#its not easy but its a basic skill that a professional chef is expected to have. and youre charging thousands for this

[marklikely]

the framing of the critic character in the menu really pissed me off bc no offense but if i was paying 12k for a meal and you served me a broken emulsification id comment on it too

[gustingirl]

gvf headcanon | dating their alter egos

request: masterclass anon and yeah i mean like imagine dating dr. jmk or chip bunker or that whole mess that is oliver reed & cal a bungah

dr. j.m.k.

it’s easy to say the four relationships would be totally chaotic and probably very hard to endure (good luck, y/n). in the case of this lunatic we call a spiritual psychologist, i can imagine his job being quite present in the relationship. like he would try teaching you all about spirituality, bringing up the most boring yet crazy facts that you literally had never heard of. now, sex would be amazing, but like you gotta imagine he literally never stops being a psychologist, and one involved with spirituality, so i can totally see the doctor bringing up rocks and precious stones, the astros and whatever the fuck he wants to basically explain anything. king of spiritual gaslighting, i would say.

however, this isn’t a regular doctor. this psychologist apparently is good at teaching, and you had been waiting for him to come home after an endless day of seminars and conferences. as you waited for him, your body tired after a long day at work, you began recalling the day you met; a friend of yours had recommended to you this really fascinating doctor that could basically help you with whatever problem you had. you, anyways, never expected him to slide his phone number after the very first session, and you for sure never expected to fuck him in the second session. though, after some dates and many sex sessions you began falling in love with him, you also realized how full of shit he was. it was adorable and yet amazing, as his sermons were basically ways to distract you from whatever was afflicting you. now, months after starting this insane relationship, you found yourself trying to get used to his “spiritual” ass. after some minutes of waiting for cuddles, you watched as your boyfriend opened the door to fall straight over your lap. you began stroking his hair, tiredness too making your eyes start closing. it was all a lie, you should have guessed, as dr. j.m.k’s hands abandoned your legs to go to your ass. you pushed him away, sighing tired as you exclaimed you were too tired to fuck. and that’s when his spiritual manipulation began working.

“babe, you don’t get it. i don’t wanna fuck, we NEED to fuck. the earth has commanded the inevitable, we must succumb ourselves to its prayers” his tone was a mix of seriousness mixed with sarcasm, a tone you could never quite decipher

“you’re joking” you too were mixing a question with a statement, as you weren’t sure how to react

“not at all! look, my love” you let your boyfriend take your hands in his, and watched as his hands did some weird moves around yours, crushing your hands with his, leaving them slightly red “felt that? it’s our cynical energy, it’s our soul, what yoU FELT THERE, that was your soul. and you hear that?” now his hands were messing your hair around and, before continuing, he pulled a beautiful stone from his pocket “the stones are calling your name, they vibrate after i touched your hair! see?” suddenly all excitement left his face, and his most serious look showed up, right before finishing “we need to fuck”

you couldn’t help but laugh loudly, falling backwards on the couch as you tried taking in everything your doctor had said. however, it was a really bad move as you soon had j.m.k on top of you, taking advantage of your exposed neck to begin kissing it all.

cal a. bungah.

gonna say, i pray for your stomach. this man claims to be a chef but every day i doubt more about his cooking skills. you would be his assistant every single night, trying all the plates he creates on the spot and having to fight the urge to vomit as he magically forgets to season everything. i just know he would make it all about him, and would praise his own cooking skills every night, bringing them up when you two visit a restaurant.

everybody thought you were the luckiest person on earth because your boyfriend was a professional chef. all your coworkers would gossip around, crying of envy as they could just wish for your life. however, they were pretty unaware of your boyfriend’s actual cooking skills. you couldn’t really deny the fact that it was nice to never have to worry about going back home to cook, as cal would always have a million dishes prepared for you. but the dishes were never of your taste and you had to fight the urge of running straight to the bathroom after every meal. as you were sitting on the bus, contemplating your life while staring through the window, you prayed internally for your boyfriend to be too tired to cook. you loved him to death, but you were dying for a different meal for once. however, your prayers were useless as you smelled the scent of cinnamon and…were those radishes? you sighed as you closed the door behind you, the sound ringing in your boyfriend’s ears who ran towards you and hugged you close. you took in the suffocating smell of vodka on his body, yet you noticed he was sober. with the same excitement he had as he made his way towards you, he carried you back to the kitchen, showing you the already prepared dinner table. the place looked amazing with candles and breadsticks prepared for you, and you let cal sit you down to wait for the final touches. as you waited, you began eating some breadstick as you watched him cook. the final straw was the moment you noticed how he was disinfecting the vegetables.

“cal…” you started, a bit concerned, while your boyfriend remained oblivious “maybe we should order food”

“what!? that’s unnecessary when you have me, baby” you smiled at the cute kiss he stole from you, feeling the taste of cherries and tomatoes on his lips. the weird mix had you throwing up inside your mouth, but you refrained yourself for the moment.

only minutes later cal served dinner and sat in front of you. the meal was a mix of greens, beans, some fruits and what you wanted to think was tofu. his infamous margaritas could not be missed, but you knew better than that to not drink one drop of it. however, you fell right into the trap as you tried one bite of the weird looking salad he had just cooked.

“see!? it’s amazing, i told you” his mouth was so full you could barely understand what he was saying

“cal?” your mouth was also full, though in your case you just couldn’t swallow the food

“yeah?” he inquired as he took a sip of his drink

“fuck you, i’m ordering mcdonalds”

chip bunker.

aw, this would be a weird but interesting couple. you won the lottery with chip, if we compare it with the other three. however, you gotta know he’s only talking about golf. and when i mean only talking about golf, i mean picture a rich white old man whose life revolves around golf, because that’s what is going on with chip. all his romantic compliments would be in golf vocabulary, and though he would be really romantic, it would still be cringy and even slightly nerdy. he’s like cute but sometimes aggressive.

one day you finally gave in; chip wanted to spend a whole weekend with you at a golf resort. the idea was completely weird, definitely not your first choice. but you had forced your boyfriend to do activities he didn’t like too, so you could only think of accepting it at least once. at first, the place was nice. you did catch on the amount of white old men around you, some of them smelling like actual dollar bills. it was truly fascinating, you had to admit, though a bit weird as you witnessed an actual ice sculpture of a golf stick. for a second you thought you were getting yourself involved in some golf cult, but chip by your side was calming you down, letting you know true golf fans knew how to appreciate such a perfect sport. you had your own opinions, but you shut them up as you sat on the little cart taking you and your boyfriend to the court he had rented. you spent an entire afternoon learning how to play, watching your boyfriend cheer at every score and letting him tell you all the strange history facts he knew about the sport. at night, you had asked chip to take you to dinner, as you had noticed the resort had a beautiful big restaurant with some good looking dishes. that night, you sat right across your boyfriend, as his pupils seemed to have morphed into two hearts. you could tell on his face how in love he was with you, and your heart knew well that you felt just as much love for him as he did for you.

“you’re doing it again” chip commented, making you come back from your trance

“what am i doing?” you smiled, playing with his fingers

“getting lost in my eyes” you felt your cheeks blushing red as the comment took you by surprise

“i’m just so happy i’m with you” you were being truly sincere, and never once expected such a reply afterwards

“i’m so lucky to have you, i truly scored my 18th hole with you”

you were left speechless, completely lost with the reference.

“what?” you knew for sure you were never going to understand it

“you’re my eagle, my baby” your eyebrows were frowning, confusion taking over your face “my beautiful four points”

the golf references continued, making you lose any capacity to understand his words. but you knew, deep down you knew, they were romantic as fuck.

oliver reed.

oh boy, oh god why would you date this man? if we’re talking about unhinged lovers, we have to start with oliver reed. have you seen that man? i don’t even need to describe a relationship with him. hold on, because it’s not a bad thing, ok? like this man is literally ride or die with you, and your life with him would be a total adventure right after the other. no moment of your life will ever be boring as you date him, but this also means no moment will ever be normal. i just sense he would only date someone who can either match his energy or balance with his, and if that’s the case then you’re literally his priority. you come first before anything else, but it means you must be able to endure his odd attitude.

the biggest problem is when you’re in public. because you fell in love with this man, right? you truly fell in love with him the second you heard him talk at a bar, it was like a weird but hollywood-like love at first sight. but the rest of the world could never see what you see, and that was an evident statement when you two were in public. for some reason, oliver was incredibly into pda, something you never expected from him. when he had told you he was ok with it, you assumed he liked kissing here and there, without caring what others said. you never once imagined this could mean grabbing your ass out of nowhere. the little gasp you released when you felt his palm slapping his ass brought the attention of every individual at the mall, as you two made your way down the hallways and towards any vintage clothes store you could find. you looked around, face red as a tomato and burning like fire, crossing stares with several witnesses, while oliver smirked with pride. he loved showing others you were his, sometimes in quite odd ways, like the one time he just began biting your neck at the cinema. you truly were used to this, but you sometimes would forget how it wasn’t as normal for others. after searching for good stores and failing to find them, you sat down with oliver at the food section, with two trays in front of you, as you kissed and ate your lunch. at that moment you truly forgot how dirty mouthed he was, and you had soon lost count of the amount of times he had said the word “fuck”. it was not weird of him to curse like a sailor, and you were really ok with it, but only now realized how bad it was when a kid nearby began crying at oliver, pointing at him as he ran back with his mom, accusing your boyfriend of being a bad person.

