, TikTok influencers are more actively promoting their other social media channels, including Facebook’s Instagram, to their followers as a kind of contingency plan. Soon to join them is rising social media star Pierson Wodzynski, a 21-year-old who ran track in high school and was taking a break from studying communications in college when, in January, a friend invited her to participate in a show on AwesomenessTV, a YouTube channel that has more than 8 million subscribers.

The show’s set-up centered around nabbing a date with social media star Brent Rivera, who has 13 million YouTube subscribers, 19.8 million Instagram followers, and more than 30 million TikTok fans. But afterward, Wodzynski found herself with the L.A.-based talent agency that Rivera cofounded two years ago called Amp Studios and in recent months, aided by special guest appearances by Rivera, she has built a substantial fanbase herself, with 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, 455,000 Instagram followers, and a stunning 4.1 million fans on TikTok.

Wodzynski says her followers seem to like the comedy bits she develops, such a recent series on the “things that go wrong when you’re running late,” and another on the “Appdashians,” wherein each character she plays is a different social media company. (Notably, Facebook is the old grandmother character.)  Says Wodzynski, who comes across as both confident and affable, “I’m so unbelievably myself [on social media], it’s crazy.”

Little wonder that she’s concerned about the TikTok’s future in the U.S. Partly, she simply enjoys it. (“It’s just a great app to escape, and it’s so different, with a vast music library and editing software that other apps don’t have.”) But it’s also the source of most of her income, she says, explaining that she helps promote the brands with which Amp Studios works, including Chipotle. (“A lot of times, it’s me dancing to a popular song and holding the product, or developing a creative advertisement so it looks enjoyable.”)

Wodzynski says she is “ready for anything,” and that if the U.S. bans the platform, she trusts it will do so for legitimate reasons. Besides, she says, “There are many other roads to take your content.”

It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by Max Levine, who cofounded Amp with Rivera, and who advises all of the firm’s talent to diversify across social platforms. “Diversify is a good mantra for life,” says Levine, who learned this lesson early when Vine — the once-popular video app that Twitter acquired, then subsequently shut down — “fizzled and died.”

Land and expand

Levine points to early Vine stars like Logan Paul and Rivera himself who “were smart and focused on building platforms on Instagram and YouTube” and who not only emerged unscathed when Vine was shuttered but whose popularity ballooned afterward. He says that Amp’s clients have always “promoted other socials on TikTok,” and that he’d prefer that they not start becoming too aggressive on this front. “I think if every other TikTok mentions [a call to action], it could be a lot.”

Yet it’s starting to happen, and with the threat of a ban in the air, Wodzynski — who says she saw her view count go down with India’s recent ban of TikTok — isn’t immune to the impulse. “Actually, later today I will be posting something on Tiktok about this whole banning thing and reminding people that if they want to follow my Instagram and Youtube that ‘this is what I post there,'” she says.

“I do that pretty regularly, but I’m going to step it up in more in the coming days and weeks.”

In the meantime, Facebook will be ready. Yesterday in India, Instagram rolled out a video-sharing feature called Reels to fill the void left by TikTok that sounds very much like a clone. The in-app tool invites users to record 15-second videos set to music and audio, then upload them to their stories.

As CNN notes, Facebook began testing the feature in Brazil last November. The feature is now available in France and Germany, too.

Indeed, though Tiktok was not India’s sole target  — it also indefinitely banned 58 other apps and services provided by Chinese-based firms, including Tencent’s WeChat — the country’s government enjoys a good relationship with Facebook, which recently nabbed a 10% stake in local telecom giant Jio Platforms. In fact, in February, before a trip to India, Donald Trump talked about Facebook and the ranking that both he and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoy on the platform.

He said Modi is “number two” on Facebook in terms of followers, and that he is number one as told to him directly by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

As reported in the Economic Times, Trump said at the time: “I’m going to India next week, and we’re talking about — you know, they have 1.5 billion people. And Prime Minister Modi is number two on Facebook, number two. Think of that. You know who number one is? Trump. You believe that? Number one. I just found out.”

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://ift.tt/2ObTG84 via IFTTT

[technicalsolutions88]

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. is “looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including the Chinese-owned company TikTok, comparing it to other Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE that have been deemed national security threats by the current administration. “With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you that the United States will get this one right, too,” Pompeo said.