“fucking kids these days are weak as fuck” your boyfriend complained between teeth as he took a bite of his sandwich

“you made him cry!” you were shocked at the scene, as it felt like it belonged to a movie

“the little blessing will be fine, he probably fucking cries all the fucking time, he’s used to it by now”

you could only laugh at him, eyeing as you could hear some drowned giggles coming from his mouth. you knew how much of a character this was, and how much of a soft boy he truly was. however, he barely showed that side to you, especially in public.

“can you please speak well for once? besides every time you say ‘fuck’ you spit on me” you complained, removing some drops that had landed on your cheeks just seconds ago

“you weren’t complaining about me spitting on you last night” though he attempted to mumble his comeback, his voice was never low enough and, before you could laugh, you both jumped in your place as another kid began crying after overhearing your not-so-innocent conversation.

[quirklessidiot]

aoba johsai’s sport’s journalist (h/c’s)

just crack+ fluff + platonic-ish relationship (gn!y/n) (w: language!) a/n: this has been bugging me for awhile now since i havent seen headcanons of this yet (if their are do send them on my ask box) and since im on a slump, i decided to write this down. this is completely fun, easy-going, and self-indulgent, really perfect for someone stuck on a slump ksks. idk if i should make some for the other schools but oh welp enjoy! happy 900 btw werkwerk uwu so weird to reach this when im not even very active.

Now let’s be honest here, it’s no surprise that the volleyball team of aoba johsai has their own sports journalist. Like, c’mon, they’re one of the best in the prefecture.

But let’s start with the basics here, shall we? Let’s start with you, how this all goes through, and how you got into this heaping pile of mess.

Yep, you.

There you were in high hopes to get into journalism for college so what better way was it than to apply for the school paper? It would definitely look good and pretty in those college applications *chef’s kiss* you’re a second year btw idk if that matters but yeah..

Much to your surprise no one was applying for the news section which was kind of sad since you wanted a buddy there.

but-but it turns out though everyone was applying for the sports section completely understandable, next to feature, it was the most exciting thing to write because there was going to be a special section and writer for the volleyball team.

You knew that volleyball was kind of a big thing around your school?? you just didn’t expect it to amass like that much people.

The editor in chief is obviously surprised, you were the first person on that day to come in there and actually apply for something else.

and guess where that led you to?

Yep, the sport’s section, specifically the volleyball team’s personal sports journalist. Your brain goes brrt brrt because you were not a sports writer at all and you were, ironically, scared of ball games.

VOLLEYBALL WAS COMPLETELY NEW TERRITORY FOR YOU.

Your editor in chief laughs it off and says, “you’ll do fine… its like news bUT SPORTS! IT’LL DEFINITELY LOOK GOOD IN YOUR APPLICATIONS!”

You’re not sure if you should be terrified or terrified?

It doesn’t help that on the first day when you enter the gym you look terribly constipated and panicking a lot because of all the stray balls being spiked and tossed around.

It also didn’t help that you crash course the terminologies and the member’s name a night before and you were just running on iced coffee that day.

Yeah, way to make a first impression, huh?

When you approach the coach, you’re not exactly sure what to say and you were this close to chickening out until you saw one of the players come up to you and ask if you were alright and if you wanted to talk to oikawa.

you’re loading for a second there.

and the poor guy who asks you if you were alright, starts looking actually worried because you weren’t responding at all.

“OH, oH IS THAT THE CAPTAIN?”

the guy literally looks very confused?? because what kind of rock were you living under that you didn’t know Oikawa???

so you go ahead and introduce yourself and say that your name was Y/N and you were the new sports journalist for the team.

“....soooo you write?”

“...”

at this point on, you’re also confused too

and idk man, first impressions do indeed last because you ended up (unknowingly) sharing the same brain cell with Matsukawa Issei.

you both were just confused there, straight up looking like two kids who got left behind by their mom in the grocery check-out line.

anyways...

He tells you the team’s pretty chill and you should stop looking like they spiked a ball on your puppy or something.

Basically introduces you to the whole team after, 

no questions asked, just go with the flow.

You basically just click and vibe???

Not only because you crash coursed and related to whatever they said, 

you literally all shared the same brain cell together.

Kentaro was another story though, kid basically hated your guts at first, it felt like if you were to say one sentence to him that day, he’d literally spike a ball at your direction.

“we’re basically the same year tho :(” -Y/N

“lmao well do i’ve got news for you, y/n-chan.” - Oikawa and basically everyone on the team.

you gradually start to understand the coolness of the sport since you had to incorporate visiting them once or twice a week during practice.

but suddenly it becomes almost a daily routine after a month because they’re just really friendly people??

like wow, they’re all friendly giants.

You’re literally just there to write about them but they’re really patient and kind, they even invite you to practice games so that you could practice out your skills in writing since you mentioned that you’ve never written for sports yet.

they even give you some added key terms that aren’t found in books and online.

you’re def closest to iwaizumi and matsukawa.

iwaizumi because he makes really funny fish jokes about oikawa (yes you arent supposed to be laughing but man theyre funny af, oikawa would usually call you and iwa corny because the jokes aren’t even that funny) and yes its canon that whenever iwaizumi sees an oikawa fish in textbooks, he starts laughing and joking about it.

no explanation needed why you ended up being close to matsukawa.

its obvious after that first meeting ya both would be besties.

same brain cell bros go brrt brrt.

incredibly!! supportive!! I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH

like when you release a new write up about them, Oikawa would usually go, “It’s such an honor to be apart of your first steps, can you sign this?”

dramatic but hella supportive, we stan the gr8 king

“oh, wow, i thought you said you didn’t write before? how come you sound like a professional already?” - Hanamaki 

another dramatic best boi.

akira + kindaichi getting shy because they’ve never experienced this yet. So whenever you try to interview them about stats or something for a special issue, they usually end up a stuttering mess

“w-well, L/N-san...”

kentaro slowly warming up to you but still looks like he wants to spike a volleyball at your face 90% of the time but unlike before you’re used to his whole thing already.

“Move, extra.”

“You were great, by the way. That was a powerful spike!”

you may or may not be included in random ramen nights with the team

yes, oikawa buys you your own bowl of ramen

itadakimasu.

he doesn’t mind tho, he really loves how you write them. 

so its sort of a thank you for giving the team justice when you write about them.

team says you’re technically part of the team so they make you your own jersey. Now when you watch your games people ask if you’re like the manager or smthng.

“ no :’) “

When they lost against shiratorizawa and karasuno, you were bawling too like you were apart of the team.

this pretty much cheered everyone up despite the loss because your crying face was apparently very funny and memable.

oh right, your article was passed on to the town’s newspaper

it was literally like 7 am on a saturday and your notifs went zoop.

they added you to their group chat and spammed you with pictures of the articles that you wrote.

“...wOW I CAN’T BELIEVE IT?? YOU GOT FRONT PAGE FOR SPORTS???” -Oikawa

“we didn’t even win the tournament but we still get a feature?? thats so cool?? holy shit?? CONGRATS KSKSKS” -matsukawa

lmao idk matsukawa looks like a keyboard smasher tbh idk why

pretty much its normal for you to even start hanging out already outside of the court and after practice to get steam buns.

more chaotic mess and clumsy you running around.

your volleyball sports writing experience wouldn’t be complete until someone accidentally spikes a ball at the back of your head amaright?

ironically, it’s yahaba who does that to you. poor smoll bean.

“wow, you’re dumb.” -kentaro says to you

“ :’)” -you.

“y/N-SAN I SWEAR IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.” -yahaba 

overall, you found yourself in a safe haven with the volleyball team and yes, you also cried when the third years graduated. 

the third years have a picture with everyone on the team + you with a very red face from all the crying?? once again, you’ve proven yourself to be a meme.

continued to write for them up until graduation.

and its def obvious you kept in touch with all of them after, duh.

[seijorhi]

asks :)

once again, i’m terrible at answering things :)

First off, your newest Kuroo story WRECKED ME. OMMMMMG LIKE IT'S SOOO FUCKING GOOD. You are one of the most incredible writers ever, like professional style writing. These should be books and you should get paid for it, honestly. Your skill is totally unmatched, my friend. I just adore everything you write. I had two questions thou about the story, just because I am totally obsessed by it- so has Kuroo been obsessed with her since he saw her, I'm like curious how his obsession started 

like is it because she's young and he's interested? Cuz I totally got the vibes at the party that he was showing her off like she was his girlfriend and he seems like he has been wanting her for awhile. I was just curious about how it started cuz god I'm a simp for yandere kuroo- boss man Kuroo would make me weakkkkk. My second question is so is he like obsessively in love with her or is it like just a this hot piece of ass is mine to fuck kinda thing? Like does he want a relationship?

anyways, I love you and I love your writing. Everything you write is legit perfection! Thank you for all your beautiful stories you share with us! - Kai

first of all, whomst gave you the right to be so damn sweet???!?! dsgsjkl thank you, bby!

so, like with all my fics i kind of have a ‘read into it how you want’ thing going for it. whether or not kuroo actually has ‘romantic’ (i use that word loosely) feelings for the reader or whether he just enjoys fucking her because he’s in a position of power and she’s easily manipulated is left a little up to your interpretation and how you’d prefer to imagine it. however, having said that there are little hints throughout the fic that imply that there’s a little more depth to kuroo’s feelings. you’re not wrong with the whole ‘showing her off’ vibe at the party, and there’s mentions of confessions that kuroo gives while he’s fucking the reader - also the title of the fic, invidia, means envy in latin. so take that how you will 🤷‍♀️

and as far as how it all began, i like to think that it was kind of a slow build. again it’s implied that kuroo has met the reader (however briefly) a few times before - at games as nekoma’s manager, when she initially was introduced as his girlfriend and she has stayed over at their place in the past. it wasn’t so much a singular moment, but kuroo’s definitely been paying more attention to her than she realises. 

WHAT WHAT WHAT???? RHI UHMMM WAS KUROO IN LOVE WITH THE READER???? 👀👀👀👀 HOLY SHIT. I'm honestly mind blown rn like I have a lot of questions like did Shin know? Was he also into it? Omg the idea of Father and Son sharing reader...

(also I def did not hope that Bokuto was also there cuz that would have be fun....oppsss)🙊

hehehe

no, shin didn’t know but oh can you imagine the betrayal if he did? if he willingly set up the reader to be fucked by his dad 👀god damn

adsfgdhjfkfl there was a moment i genuinely considered having something more happen at the christmas party where bo would stumble across and one thing would lead to another.... but i decided not to go that route. this one needed to be solo kuroo haha

Rhi, what can I say, amazing as always!

ahhh thank you sm, bby!

Hi i absolutely love the kuroo fic at first no one would actually notice he was into and then story actually rises nicely however i would like to ask like what happens later im sorry im a little burnt out from my mountains of assignments that i cant think of a possible aftermath since the story had an open ending but yeah what happens later after the whole scene does y/n stay there for the 7 days and get r*ped again or she goes home early and like what happens to kuroo and shinsuke im sorry for annoying you with questions its fully up to you whether u would like to answer or not :-)

aw, thank you! I hope your assignments and stuff are all done? And pls bby, you’re not annoying me at all 💕💕💕

Honestly again, it’s kind of left up to what you like to think would happen, but personally I think that the reader stays, because there’s no easy way to get out of that situation without raising suspicion - which means that she then has to spend the next week trying unwittingly playing cat and mouse with Kuroo who’s gonna use every damn opportunity he has to push your boundaries 👀

Duuuuude invidia fucked me up! Like fuck, lol! The build up was so spectacular! It makes me wonder two things: how did kuroo’s obsession start, and what would shin have done if he caught them (and why do I feel like he’d join in... I guess it runs in the family lol).

I loved it sooooo much and im also so creeped out lol. Can’t trust other people’s dads. Everything about it was perfect!

glad you liked it, bby!!

shin’s a good boy and he genuinely loves the reader, but i think if he did stumble across the two of them he’d just shut down and walk away. it’d be the biggest betrayal in his eyes - it wouldn’t matter if you were drunk or he was, who came onto who - the two most important people in his life going behind his back would just break him :( and i think he probably wouldn’t give either of them a chance to explain

but if we’re talking degenerate shin... 👀👉👈

imagine if invidia! reader gets pregnant and Shin thinks it’s his, but its actually his dad’s 🤭

oooh kuroo would be such a smug little shit - he’d get extra touchy feely with the reader, drop ‘casual’ hints, basically doing everything outside of straight up admitting it to him, just to see how far he can push until shin starts to doubt whether he’s actually the father - when it’s just the two of you though... i think he’d be a little softer - but equally as possessive - you’re his, and so’s the kid growing inside of you

Kuroo: son do you know what a cuck is? Shinnosuke: no? Kuroo: wOULD YOU LIKE TO FIND OUT - @south-korea-cakes

dagshjskl i snorted when i read this but you’re not wrong lmao

hi rhi! i have a question about Lion’s Den! did oikawa purposely set the reader up to witness his true nature? or was it chance that she saw him kill?

no - i think he’d rather have kept you in the dark a little longer and tried to let things develop ‘organically’ but he’s not upset that you did find out the truth - gives him an excuse to move things along and take what he wants 👀

hey rhi:) soo my boyfriend of two years just broke up with me and so far a major comfort has just been rereading your stories. something about feeling desired, ya know? anyway, thanks for making me feel a little better <3 - @theofficialhufflepuff

aw i’m sorry to hear that :( i’m glad my fics can help make you feel a lil better - sending love bby! 💕

omg i adore everything in the soulmate series hello !! would any of the soulmate pairings ever end up feeling lowkey competitive w/ the other?? like all of them seem to mutually respect the other but would there ever come a point where smth pushes them into trying to outdo ur other soulmate when it comes to ur affection?

also have i mentioned how much i love ur writing bc i love ur writing

hmmm, not so much with oikawa & iwa or ushijima and tendou because i think they have pretty rock solid relationships with each other prior to the reader coming along - if they did it would only be minor stuff

the twins on the other hand - good fucking luck with them because they’ll turn everything into a competition. the moment one twin thinks you’re favouring the other too much expect to get dragged across the room and forced to spend ‘quality time’ with the other. it’s all very petty and exhausting and there is no possible chance for you to win. but thank you sweetheart!!

tonight im thinking about The Final Girl! boys forcing you to share a bed with them for the first time. With Kuroo’s face buried in the crook of your neck, one big hand palming your breast for good measure, Bo holding onto your waist, and Kaashi’s legs tangled with yours. its suffocating, really😪😓

asdgdhjdkdl suffocating? yes. now where do i sign up?? 🥺

you are so talented in writing it's crazy!! just the way you articulate things is ugh *chef's kiss*. i hope you are doing well and not receiving hate 🥺 ily pls

ahhh thank you so much, messages like these always make me so happy! ily bby! 💕

more karasuno first years soon? 👀

who’s to say?? i don’t have any full fics planned but maybe some concepts and thirsts??

if you make a yandere msby fic i’ll literally lose it i love your writing

👀i am considering it

[justsomekpopstuff]

Top Chef (Rival!Kihyun)

Requested by @softhaos (ily)

Pairing: Kihyun x Reader

MASTERLIST

A/N: Nothing like a good old rivals-to-lovers au, am I right? Also, sorry not sorry for the gif I know its older but wow

You had met him in culinary school.

The two of you were always at the head of the class. Everyone felt the competition radiating from the both of you. No matter what was going on in class, the two of you were always aiming to be better than the other. It was a rivalry for the ages. And, even after you both had completed culinary school, the two of you were still competing with each other.

You had declared Yoo Kihyun as your mortal enemy.

You didn’t think you would ever see him again after you both went your separate ways. Every now and again you’d be reminded of him and you would scoff. You had always thought he was so egotistical and annoying. He would always try and “one-up” you and he would brag about all his successes. You never wanted to see him again.

You didn’t expect to see him so soon, however.

You had been called in for a job interview at a new up and coming restaurant. They were going to open in a few months and they were in need of a head chef. They specified that only one person could get the job, so you had to make sure that you were extra prepared. You were confident you were the best person for this job, so you practiced and practiced until the day of the interview.

You walked into the empty restaurant in your professional attire, recipes memorized, and confidence that wouldn’t quit. You were determined to get this job so that if you ever saw HIM again you could rub it in his face. You were all smiles and swagger until you saw who else was waiting for the interview.

It was none other than your rival himself.

You groaned audibly, causing him to turn his head towards you. You saw him roll his eyes and groan as well as you walked over slowly, taking the chair right across from him.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” you heard him mumble under his breath. You could feel the anger bubbling up inside you.

“Well, they called for an expert chef, so I really don’t see why you’re here,” your retorted quickly. You saw him glare at you with an unmatched fury.

“Well at least they know that I have talent. They are probably just going to use you to make me look better,” he snapped.

“Oh, you wish. I think its the other way around, asshole,” you snapped back.

The two of you scoffed angrily at each other before you both turned your heads away. The two of you waited in silence, you bouncing your foot in frustration. You didn’t know how long had passed until you heard the kitchen door open, with two other chefs walking out to sit at a table farther away. The owner called your name and you stood to head into the kitchen with a smile. Only, moments later, you heard Kihyun’s name called as well.

Turns out, the two of you would be interviewing at the same time. 

The two of you stood in front of the table that was set up in the massive kitchen as the owner sat down. He asked the two of you some of the basic questions while looking at your resumes. You answered everything with ease, proud and confident in your skills. However, Kihyun had also answered with the same amount of confidence.

You hated to admit it, but you actually were a little impressed at how calm he was despite facing up against his biggest rival, aka you. 

Once the question part of the interview was over, it was time to test your cooking skills. The owner asked the two of you to each make your best appetizer, main course, and dessert for him to taste test. He told you where all of the supplies were and then released you two to begin cooking.