The fear is the app could be used to surveil or influence Americans, or else that TikTok parent ByteDance could be made to provide the Chinese government with TikTok’s data on its U.S.-based users — of which there are at least 165 million. India, calling TikTok a “threat to sovereignty and integrity,” decided to ban the app late last week, saying it had similar concerns.

Though security experts disagree over how concerned the U.S. should be about TikTok, the move would would undoubtedly hobble what has become one of the fastest-growing social media businesses on the planet, with 800 million monthly active users worldwide, half of whom are under age 24. In the meantime, the mere suggestion of a ban is proving a boon to TikTok’s biggest rival, Facebook — and notably at a time when the U.S. company faces growing scrutiny over its decision not to take action on multiple controversial posts from Donald Trump.

The threat is already prompting some to speculate that Pompeo’s warning was politically motivated. In a new interview with Axios, for example, L.A.-based talent manager John Shahidi observes that TikTok users have said they were partially responsible for a Trump rally in Oklahoma two weeks ago that failed to deliver huge crowds.

Shahidi — whose agency currently oversees nine “channels” on TikTok that collectively enjoy than 100 million followers — doesn’t doubt the two are related. “I’m on TikTok a lot,” Shahidi says, and “there are no Trump supporters, no official Trump account; no one who is from his team is on TikTok.” Is it “just coincidence that we’re heading toward [the election], and the one app that doesn’t support him — with everything happening in the world — we’re going to talk about taking down TikTok?” he adds.

A shifting landscape

Either way, TikTok influencers are more actively promoting their other social media channels, including Facebook’s Instagram, to their followers as a kind of contingency plan. Soon to join them is rising social media star Pierson Wodzynski, a 21-year-old who ran track in high school and was taking a break from studying communications in college when, in January, a friend invited her to participate in a show on AwesomenessTV, a YouTube channel that has more than 8 million subscribers.

The show’s set-up centered around nabbing a date with social media star Brent Rivera, who has 13 million YouTube subscribers, 19.8 million Instagram followers, and more than 30 million TikTok fans. But afterward, Wodzynski found herself with the L.A.-based talent agency that Rivera cofounded two years ago called Amp Studios and in recent months, aided by special guest appearances by Rivera, she has built a substantial fanbase herself, with 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, 455,000 Instagram followers, and a stunning 4.1 million fans on TikTok.

Wodzynski says her followers seem to like the comedy bits she develops, such a recent series on the “things that go wrong when you’re running late,” and another on the “Appdashians,” wherein each character she plays is a different social media company. (Notably, Facebook is the old grandmother character.)  Says Wodzynski, who comes across as both confident and affable, “I’m so unbelievably myself [on social media], it’s crazy.”

Little wonder that she’s concerned about the TikTok’s future in the U.S. Partly, she simply enjoys it. (“It’s just a great app to escape, and it’s so different, with a vast music library and editing software that other apps don’t have.”) But it’s also the source of most of her income, she says, explaining that she helps promote the brands with which Amp Studios works, including Chipotle. (“A lot of times, it’s me dancing to a popular song and holding the product, or developing a creative advertisement so it looks enjoyable.”)

Wodzynski says she is “ready for anything,” and that if the U.S. bans the platform, she trusts it will do so for legitimate reasons. Besides, she says, “There are many other roads to take your content.”

It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by Max Levine, who cofounded Amp with Rivera, and who advises all of the firm’s talent to diversify across social platforms. “Diversify is a good mantra for life,” says Levine, who learned this lesson early when Vine — the once-popular video app that Twitter acquired, then subsequently shut down — “fizzled and died.”

Land and expand

Levine points to early Vine stars like Logan Paul and Rivera himself who “were smart and focused on building platforms on Instagram and YouTube” and who not only emerged unscathed when Vine was shuttered but whose popularity ballooned afterward. He says that Amp’s clients have always “promoted other socials on TikTok,” and that he’d prefer that they not start becoming too aggressive on this front. “I think if every other TikTok mentions [a call to action], it could be a lot.”