You and Kihyun immediately sprinted for the pantry to get ingredients. You tripped over yourself and stumbled a bit before you settled yourself, gathering everything you need. You could have sword for a second you heard Kihyun mumble “are you okay” before the two of you raced back to your cooking. 

The two of you prepared your meals in total silence, completely focusing on outdoing one another. However, you couldn’t help but gaze over every now and again to admire him. You hated to admit it, but Kihyun had always looked...different when he was cooking. It was like someone completely different had taken his place, someone you could actually find yourself being attracted to...but you would never admit that to anyone.

You had no idea that at the same time, Kihyun thought the same about you. If he was being completely honest with himself, he actually had had a crush on you since culinary school. He would never admit it, but he actually thought that you were an excellent chef, to the point where you might actually be better than him. He admired you from afar as you cooked, happy that if he was going to compete against anyone, he was glad it was you.

After a few hours of cooking, the both of you finally completed all of your dishes. You both presented them to the owner, and stood and watched as he took a taste out of all of them. He silently nodded at every dish, giving neither of you any inclination as to whether or not he liked it. After he finished tasting the last dish, he excused you both to the dining hall where you would have to wait for his verdict.

You and Kihyun exited the room one after the other, both of you still with a confident stride. However, both of you were nervous beyond all belief. Neither of you had any idea how the owner liked your food, and you hated it.

“Well, that was weird,” you heard Kihyun mutter as the two of you sat down at the same place you had earlier.

“Yeah, I was so sure he would have made it known that he liked my food better,” you chuckled. Kihyun laughed sarcastically in response.

“Oh, I’m sure,” he sneered light-heartedly. The two of you shared a chuckle before you fell silent. The two of you sat there looking at the floor for a few minutes before you spoke up again.

“Sorry for nearly falling on you,” you muttered to him.

“Its fine...didn’t impede on your cooking skills,” he murmured.

“Wow, Kihyun, that almost sounded like a compliment,” you joked. You could see a small flash on his face.

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” he responded.

That’s when the owner came out of the kitchen. Everyone who was there for the position stood up to hear the results. He took a breath before announcing...

that neither of you would be the head chef...

They picked someone else that had come in that day, one of the people who had gone before the two of you.

You and Kihyun were absolutely dumbfounded.

“I need a drink,” he groaned.

“Can I join you,” you asked. He nodded, and the two of you grabbed your coats and headed out. 

A few minutes later, the two of you were sitting at a bar, silently sipping on your drinks and contemplating your places in the universe.

“I just can’t believe it,” you spat.

“I know,” he agreed. You were not even going to bring up the fact that this was probably the first time 

“I mean, even you did a better job i’m sure. I know those dishes you made are your specialty too,” you spoke.

“Really? You noticed?” he asked.

“Well...yeah...I mean we did go to culinary school together...” you trailed off.

“I guess you’re right...and I thought you did pretty well too...” he told you.

The two of you drank in silence for another minute.

“You know, I don’t hate you...” Kihyun started.

“What?”

“I don’t hate you. I know we had this whole rivalry thing going on, and you think I’m an asshole, but I have never actually hated you.”

“I’m so confused...” you sighed into your drink.

“I always thought you hated me because you were always so snippy with me. You always wanted to beat me in everything...honestly, I didn’t like you all that much at first, but I realized that you gave me a challenge, and that made me want to be a better chef...so I don’t hate you...I want to thank you.”

“You want to thank me for being an ass?”

Kihyun chuckled. 

“I want to thank you for giving me that challenge. I would have quit culinary school because it would have been too easy. You gave me reason to stay. So...thanks.”

You were shocked. You had no idea that he felt that way...

“I guess since we are a little drunk and we’re being honest, I have to come clean,” you started. “Even though I didn’t like you at first, I realized that you actually were not that bad. I also appreciated that you gave me a challenge, and in all honesty, I actually really admired your perseverance. Usually when I challenge people, they get annoyed and they give up. You stuck with it. So, thank you for being there, at least.” 

Kihyun held up his glass for you to toast.

“To not hating each other,” he toasted, the two of you clinking your glasses together before taking a big sip of your drinks.

“Do you remember that one chef we worked with? The pastry chef?” he asked you.

“The one that smelled like cheese or the one with the out of this world mustache?” 

“No, the one who told us that baking was the key to the soul and that we each had to become our inner artists and let our sugary goodness break forth to clear the darkness away from the world.”

“OH, that one! Yeah! Man, they were crazy,” you laughed.

The two of you reminisced about the crazy people you had worked with before, and even laughed over some of your mutual shortcomings. The two of you even discussed what you wished to do with your skills as culinary artists. You hated to admit it, but you were beginning to like Kihyun more than you realized.

“I’ll make you a deal,” he started. “When we both have jobs as big time chefs or whatever we end up doing, we go out and celebrate.”

“I’ll do you one better. Whenever we end up at the same job interview and neither of us get picked again, we go out for drinks and wallow,” you joked.

“Sounds good to me,” Kihyun laughed at your offer. The two of you clinked your glasses together again and finished off your last drinks. “All though, I would like to see you again before then.”

“Wait...really?” you asked him, surprised.

“Yeah...looks like we both could use some touch ups on our skills. How about we get together and cook sometime?” he asked, eyes on the floor.

“I’d like that,” you smiled. 

The two of you exchanged phone numbers before exiting the bar. In the time that you had been in there, it had gotten much darker, and you were tired from the interview and the drinks. Kihyun called you a cab and helped you in.

“Get home safely, okay?”

“I’ll do my best.”

The taxi pulled away from the curb, and you couldn’t stop the smile that spread on your face. Kihyun, who waited for another cab, couldn’t help but do the same. 

Even though neither of you became the top chef that day, you had gotten something far more valuable - each other.

[yierknives]

What's the Best Knife Sets Under $100 you prefer?

Knife blocks are a classic part of the American kitchen. It’s easy to see why, as all the knives you could possibly need are in a convenient, centralized location. Making a small investment in a good set of knives is cheaper than buying a bunch of knives individually, and many sets come with appealing extras like steak knives, shears, and more.

In order to help you choose the best knife set for your needs we have provided an in-depth article on the best knife set under 100 USD. But, make sure you also check out the best chef knife set and the best knife block set, to get a complete view of all that’s out there.

What Features Should the Best Knife Set Under 100 USD Have?

The best knife set under 100 should have the three basic knives required in a kitchen. These knives include a chef’s knife, a bread knife and a paring knife. Other important knives that can be included in the set include a utility knife, a Santoku and steak knives. The best Knife Set under 100 should also include a good knife storage option, whether it’s a knife storage block or a knife stand.

How to choose the best knife set under 100 USD?

Not all knife sets are made the same. Each of the Best Knife Set under 100 has its own pros and cons. Thus, it is important to take your time when making your selection. Here are three valuable tips on how to choose the best knife set under 100.

Consider the Materials Used to Make the Knife

Knives can be made from a wide range of materials, including stainless steel and high carbon steel alloy. Where possible, it is advisable to go for knives with blades forged with high carbon stainless steel. These knives are easy to sharpen and hold their edge for long. More importantly, it is advisable to choose forged knives rather than stamped knives. Take into Account the Storage Option For safety purposes and to maintain a sharp edge, you should never store knives loose in a cutlery cabinet. Thus, be sure to choose a knife set that comes with a storage option. Most knife sets under 100 will come with a knife storage block or an acrylic knife stand.

Price Shouldn’t Be the Determining Factor Only

Just as a brand name is not a guarantee of quality, your decision should not be based on price alone. Take into account other important factors, such as quality and construction of the blade. More importantly, take time to read the reviews left by other buyers to have a rough idea of what you expect from the knife set.

When it comes to choosing one of the best knife sets under $100, consider your specific needs.

How do you cook? Do you prepare a lot of fish? Slice a lot of bread? Tomatoes? Steak? If you want a full suite of knives for every food and occasion, a knife set makes a lot of sense. As we just learned, there are plenty of options under 100 bucks that include every knife you need.

If, on the other hand, you’re more of a minimalist, you may want to consider throwing your whole budget at one or two nice knives that will last you the rest of your days.

1.Only Consider Sets That Include the “Top Three.” Something experienced cooks often say is that for nearly every instance of slicing, cutting, or dicing, all you truly need is a well-made chef’s knife. We’d add to that list one serrated bread knife and at least one good paring knife for quick jobs.

Once you’ve established that your knife set includes all three of these workhorses, you can look for the add-ons that make sense for your cooking style. Many sets include a Santoku knife (a thinner, less rounded blade, useful for precision/uniform slicing) or a utility knife (a medium-sized, slimmer blade, suitable for slicing meats or sandwiches). Some include steak knives or a sharpener, and some even include peelers, specialty knives, or cleavers. Avoid knife sets with way more pieces than you need, especially as those extra tools tend to be of lesser quality than the knives.

2.Always Hand Wash Your Knives. Never put cooking knives into the dishwasher, full stop. Even if a manufacturer says it’s dishwasher safe, don’t do it! That is, unless you want prematurely dull blades and put permanent stains on them or risk knife handles that rust and fall apart.

This is as true for thousand-dollar knives as it is for the best knife sets under $100.

3.Be Realistic. We’re not here to sell you the idea that you can get a set of professional-level knives for under 100 dollars. Most of these sets likely won’t last for decades. That’s just the reality. For a life-long set, or even for a single fancier chef’s knife, you’re going to have to bust through a $100 budget.

That said, you can get a really decent set of knives for under 100. And if you take care of them properly, you can get many years’ use out of them.

4.Expect to Sharpen Your Knives. Even the sharpest blade will eventually grow dull. If you don’t know how to use a sharpening steel, it’s easy to learn. You can also have your knives professionally sharpened, but sharpening them yourself is a great skill to learn if you plan on cooking regularly.

5.Beware of Gimmicks. You can find knife sets that promise they’re “non-stick” or “self-sharpening,” but take these claims with a grain of salt. Especially in the case of sharpening, you don’t want a built-in carbon strip that “automatically sharpens” your blades for you. First of all, they’re more likely to damage your blades than sharpen them properly. Second of all, they almost always fall apart.

1.Cuisinart 15-Piece Stainless Steel Hollow Handle Block Set

This sleek 15-piece knife set includes the solid essentials — plus any other variation you might need. Like the Chicago Cutlery set, Cuisinart built these knives from high carbon stainless steel, with precision tapered blades.

Ergonomically designed steel handles with a durable bolster help keep the knife in balance and protect fingers. This handy set also includes six steak knives, kitchen shears, and sharpening steel.

One thing to note: even though descriptions of the set say that the knives are dishwasher safe, reviews strongly suggest otherwise. If you decide on the Cuisinart Hollow Handle Block Set, make sure to hand wash your blades to avoid rust or stains.

Pros

Reasonable price

Sleek, sharp, and light

Good starter knife set

Cons

Many dislike the kitchen shears

Steak knives of lesser quality than the rest of the set

Those who washed knives in a dishwasher experienced rust stains

2.Deik 14 Piece Knife Set with Acrylic Stand

Just like the Calphalon knife set, The Deik14 Piece knife set comes with a clear acrylic stand so you can beautifully and safely store your knives. The knives are forged rather stamped, meaning that are stronger and can last a lifetime. The blade is forged using high carbon stainless steel for enhanced durability and long lasting rust and stain resistance.

You will fall in love with the excellent craftsmanship of these knives. The handles are ergonomically designed for enhanced comfort and reduced fatigue. They are specially curved and tampered so that they will fit perfectly fit in your hands to maximum control and comfort while in use. The set comes with all the basic knives you need in your kitchen. Here is a detailed review of each piece that makes up the best knife set under 100 USD, Deik 14 Piece set.

Pros:

●Comes with a clear acrylic knife stand ●The set contains all the basic knives needed in a kitchen ●6 pieces of ultra-sharp steaks included ●Knives are well balanced and beautifully designed ●Sharpening steel included to keep your knives sharp ●Retails at an affordable price

Cons:

●There are no extra slots on the knife stand to store your existing knives ●The knife set is not ideal for professional chefs who love carrying their knives with them

●If a woodblock isn’t your style, consider this acrylic knife set organizer. Strikingly different and modern, this stainless steel knife set is a well-reviewed alternative to a traditional block.

●In addition to the usual suspects, like a chef’s knife, utility knife, six steak knives, and more — the Home Hero includes a peeler, a two-stage sharpener, and even a special pizza knife.

3.Home Hero Stainless Steel Knife Set with Acrylic Block 17 Piece Set

If a woodblock isn’t your style, consider this acrylic knife set organizer. Strikingly different and modern, this stainless steel knife set is a well-reviewed alternative to a traditional block.

In addition to the usual suspects, like a chef’s knife, utility knife, six steak knives, and more — the Home Hero includes a peeler, a two-stage sharpener, and even a special pizza knife.

Pros:

●Sharp, lightweight, comfortable grip ●Beautiful way to display your knives ●Slim profile — doesn’t take up as much space ●Reviewers Dislike

Con:

●Not made to last ●A few sets arrived missing a knife ●Finish eventually starts to chip off

Any of our winning options are quality knives that will serve you well, but selecting the perfect one is about your preferences and ideal price point.Want more recommendations for the best kitchen knives and cutlery to complete your knife set? Check out our guides to the yier kitchen knife.

Why choose YIER Knives

● The complete knife set contains all kitchen knives.

● Delivery from the local warehouse, within 3 days.

● Manufactured in our own factory, cost-effective.

● Transparent acrylic knife holder, like a work of art

● Excellent materials, safe and durable.

● Free returns

● We listen to customer needs and feedback.

[vitmelbourne]

To Become an Expert in Commercial Cookery Course Australia is the best course

Today we hear about commercial cookery course Australia. What exactly are they? These Courses are basically the minister to whole cooking skills of person. These courses are of two type unexpected term and long-term courses. During the intensive course, unaccompanied favorite foods were readily available, but within the end of the day, they went from the kitchen to the basement into the kitchen. In these courses not by your self-cooking is preferred but the way to prettify the ready plate is then preferred.

Each class force in description to an every option theme which is important for a fine chef. From the initial reduction within the number of declarable ingredients to cooking, frying, steaming, cooking and slow cooking, everything becomes easy to require steps to for you in cooking classes. And these are full package of tips and actions to save lots of part as adroitly as period. Different Classes having exchange the menus behind breakfast menu, Lunch menu.

These classes are moreover easy to be light-hearted to for people who are non-vegetarian. Lots of variety of non-vegetarian materials is comprehensible here. These Culinary industry classes even have menu the way to chef sea food gone in week. With the whole these things these commercial cookery course Australia buy you some cooking tips just virtually conventional food, occasional food, Seasonal food. All you'll learn is that the opinion of very experienced and competent teachers who are strong altogether areas of cooking.

These don't allow you to find out about the food and its recipe but means that this is often indeed the case with conventional spice combinations. And everyone fine taste. And there are lots of avant-garde apparatus which made easy to learn militant cooking easy to get your hands on to and speedily.

As we all knows that eating food is the utmost pleasure in one’s cartoon. So, you'll taking office more alleviate of those pleasures after making food by your own hand. Because everything are going to be pleasing and wonderful together within the middle of you after quotation to tasty as competently as healthy. So for what are you waiting??? Just attend the class to become an undefined leader and pay your family the healthiest meal. We are passable you to be a to your liking pension of those cooking classes where you'll achieve to highest level of cooking.

How commercial cookery course Australia can brighten Your Cooking Skills

Remember that it requires a special talent that a lot of people get in-born. But you'll learn some good points also and enrich your cooking skills with commercial cookery course Australia. It is not tough to the let others experience exceptional after having your food. There are many of cookery course classes and hospitality courses providing career. They also give priority to Team building Australia in order that the scholars learn numerous things quickly and implement them accordingly.

 When it comes to cooking something, you need to take care of others' taste as well. But there are times when you might not be aware of the guests' like and dislikes. During that of a moment, a well-trained individual can show his/her skills and prepare something good for all. Cooking classes also give training for corporate team event which will assist you prepare food for parties or other special events.

 Experts Team

 Most institutions have skilled experts to train their students. The environment is additionally very professional where you'll learn each aspect properly. To clear your doubts, you can ask as many questions as you can from your trainer. There can be different professionals for different dishes. For instance, Chinese dish instructor and Italian dish instructor are often different. Get in touch with them to learn some handy tips about the dishes.

 Interest Factor

 There are various courses available in cooking and other people who don't have idea about them can make mistake to pick the incorrect one. How much you like to prepare specific dishes that is something you should be aware of. This would be helpful to choose the best course in Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery Australia. If you reside in any area where some dishes are popular, and you're also good to cook them, you'll joint course that has such dishes. The training will sharpen your skills to cook those dishes better than before like a professional.

 Though some gluten free commercial cookery course Australia available, it's better to travel for the real one. This would also save your precious time and you will receive the best training by experts.

 Demanding Food

 It is a known fact that no human being can live without eating food for long duration. It is a must requirement for everyone. So, food business also remains on the upper level. The tough competition also can be seen during this industry wherein many experts are providing their special dishes to people.

If you would like to get the celebrity and earn handsome money, it's better to travel for demanding food. Cooking classes are good to find out some details which are vital to organize something quite expected.

For getting more information visit here VIT - Victorian Institute of Technology.

14/123 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

1300 17 17 55 (or) support@vit.edu.au

[bunnyjoyce-blog]

Passive Protagonists: On Thin Icing

Original can be read here.

Yes, I'm focusing on Jules Capshaw of the Bakeshop Mysteries series again. After watching this video regarding active and passive protagonists in the two Star Wars films, The Force Awakens and Rogue One, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsIQa7sH5_Y , I knew I had to touch upon why On Thin Icing by Ellie Alexander failed to live up to the promise on the book's back cover.