Yet it’s starting to happen, and with the threat of a ban in the air, Wodzynski — who says she saw her view count go down with India’s recent ban of TikTok — isn’t immune to the impulse. “Actually, later today I will be posting something on Tiktok about this whole banning thing and reminding people that if they want to follow my Instagram and Youtube that ‘this is what I post there,'” she says.

“I do that pretty regularly, but I’m going to step it up in more in the coming days and weeks.”

In the meantime, Facebook will be ready. Yesterday in India, Instagram rolled out a video-sharing feature called Reels to fill the void left by TikTok that sounds very much like a clone. The in-app tool invites users to record 15-second videos set to music and audio, then upload them to their stories.

As CNN notes, Facebook began testing the feature in Brazil last November. The feature is now available in France and Germany, too.

Indeed, though Tiktok was not India’s sole target  — it also indefinitely banned 58 other apps and services provided by Chinese-based firms, including Tencent’s WeChat — the country’s government enjoys a good relationship with Facebook, which recently nabbed a 10% stake in local telecom giant Jio Platforms. In fact, in February, before a trip to India, Donald Trump talked about Facebook and the ranking that both he and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoy on the platform.

He said Modi is “number two” on Facebook in terms of followers, and that he is number one as told to him directly by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

As reported in the Economic Times, Trump said at the time: “I’m going to India next week, and we’re talking about — you know, they have 1.5 billion people. And Prime Minister Modi is number two on Facebook, number two. Think of that. You know who number one is? Trump. You believe that? Number one. I just found out.”

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2ObTG84 Original Content From: https://techcrunch.com

[top1course]

Speak English Fluently – The 5 Steps To Improve Your English Fluency

Do you want to improve your English, do you want to speak English more, fluently, uC, the English language, change, my life, that was born in Hong Kong to English, is not my first language my first language, which is actually, enemies, and my second language is, mandarin because, my mother is from Taiwan, and my third length, is English, so when I first immigrated, get to North America I couldn’t speak, a word of English, and I know some of my fans, rumors, they are tuning into my videos because you want to learn, how, to speak, english language, which I find that that’s kind of in, if that’s the case, ashley, in, below hand, let me know, so today I want to share with you five, steps to improve, your English, fluency the five things that I did, to learn, english, step number one to improve your English fluency is actually very simple and that is don’t, Give a damn, that’s right don’t give a damn, speak whenever wherever however, it doesn’t matter if you speak with an accent, ice to speak with an accent and I talk to you, tens of millions of people every single month, it doesn’t matter, forget how people with judge, will get help people with think of you all this stuff it doesn’t matter just, speak, as much as you could, if they don’t understand you say it again, if they don’t understand, you say it again you just keep saying it, i remember, because I, book with Sasha, thick accent, i spoke like a sound like Jackie Chan I guess you speak with, some Chinese accent like this than that I like that kind of stuff like that kind of action, but you just speak, you just speak as much as you could, Cuz that’s how you get comfortable, you will not get if you always thinking about, i am not sounding smart or they wouldn’t miss understand what I’m saying, or they wouldn’t understand or I’ll look stupid all this stuff, all these things hold you back, burning, the language, so, don’t give a damn, speak as much, as you could do as many people as you, i will walk into the mall I will talk to people, how to say hello how are you just, practice is okay, right they don’t bite, it’s okay practice, step number two and that is this what I did, i will take a bow, any book it was simple book and I would read it out loud word for word, paragraph by paragraph I found it that’s a very good way to learning a language because, su this certain part where Maybe, you have difficulty pronouncing, Certamen chunks.