To reiterate: Tagline: Welcome to Torte -- a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good. It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists--and fewer customers--for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up...until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer. Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper--that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the resort--and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow--and thicker than a chocolate mouse cake--Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit...and make sure he gets his just desserts. However, accusations don't pile up higher than the snow or get thicker than a chocolate mouse cake. Jules does not have to think outside of the (recipe) box (if anything, she thinks too much about those recipes), and she does little in the way of making sure the killer gets his just desserts. I bought this book last year, and I only completed it recently because I had to force myself through it. I'm hoping that this is just a bad blemish on an otherwise awesome series. I really am. On the page which advertises the good reviews received for the first book, Meet Your Baker, there are four different praises. Portland Book Review says that book is "a real page-turner," so I'm hoping that if I ever find that one, I'll be pleasantly pleased with Jules and her detecting skills. However, that does not change what On Thin Icing gives us. Jules is a passive protagonist. Most of her focus as the main character is on cooking -- and not in the "Oh, I gotta get these meals finished, but the murder investigastion keeps pulling me away!" sense, but in the "Oh, let's go through each step of fixing each item on the menu in huge amount of detail -- breaking only to angst about how sexy my two love interests are -- and not even look for clues unless I just happen to stumble upon them." There are little bite-size moments when she does act like the amateur sleuth of a cozy mystery that she's supposed to be -- pretending not to pay attention when a woman goes looking for a wine bottle that had already been removed from the scene, asking questions when she just happens to be around a suspect -- but most of the plot, and her focus as the POV character, is not on the murder, but on cooking and her love triangle. When she does solve the mystery (through finding an envelope full of money), it is because she was looking for rum for one of her recipes rather than her actively searching for clues. I think this may have to do with this book being the 3rd in its series. Now that Ellie Alexander got the first book published, maybe she felt she did not have to put the same amount of effort into this book as she had with the first. Perhaps it was the pressure of making her sequels "similar but different" or to include the love triangle that led to her shortchanging Jules's personality. Or maybe she just really, really wanted to justify having those recipes at the back of the book. As I mentioned in my previous post, shortly after discovering the body, Jules spends about 3 and a half pages describing how she makes pastry rolls (which you can read here). Similarly, while Thomas, her "might be in love with me, but I'm in denial about his feelings" love interest, interrogates her estranged husband, Carlos, Jules focuses on her almond bars. Granted, yes, this is her job, and she has to keep baking even with the investigation going on. This could have been something like, "Oh, I'm trying NOT to think about what's happening right now, so I'll focus on my work," but instead this comes off like Alexander was trying to remind everyone at every opportunity that "JULES IS A CHEF, GET IT?! GET IT?!" rather than proving to us that she is a human being.

[Pg. 150] "Any word on the generator?" I asked, giving the frosting one more good whip. "No, but you'll be happy to know that Thomas is in the bar grilling Carlos." "Perfect." I grabbed a stainless steel pastry spatula and began spreading the frosting on the almond bars. It was hard to silence the perfectionist in me. For mixing by hand, the frosting was perfectly acceptable. I was pretty sure that Lance and his guests wouldn't know the difference. It had a lovely subtle almond flavor and I had managed to whip out any lumps. The industrial mixer would have given it an airier texture. Let it go, Jules, I told myself as I whisked the chocolate glaze and drizzled it over the top. You're baking at high altitude and without power. Was that "Perfect" supposed to be sarcastic? Sincere? Who can tell when Jules is more interested in her pastries than in a murder investigation which involves two men she cares about facing off? Compare that to one of the very few times Jules interviews a suspect regarding the victim. [Pg 224] "How did Tony [the murder victim] react when you confronted him [about scamming from you]?" "He flipped out. It didn't surprise me. I expected him to. He got defensive, said it wasn't him. I asked him if it wasn't him, then who was doing it. He wouldn't say. I know he was lying. I planned to fire him yesterday. I just needed to talk to my husband first and make sure there wasn't anything I needed to do from a legal perspective before I let him go." She swirled the cream in her coffee, turning it into a gorgeous beige color. My hands were still covered in flour, but as soon as I finished rolling the dough I could go for another cup. "Now he's dead." Mercury rubbed her forehead. Rather than studying Mercury's facial expression for any hint of deception or feeling some kind of emotion regarding this development in the case, Jules takes note of Mercury's coffee because she's a professional chef, GET IT? GET IT? GET IT? Alexander occasionally attempts to show us Jules's feelings -- except she doesn't actually show. She tells us that Jules feels a certain way without displaying any action or reaction to prove it. Jules hardly thinks about Tony after she finds him, and she barely responds when anyone talks about him. She does not even stop to wonder if he had any family to call or what have you. We get blurb on page 138 -- in the midst of cooking exposition. For a unique side dish, I wanted to teach Sterling how to braise green beans. Usually braising is reserved for rough cuts of meat, but I love using the slow-cooking method with vegetables. I would make the pasta by hand. It's more time-consuming, but there's no comparison in terms of taste. Fresh pasta elevates a basic dish. It would be me a chance to use my pasta roller, and hopefully give my head a break from thinking about Tony's murder. [Emphasis mine since this is so easy to miss. :-p] Pasta can be intimidating, but it shouldn't be. There's nothing simpler when it comes to the ingredients required--flour and water. Maybe a pinch of salt and a few eggs for Italian-style noodles, but otherwise it's as easy as combing flour and water. The difficulty comes in creating the right desnity for the dough. I call it finding the perfect hydration level. If a dough is too wet or dry, it's impossible to work with. I've spent years experimenting with different ratios of water to flour. This goes on for 14 more paragraphs of exposition about the pasta and Jules and Sterling sharing a dialogue with more exposition about the pasta -- because when I spend money on a murder mystery, I'm more interested in learning how to keep my homemade noodles from turning gray in the refrigerator than in anything as silly as a compelling protagonist investigating a crime. In fact, we don't get really get another real peek into her feelings until she speaks to Carlos on page 217 (140 pages after she found the body). "I found his body. I was the only one up here who had any connection to the police. I feel responsible for figuring out what happened to him. It's not distressing me [to try to figure out who killed him, Carlos]. I promise. It's something to focus on. Otherwise, I'll just focus on seeing his face over and over. At least this way I feeling [sic] like I'm doing something productive." Too little too late, unfortunately. Similarly, the so-called "love triangle" is supposed to have "tension" because the two men vying for her heart are at odds with each other, but that falls flat because, once again, we are told there is tension, but Jules does not show us how she reacts to the tension. [Pg. 151-152] "Take those to the guests before Mr. No Palate here eats them all," I said to Sterling. Thomas pretended to be hurt. "No palate?" he said with a mouth full of almond bar. "That's not fair." "Who has no palate?" Carlos entered the kitchen. "I was teasing Thomas," I replied, nodding to the tray in Sterlin's arms. "Those aren't my best effort. The altitude is throwing everything off." Carlos picked a bar from the tray. He carefully broke a piece off it. "These rose too high, yes?" "Yep." He tasted the almond bar. Watching him savor the tiny morsel was like a sensory experience. He closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose while he chewed. No one would accuse Carlos of not having a developed palate. Thomas rolled his eyes and started on his second bar. "If you ask me, Jules, I think these are great." Carlos finally swallowed his tasting bite. "The flavor is good, yes, but I think too much baking soda, no?" "Exactly. Thank you," I replied. Sterling cleared his throat. "Should I take these out now?" He stood waiting by the door. "Yeah, yeah. Go." I motioned him forward. Thomas shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about with baking soda. I think these are awesome. Everything you make is awesome, Jules." His voice caught a little. This was it--Thomas and Carlos in the same room. The contrast between them was staggering. Thomas with his boyish face, light eyes, and blond hair looked like an all-American football star. Carlos oozed sexiness with his olive skin, dark hair, and piercing eyes. "Ha! I wish." I laughed, trying to break the tension. "I've had my fair share of disasters over the years, but this one takes the cake." Carlos moved to be closer to me. Thomas frowned and inched closer to the island to make room for him. "This is what it means to be a chef." He held up the almond bar. "Sometimes things do not go our way, but we must improvise." His eyes twinkled. "You improvised well, Julieta. I like the frosting and glaze." I noticed Thomas flinch when Carlos called me Julieta. No disaster in the kitchen compared to being sandwiched between the two. And yet I don't buy it. We're told that it is tense, but her reactions are just, "Stand there and tell the audience that it's tense - ooh, ex-husband is sexy!" She's not flinching or making an excuse to step away. ("Oops! Need to wash my hands - way over here.") She is not clearing her throat or focusing on her cooking as a way to avoid thinking about the men's dislike for each other (which is rather odd considering everything I just mentioned). We get her trying to change the subject, but it comes through "talking head syndrome." www.helpingwritersbecomeauthor… Don't get me wrong. You don't have to list every single last thought and feeling for the audience. You can rely on context to provide the proper atmosphere -- except Alexander did not set up that context well, so when she got to the so-called "disaster" of having the two love interests in the same room, it did not hit the notes she was aiming for. In the end, Jules does not come off as a protagonist, but a plot puppet who exists so that the book could be published. Her focus is on food first, as the author's way of promoting the recipes that came with the book, and then on her "love triangle." As a result this cozy mystery has very little to do with the mystery, and what could have been an interesting plot became needless exposition of how to bake pastries, and the main character solves the mystery, not through any active decision to investigate, but because she was accidentally in the right place at the right time. So, what can we, as writers, take away from this? Make sure your focus, as an author, is on things that move the plot so that your characters can do the things that move the plot. Even if this is the third book in your series, make sure that things like love triangles and cooking serve the story. Don't have the story serve the love triangles and cooking. Context can help you, but don't take your reader's immersion for granted. Just telling your reader that the protagonist is upset or that a scene is supposed to be tense is not enough. Have your protagonist act and react in ways that fit the scene you are going for. If your scene is supposed to be uncomfortable, have them react as if they really think it's uncomfortable. If your protagonist is supposed to feel responsible for a murder victim, have them act like they really feel they're responsible for a murder victim. While it's good to give them little quirks that remind us of their chosen profession (like a chef noticing food details), remember that they are human beings who should be more than the sum of their parts, so it's okay for a professional chef not to think of food when sniffing out clues to find a murderer.