You said again and again or maybe there certain words you don’t understand you can go to a dictionary, reading a book out loud that’s also another thing that I did, to learn, the English language, you finish one book, and you might as well pick something dead you off, interesting if you’re interesting, investing, success or motivational sales, pick up on those topics, and then we did Allah every single day, i’m talking about could be 20 minutes 30 minutes 25 minutes it doesn’t matter but to it, every single day, i did that everyday, 4 years, to learn the English, language, step number three to improve your English fluency, and that is, take one word that you don’t understand, do you know what he means, every single that you just learned one, newark, go to Google, translate dictionary find out exactly, what means, so every single day pick a new world that you never heard of before you never used before, And learning every single day be there every single day that’s 365 worth new words that you can add to your, vocabulary, that you could use, english, this is such a powerful language, first of all, not just because, a lot of people use it, what do you understand, a culture, to understand philosophy, you can understand a language, so when I learned the English language at dinner also going about a lot of other things, about the culture, about business, of course that’s what I do, language is not just something that you used to communicate, language is also something that you could train your mind with, to understand that, step 4, conversion, you have to emerge, yourself, so when I was learning the English language, what I did is I wouldn’t listen to music, every single day, I would listen to English, music English, song, and try to sing along and just to load it right it was very very difficult, and I was listening to rap music which is, way too typical I gave that up, but I was watching English movies, without subtitles, and I would listen and it first I wouldn’t understand, i would understand maybe 5% of it right and then I wouldn’t understand, i think it’s like that’s what she means and 10% 20%, my English improves I noticed I would understand the movie more and more, and more, right so you have to immerse yourself, talk in English, listening to English music, watch English movies, do as much as that as you, naturally, you would pick it up you’ll pick up, the slang you will pick up, can a certain stories of phrases like, that kind of phrase it that’s how you learn English language, Then you make it fun so, it doesn’t have to be you have to sit down and study along, studying, the language no make it fun, talk to people Suite, right, like interact connect, read watch, listen, that’s how you get good that’s how I got to go, step number 5 to improve your English, fluency, the end that is, to hang out with people with speak, english, i know it sounds so obvious, that’s how you do it, remember in college, you will see these groups of people and I would see the the Chinese students only hang out with, chinese tutor, i will see the Korean students hang out with Korean students, and a Japanese, hang out with Japanese dude, and I would do the office, i would go and hang out with people who speak English I would hang out with, occasions, hang out with people who grew up, Locally.

To speak proper English, and I would just talk and hang out we go to library in, and I would try to talk as much as possible listen ask questions, right to get comfortable, and another thing that I did was actually I got, a Korean girlfriend who speaks, english, so that’s another way to do it, so I’m not saying that’s the only way to learn if you want a new language, date someone who speak the language you’ll be shocked, how quickly, you pick that up, how quickly can pick up a, let me give you a bonus, tip bonus Step Up, you want okay, the number 6, and that is going to a state, over, learning, lenox, if you are thinking about let’s say learning a language they say you you’re just you’re here, and you want to get to this good, the fastest way to get to disco these actually go into a state of overlearning, Soulistic an exercise example, okay if you want to have stronger by service Au only, doing your curl you are you can only, hypothetical, how many pounds do I does, let’s watch the strength you have, if you want to make that 20 pounds easy better lift that up, guess what ring, with 25 lb, train with 30 lb, that’s over, preparation overlearning that’s what I mean right, was the stable of voting, so what I did, because I’m in business, right now only learning English language, i was learning, how to sell, how to close how to do marketing, so not only just the English language, they did a visa to communicate but accident Iowa high-level where, this, something to lose, where is not just learning the basic data communication, but also, this money involved right the stakes are high when I lose a sale, When I’m selling someone when I’m communicating if they don’t understand what I’m saying I’m not going to close this, rite Aid s a state of, overlearning, so imagine I could do that, not just to say, things that you will understand to be able to communicate in a way clearly enough that you can understand me, but to communicate in a way that, you would do business, you will buy from me, you would spend money with me, that’s, overlearning you could do that, when you go back to day today just like, talking of course it’s so easy, would you be nervous and Joel, would you care what people think no I just got 20 rejections in the last, weak like you don’t understand what I’m talking about who cares, who cares it wouldn’t bother you and that’s what I mean over, learning so I suggest, To my students if you want to learn the English language, learn how to close, learn how to self go sell something, because then all the nervousness, all of that, beer audit anxiety all that is gone when you talkin to day today with people because, you train, yourself, well you going to state of overload in the over-prepared, that’s what I say that’s what you needed, so those are the six steps or 5 Steps to improve, your, english fluent.

from WordPress https://top1course.com/speak-english-fluently-the-5-steps-to-improve-your-english-fluency/

[ask-the-phan-site]

The Motherlode of Greed

>It’s time.

We’re off now.

I’m so lookin’ forward to this!

So am I. My first Phantom Thief heist.

And ours.

Okay, then we’re ready.

>Mona becomes our van and Blurr transforms.

>We drive off to take the heart of Madeline Pynch.

>Pynch Manor. Madeline Pynch was looking at the calling card we sent her. Her daughter, Priscilla, comes in.

You don’t seriously believe that your heart is going to be taken, do you?

Of course not. However I do not wish to end up like Masayoshi Shido. No matter, there’s no chance they can get passed the mansion security system.

Priscilla: I can get that.

>So, Priscilla goes to bed.

?????: Then you might want to get a refund on that system.

Madeline: ...

>A red wave passes over the scene. When it’s over, Madeline’s study was replaced with the vault. And Madeline’s outfit had changed to that of something out of an old Chinese femme fetale movie. And her eyes... were gold colored.

Shadow Madeline: Yes. I guess finding help is hard these days.

>We came in through the vault door.

Joker: It just depends on how you see them.

Your terrible way of controlling things end today, Madeline Pynch.

We won’t let you continue doing cruel things just for money.

Shadow Madeline: And what’s wrong with that? I’m just a mother trying to do everything for her daughter.

By turning her into a spoiled brat who only looks down on others!? That’s not very motherly, is it?

Any real parent would teach their children right from wrong. What you’re doing is just no different than brainwashing.

I know money is necessary, but it’s not everything.

... What he said!

Shadow Madeline: Heh! What do you know? In this game, if you don’t push the other players aside, you will just lose to them.

Noir: I know this game from my father...

But the fun of it leaves the moment you do treat it as a game.

Mona: Business like yours should be used for the happiness of others. Not just your own.

Skull: That’s right. And that’s why we’re here.

Blurr: To show you that you did a lot of bad things to get the Phantom Thieves’ attention.

Slice: Me and my brother can’t just sit back and let you do this. Even we have standards.

Joker: Now, no matter what you do...

We will take your heart!

Shadow Madeline: No matter, you say? Well then... I guess that means I don’t have to hold on this.

>She snaps her fingers and two giant robots come down on us.

Intruders detected. Now engaging in battle mode.

Are those...

Blurr: MorBots. Heatwave and the others told me about them. If they’re in this fight, we better not hold back.

Oracle: Right. I guess that means we may have to go Ultimate.

>Oracle goes Ultimate.

Oracle: PERSONA!

Oracle: Fuuka senpai, can you hear me!?

Fuuka’s voice: I hear you loud and clear. I’m ready to help you. Persona!

>The two Personas scan the enemies.

Oracle: I don’t see any weaknesses for Pynch. But the two MorBots are weak to Electricity and Bless Skills.

Skull: That’s our cue, Crow!

Crow: I’m with you all the way!

Queen: As will I. If they get Shocked, you’ll need my Nuclear Skills.

>Skull, Crow, and Queen go Ultimate.

Skull, Crow, and Queen: PERSONA!

>I change Personas.

Joker: Persona!

(Insert song: Nothing is Promised)

>Seiten Taisei uses Matarukaja, Loki uses Debilitate on Shadow Madeline, Anat uses Marakukaja, and I use Idaten Ofuda. MorBot 1 uses Triple Down. MorBot 2 uses Freila on me. Shadow Madeline uses Dekunda to undo Loki’s Debilitate. Seiten Taisei uses Ziodyne on MorBot 1. It knocks it down, but it recoils. Skull passes the baton to Crow and Loki uses Kougaon on MorBot 2. It knocks it down. Then, Loki uses Brave Blade on Shadow Madeline. It was a critical hit.

Crow: Let’s scatter!

>After the attack, the MorBots and Shadow Madeline were still up. Anat uses Vajra Blast. No one got Dizzy, but we’ve learned that the MorBots can resist Physical attacks. Thor uses Ziodyne on MorBot 1. But he dodges it with Dodge Elec. MorBot 1 uses Hysterical Slap on Queen. She is Enraged. MorBot 2 uses Triple Down. Shadow Madeline uses Marin Karin on Crow. He is Brainwashed.

Skull: Hey, snap outta it!

>Skull uses Harisen Recovery on Crow. He snaps back to reality.

Crow: Thanks. I let my guard down.

Skull: Think nothin’. I can happen to anyone.