[rissaroundtheworld]

“"Where We’re Going, We Don't Need Roads” - A Memoir of My First Month at Sea

Ahoy beloved friends and readers! I write to you from the back of my new home, a 38 foot catamaran, in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. This area is solely inhabited and governed by the native indigenous people, the Kunas, several of which have become my boyfriends. The most useful, Apio (spanish for celery, so you know he's the real deal) just motored up to this boat on a tiny wooden kayak (called a Cayuca) to ask me if I would like him to deliver me a few cases of beer tomorrow. Obviously, I said "si."

In case that last sentence didn't make it clear, life is a little different here. And by a little, I mean it couldn't possibly be more of a 180 from my previous life OR my backpacking life. Who knew I could take the life I knew, chew it up, and spit it back out twice in less than a year!?! With that being said, this new adventure has been amazing. I am learning new things, seeing new places, meeting new people, and I might be the most tan I've ever been (which, I've been told, is still not very impressive.) Still, its been a wild ride getting here, and it took me some time to adjust. Here's my best recap on the last month or so:

Originally, the plan was for me to fly into Panama City and meet the boat in San Blas, where we are spending the foreseeable future. However, I'm learning that unexpected and sometimes seemingly disastrous boat problems are to be expected anytime, anywhere, and such problems occurred while the boat was still in Bocas del Toro, where I began my international solo travel 9 months ago. Since I was the mule for crucial boat parts, my new-new life started right where my old-new life began. To be honest, being back was a bit of a head trip and I was happy to get out. Thankfully, we made a fast escape after about 48 hours of boat and food provisioning related insanity. There were two crew members on board, Liz and Tomas, and we picked up a third, Daria, thanks to the glorious gift of Tinder. This online dating-friendly crew would make up my social circle for the next few weeks and I couldn't have been luckier! Tomas was a professional chef and made us AMAZING food for every meal, every day, while Liz, Daria, and I spent most of our free time floating naked in the Caribbean drinking gin. I brought down an inflatable flamingo, whom we named Domingo, and most days were spent jumping off the boat onto Domingo and seeing who did a better job (Generally Liz). We listened to music, made jewelry, played board games, and mostly just didn't wear clothes. Seriously... I saw a lot of bums.

With that being said, we did do actual work and we definitely did actual sailing. My sailing experience previously consisted of taking a bedsheet and tucking it into my rollerblades during a hurricane as a teenager, so it should go without saying that the learning curve was a bit steep. Luckily, my rock climbing background set me up as a great rope coiler, and the knowledgeable crew helped me out a lot. Now I sort of know how to avoid crashing into reefs, and I can help let out anchor chain like a champ. Since Tomas is now gone (I miss you everyday amigo!) I am also the resident chef, and I prepare all meals wearing a pirate apron. I still don't know how to cook fish, which is a small problem when you live on a boat in the middle of nowhere with a spearfisherman, but... we're working on it. And luckily, everyone likes sushi.

A few major things have happened in this time period. Thing one was my first open ocean sail! After leaving Bocas, we did a few "test" sails, which involved staying relatively close to the marina in case anything went wrong and basically gliding over calm waters. I was, at this time, not aware that this not "real" sailing. I thought "hey! This is great, I can do this!" We coasted along, drank some beers, listened to good music, and relaxed. Joke was on me. Once we determined that the boat was in good enough condition to leave, we ACTUALLY sailed... turns out this is very different. I don't remember exactly where our first big sail began or ended, but I do remember how long it was: 28 hours. The beginning was comical - it took the entire 4 member crew to prepare coffee, one person holding the kettle down while the boat was rocking, one person holding the grinder down, then a full support team trying to safely pour boiling hot water into the french press while maintaining three points of contact on the incredibly unstable boat. Needless to say there were a few burns and a LOT of spilled coffee (remember, the next step was getting it into mugs - oooooff!) At first we had fun with it - we had contests to see who could stand on one foot the longest (Liz again), played ukulele, listened to The Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat" far more times than necessary. Sleeping was awful, and we all had to take shifts in the middle of the night to make sure the boat didn't crash (evidently this is something you want to avoid). But, we made it, spent a few days re-provisioning, and then made our final jump. 10 hours, which sounded like nothing compared to the previous 28, but once again... joke was on me. These seas were significantly more rough than before, and about an hour in I noticed myself feeling a little... off. This quickly escalated into 9 straight hours of me curled up in the fetal position on the back deck with a sarong over my face, occasionally experiencing a moment of strength where I would drag myself inside to get as many Ritz crackers as I could hold in one hand. When we finally arrived in San Blas, I couldn't even bring myself to participate in the obligatory "anchor beer" (another boating skill I am quickly adapting to). This was not a fun time.

Luckily, I recovered quickly, and to calm any fears of potential visitors, this is NOT what its like to sail around San Blas. Not even close. Seasickness is entirely not a thing here, even for my apparently delicate self. And with all this time spent not being seasick, we've done a LOT now that we're here! Activities have included:

DIVING If you saw me when I came home in December, you may have noticed (and politely not mentioned) that I put on a few L-Bs since leaving. And if you knew me at any point ever in my life, you know that this is not something I stand for. When I left home the second time (after of course gorging on Christmas cookies) I got my act together - ate better, drank less, worked out more consistently. My primary workouts are running and yoga, which are both relatively easy to do on the road. But now... there are no roads. And very few spacious, flat surfaces which don't threaten to move at any time (only beaches). What's a slightly chubby girl to do? Then I learned (and have since heard over 1000 times) that free diving is the second best cardiovascular exercise in the world, beat only by competitive fast wood chopping. And I now live with a certified free diver. My previous diving experience was... limited. Basically, if I dropped something to the bottom of my reasonably shallow pool, I accepted it as a loss. So free diving lesson day one was a bit scary, but luckily I had a great instructor! Nate walked me through proper breathing techniques, and then pushed me to try deeper depths. I experienced my first (of now many) underwater contractions, which may have made me pee my pants a little - its tough to tell when you're in the ocean. But by day 3, I was diving alone to between 30 and 35 feet! This has been good for both my heath and entertainment- I'm watching my Argentinian Malbec-induced love handles melt away, and I've had the opportunity to explore the reefs around here in a whole new way. They are STUNNING. If I could double capitalize that, I would. STUNNING! There is beautiful coral, colorful fish, anemones, octopi, shellfish, and so much more. My job when we go diving is to hunt lobsters and crabs, but I generally get caught up in all the beauty and forget. I am currently batting a 0.000.

FRIENDS Turns out, you can live on a boat in the middle of nowhere and still have a social life. In fact, at times our social schedule was so packed we had to turn down a few requests - who would have guessed!!? I've already met so many new people of all ages, nationalities, and different walks of life. We've had boatloads of fun (see what I did there?), but again, its... different. For example: We met up with some friends who had heard about a dolphin carcass that washed ashore, and they wanted to take the teeth for jewelry. One asterisk - they heard about this six weeks prior, but had been running charters and thus unable to explore. If, like me, you have no experience in excavating a dolphin carcass that has been on a beach in the tropics for six weeks, let me tell you: they're disgusting. At several points, the brave leader of the excavation team looked like she was going to puke. The smell was unbearable, and we had to use the dolphins scapula to find the bones as no one had thought to bring a shovel. In the end we discovered that, in the six weeks it had been sitting, someone had already stolen the teeth. And this is how my ocean social life began.

WORKING Yep, you read that correctly. I've been doing real, actual work. One day I even worked for nearly 6 straight hours (when we realized this we promptly closed the computers and made cocktails). I came to the boat to help Nate run charters, which I had no experience in and he had only done informally before. Getting this up and running has been a crazy amount of work! We've had to restructure websites and market ourselves online, which is always fun when you're in the middle of nowhere in an underdeveloped country. Our wifi consists of a small device which we put into a backpack and hoist to the top of the mast, where we HOPE we get enough signal to do what we need. Quite advanced technology here. We had to clean the whole boat top to bottom, and reorganize a lot to make sure our guests feel comfortable. We had to reach out to people to set up water taxis, food deliveries, fix boat problems (they really are never ending), and figure out charter-friendly recipes. Then we had to sample said recipes, which meant me making all kinds of treats and Nate getting to eat and critique them. I'm pretty sure he got the better end of the deal here. Somehow, we managed to get it all together and in late April we took on our first ever charter together. I was terrified. When we got the booking I ran around the boat in a full blown panic, and didn't sleep from that moment until our guests arrived (thankfully it was a last minute booking!) What if my sushi rolls fell apart? What if I burnt the eggs? What if I cut my finger and cried into the rice and then the guests unknowingly paid to eat my tears!? Luckily, none of these things happened. In fact, barring an unfortunate lion fish sting (not one of the guests thankfully), the charter went REALLY well. We got along swimmingly (more boat jokes!) with our guests, who were incredibly kind, fun, and easy going people. My meals went well. We got in great diving, fishing, relaxing, and exploring. The guests even spoiled us by cooking dinner one night, which was warmly welcomed since by this point my feet felt like they were entirely on fire. We walked (errr... water taxied) away with new friends. We couldn't have started off on a better note.