>Seiten Taisei uses Charge. Loki uses Kougaon on MorBot 1. It knocks it down. He passes the baton to Skull and Seiten Taisei uses Ziodyne on MorBot 2. It knocks it down, but it recoils. Then, Seiten Taisei uses Megaton Raid on Shadow Madeline. Queen, still infected with Rage, attacks Shadow Madeline. But she just dodges it. I use Relax Gel on Queen which cures her of the Rage. MorBot 1 gets back up and just attacks Skull. MorBot 2 also gets back up and uses Freila on me. Shadow Madeline uses Psiodyne on Queen. It knocks her down. She uses Psiodyne on me as well and I am also knocked down. Then, she uses Heat Riser on herself. Seiten Taisei uses Matarukaja. Loki uses Kougaon on MorBot 1. It knocks it down. He passes the baton to Crow and Seiten Taisei uses Ziodyne on MorBot 2. It knocks it down. Seiten Taisei uses Megaton Raid on Shadow Madeline. She dodges it. Queen gets back up and Anat uses Marakukaja. I get back up and Thor uses Megaton Raid on Shadow Madeline. It was a critical hit.

Joker: We’re off!

>After the attack, the MorBots and Shadow Madeline were still up, but slightly weaker.

Shadow Madeline: I refuse to go out like this. MorBots, protect me!

>MorBot 1 uses Tetrakarn on Shadow Madeline and MorBot 2 uses Makarakarn on her as well. Then, she uses Diarahan on herself. Seiten Taisei uses Maziodyne. Both MorBots were knocked down, but the Makarakarn spell reflected the attack off of Shadow Madeline and back at Skull. He became Shocked. Crow uses a Discharge Crystal on Skull and cure him of the Shock.

Oracle: I’ll do something about this!

Fuuka: I’ll do my best, too!

>Prometheus greatly restores some of our SP and Juno uses Prayer, which is similar to Mediarahan, on us. Anat uses Mafraidyne. Now the MorBots were really weak. Thor uses Maziodyne. The MorBots were finally defeated and Shadow Madeline was Shocked. She couldn’t move on her turn. Seiten Taisei uses Charge, Loki uses Laevatein, Anat uses Atomic Flare (which is a technical hit because of the Shock), and Thor uses Megaton Raid. But the Tetrakarn spell reflects it. Luckily, Thor helped me resist it. Shadow Madeline recovers.

Shadow Madeline: I worked hard to get where I am. I had to do a lot from bottom to top. What’s wrong with getting something out of it?

Queen: It’s wrong if you hurt other people just to get it!

Shadow Madeline: No one said getting what you want would be easy. You have to make a few sacrifices along the way.

Crow: Including your own daughter!?

Shadow Madeline: That little brat means more to me than money. Almost everything I’ve done, I’ve done for her. If you can’t accept that... Then die where you stand!

>Shadow Madeline uses Mamudoon. It got Crow and it was an instant kill.

Skull: (really angrey) You’ll pay for that, you damn bitch! (begins dissociating)

Joker and Oracle: !?

Overflow: DRAWN IN WATERY GRAVE!

Oracle: Skull, no! Overflow’s taking you!

>Too late. Overflow uses his water gun. But she dodges it. Skull comes back to his senses.

Skull: (shocked) Oh shit! I let Overflow take my turn!

Overflow’s voice in Skull’s head: Me sorry. Me didn’t want to see Skull’s best friend get hurt like that.

Seiten Taisei: It is alright, Overflow. If anything... My User can be the same thing.

Skull: (offended) Hey!

Seiten Taisei: In a good way. But do not worry. Because now it is the time... The time for new power.

>Seiten Taisei glows along with Skull.

Skull: (surprised) This... This is...

Seiten Taisei: This power has been given based on something ATLUS just recently showed. Now is the time to use it.

Skull: (with newfound determination) Alright, then let’s do it, Seiten Taisei!

>To our shock and amazement, Seiten Taisei... uses Recarm to revive Crow.

Crow: H- How?

Oracle: Did Skull just revive Crow... Without an item!? I know ATLUS said that Persona 5 Royal would have a lot of changes from the original game, but I wasn’t expecting this.

Skull: Well you better get used to this... This is the new and improved Ryuji Sakamoto!

Crow: Glad to hear it. Now, let’s finish this!

Fuuka’s voice: It’s going to be hard. She can just heal herself like she did last time. If we want a true critical hit, someone is going to have to do it.

Blurr: I’ll do it. I’m the fastest. She’ll never see it coming... Get it?

Oracle: Focus here.

Fuuka’s voice: Just keep her busy while Blurr gets ready.

>Loki uses Brave Blade, Anat uses Diarahan to heal Crow, and Thor uses Megaton Raid. Shadow Madeline uses Psiodyne on me. I dodge it.

Blurr: (whisper) Here I go! Wish me luck.

>Blurr speeds his way to the back of the vault room. Seiten Taisei uses Charge. Loki uses Kougaon. Anat uses Freidyne. I change Personas.

Joker: Persona!

>Nebiros uses Eigaon. Shadow Madeline uses Marin Karin on Crow.

Blurr: (whisper) That’s right, keep it up.

>Blurr changes to vehicle mode. Seiten Taisei uses God’s Hand, Loki uses Kougaon, Anat uses Freidyne, and Nebiros uses Eigaon. Shadow Madeline uses Psiodyne on Queen. Luckily, she dodges it with Evade Psy.

Shadow Madeline: It doesn’t matter how long you attack me. I’ll just heal myself up again from the beginning... And why are you looking at me like that?

Blurr: Because they’re looking at me!

>Shadow Madeline turns to see Blurr driving up to her at high speed. Then, he transforms as he leaps up with a glowing hammer.

Blurr: POWER UP AND ENERGIZE!

>The hammer becomes charged with energy (which the Rescue Bots call Energon Tools) and strikes at Shadow Madeline. It knocks her down.

Blurr: Now’s your chance!

Skull: Alright! Let’s tear ‘em apart!

>After the attack, Shadow Madeline was still up, but now really weak.

Shadow Madeline: What... I can’t... Let this happen...

Skull: Hate to break it to ya, lady, but you’re not in change of the situation anymore. Crow, ready to do this?

Crow: I’m with you all the way, Skull!

>Skull and Crow use their Fusion Move, Holy Lightning. With that, Shadow Madeline was finished. A vault behind her opens.

Mona: The Treasure’s right there! Let’s take it!

>I go to the vault and take out a gold frame portrait of her daughter, Priscilla, and a man who I can only assume is her husband.

Noir: I see. She really does care more for her daughter than money.

Shadow Madeline: I had a hard life before moving to Griffin Rock. My father was poor inventor and my mother left us for another. I had to work many jobs just to keep us alive. In the end, it finally paid off then I met Philip Pynch. He was the son of one of Griffin Rock’s most wealthiest families. When we met, we knew we were meant to be. Not too long after, we were married. Then, we had Priscilla. Our lives were perfect. There was just one problem, though... The Pynches were far too nice and generous. Whenever there’s a charity event, they always give their money to it. Whenever there's a big project they’re starting, they do it not for the profit, but out of the goodness of their own hearts. Those fools only cared about others than they did themselves. I started to fear for myself and my dear daughter. So, after his parents retired, I decided that... Philip needed to retire, too.

So you got rid of him.

Shadow Madeline: You make it sound like I killed him... I actually hired someone to do it for me. I don’t remember the assassin's name, actually, I never bothered to learn it. But how can I forget the way he looked. That red and black costume, those swords and guns... How he kept pointing out that we are in a cartoon.

Red and black costume? Lots of weapons? Breaking the fourth wall? That sounds like...

It doesn’t matter! If you hired an assassin to kill, you might as well be doing it yourself!

Queen: You won’t get away with this. You better be ready for the consequences.

Noir: I know you just wanted what was best for your daughter. But you were going about it all wrong.

Shadow Madeline: ...

Joker: Please, Mrs. Pynch. Don’t let your daughter to grow to be put behind bars like you were...

Don’t let her become the monster everyone thinks you are and let her grow up alone.

Shadow Madeline: ... Very well. I know when I’m beaten. I’ll change... For my daughter’s sake.

>With that, the Shadow leaves for her true self.

Skull: Hey, Oracle, are they’re any leftover treasure chests or secrets here?

Oracle: No. That’s all of them. We won’t be needing Slice and Dice’s ability this time.

Slice: That’s probably for the best. I don’t think I want to come back here again.

Dice: Or me.

>So, with that in mind, we leave and wait for the change of heart.