So here we are - relaxing before our next guests arrive in a few days. We're hanging with these guys for about a week or so, then heading to do some wheeling and dealing (and obeying stupid new immigration laws) in Colombia before returning for a charter in late July. Theres a trip to the states in the mix, where my goals include not cooking and not cleaning (sorry mom and dad!) I am going to take a real shower (yep, hasn't happened in six weeks). I will eat broccoli and pork and all of the foods that the Kuna veggie boats wont bring me. I will drink real beer, and see all the people I love and haven't seen in nearly six months! But until then, I'll go wash my hair in the ocean, munch on a carrot, and crack open a Balboa. Life's not so bad :)

[arjunsaxena460]

Top 7 Free Online Graphic Design Software to use in 2021

Art and technology can be combined in surprising ways to create practical, functional and beautiful things. The industry is constantly evolving to pave the way for greater creative freedom and lucrative career opportunities. A designer's career can be very conventional at first, and then he may end up looking for a chance that he never dreamed of.

Digital marketing tools and techniques assist us in creating the things we require, like, or fantasize about. A chef creates gastronomic magic with flames. Musicians use instruments to play a tune. Engineers will need the appropriate tools and materials to build a bridge that will let humans’ traverse from one point in suspended space to another.

To produce visual art, graphic designers require more than just talent or skill. Graphic designers employ complex and straightforward graphical design tools to capture the ever-shifting forms and colours in their heads to create captivating pictures. Here are some of the best tools suggested by a digital marketing consultant

1.Adobe InDesign (version 1)

One of the most crucial programmes that graphic designers should be familiar with in InDesign. The digital marketing strategy plays a very important role in designing. Designers are increasingly expected to utilize this programme as their primary desktop publishing software (DTP). Designers use it to generate and modify a wide range of visual elements. You can create everything from a simple postcard or invitation to posters, brochures, magazines, and books with InDesign. 

2. Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is one of the tools most used by designers to manipulate photos and create graphics. It contains many functions for images such as cropping, editing, colour correcting and resizing. Designers can also use Photoshop to create and alter pictures. Photoshop is a professional-level tool used for high-quality projects, unlike the rudimentary editing abilities of your smartphone's camera.

3. Adobe Illustrator

This program is a sister program to Adobe Photoshop. While Photoshop is usually used to edit photographs, Illustrator is used to creating vector images, which are high-resolution images that can be scaled up or down without losing quality. Illustrator allows designers to create logos, charts, infographics, illustrations, and graphics. Paths, groups, layers, text, colour, and effects are all topics that must be understood to create these illustrations.

4. Adobe Dreamweaver

Adobe's web design and development software is called Dreamweaver. Graphic designers can use this software to create new web content, manage existing sites, and write and change code. While developing new regulation, the programme contains features that allow the user to visualize the site content.

5. PowerPoint

While Adobe Creative Suite is the standard for graphic designers, PowerPoint is significant because many organisations and small enterprises use it. As a graphic designer, you might be asked to assist a coworker with a PowerPoint presentation to make it more professional and consistent with the company's brand.

6.Pablo

Behind the Buffer social media scheduling service is Pablo, an essential tool for adding text over team photographs. It is highly user-friendly and well-designed. That's a plus for us, but if you're looking for something with more features, try one of the other excellent applications on this list.

Pablo, on the other hand, is a skeleton. When you visit the website, you will be sent straight to the application. You are not required to establish an account because none exist. A preview of your photograph appears in the centre of the screen. On the left, you may use Unsplash to find an image or click Upload Image to upload your own. On the right, you may adjust the canvas's size and shape, apply a filter, type your text, and add a logo or other artwork. Double-click on the text to modify it directly, or click on it to change its formatting. Oh, and move and crop the background image by clicking Reposition. That is it.

CANVA

Canva makes design easy for everyone. Create layouts for the web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook covers, brochures, posters, invitations, and more.

Canva is the most popular design software, and as a result, it has many third-party app connectors (examples: Smart Mockups, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Google Drive). Canva is a quick, affordable and easy way to design when you're in a hurry, whether you need to create print items or web graphics.

Snappa

Snappa's graphic design templates are limited to sizes appropriate for social networking and blog graphics. There are no templates for business-related visuals, such as business cards or documents, other than that. Snappa, on the other hand, is a viable alternative to Canva and loved by digital marketing strategy consultant.

The editor is straightforward and uncluttered. Icons, vectors, pictures, and a simple set of forms are among the design elements. All vectors are shown in black and can be changed to any colour.

Snappa is primarily aimed at bloggers and social media marketers. Buffer's social media scheduling integration is a significant draw for that market.

Small enterprises and startups will benefit from the template styles. It is not ideal for businesses or academia because there are no data visualisation tools. Snappa is for a purposeful informal design.

Crello

Crello is a strong competitor for Canva. This programme includes a vast number of templates in a variety of styles and formats. From social media to print and marketing assets, we've got you covered.

The editor comes with an extensive collection of animated images similar to those found on Instagram stories. These, on the other hand, cannot be changed, so you get exactly what you see. Basic shapes are tucked away inside the objects tab and must be discovered.

Crello is for everyone who is tired of Canva and wants to try something new. Because the photographs are from a different source, they are different. Stickers resemble Instagram Stories in appearance, making them quick to make.

Crello's design tools are more entertaining than professional, even though it contains specific business-related templates. With Crello, there is a limit to how skilled you can be. Most social media marketing consultant uses this.

Crello isn't designed for data visualisation. It's geared toward bloggers and small businesses who need to produce social media images.

Do you wish to have expert advice and need digital marketing consulting services? Connect with the best digital marketing consultant and Instagram marketing consultant and boost your visibility!

[faizrashis1995]

Ansible Vs. Kubernetes

What Is Ansible?

The best definition comes, not surprisingly, from the software’s developers: “Ansible is a radically simple IT automation engine that automates cloud provisioning, configuration management, application deployment, intra-service orchestration, and many other IT needs.”

 Ansible is an open-source software solution that doesn’t depend on the typical client-server model. Ansible’s designers tout it as the only automation engine that automates everything in the whole application lifecycle as well as the continuous delivery pipeline. Difficult and time-consuming processes get changed into repeatable playbooks, which increases production speed while bringing a much-needed element of simplicity.

 Ansible’s name comes from a science fiction story, used to describe an instantaneous hyperspace communications system.

 Ansible requires a Linux/Unix host (e.g., Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, macOS, BSD) as its control machine. Also, Ansible uses the Python programming language, versions 2.7 or 3.5. Ansible runs on several cloud platforms, including:

 Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Atomic

CenturyLink

Cloudscale

CloudStack

DigitalOcean

Dimension Data

Docker

Google Cloud Platform

KVM

Linode

LXC

LXD

Microsoft Azure

OpenStack

OVH

oVirt

Packet

Profitbricks

PubNub

Rackspace

Scaleway

SmartOS

SoftLayer

Univention

VMware

Webfaction

XenServer.

Ansible’s features include:

 Simplicity

You don’t need any unique coding skills to use Ansible’s playbooks. Ansible is easy to set up. Just run the shell script once, and you’re good to go.

Power

Ansible handles highly complex IT workflows.

Zero Cost

Ansible is a free, open-source software solution.

Flexibility

You can orchestrate the entire application environment no matter where you want to deploy it. Since it has hundreds of modules available, you can customize Ansible to fit your unique needs.

Easy to Use Playbooks

Most of the playbooks are written in YAML, making them easy to edit and read.

Agentless Installation

You can set Ansible up in minutes using OpenSSH. You also don’t need to set up agents on remote servers.

Efficiency

Ansible doesn’t require you to install any extra software, so there are more resources to dedicate to your other applications.

What Is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes is a container as a service (CaaS) project released by Google. According to a blurb on the developer’s website, “Kubernetes is a portable, extensible, open-source platform for managing containerized workloads and services that facilitates both declarative configuration and automation.” The automation aspect improves the development processes of the overall applications.

 “Kubernetes” is a Greek word meaning a pilot or helmsman.

 Kubernetes uses the Go programming language. Like Ansible, it runs on many different cloud platforms, including:

 AWS

Azure

CloudStack

GCE

OpenStack

OVirt

Photon

VSphere

IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service

Baidu Cloud Container Engine.

Kubernetes’ features include:

 Container Balancing

The Kubernetes platform calculates the best location for a given container without requiring any user interaction.

Flexibility

Because Kubernetes is an open-source cloud-based tool, it’s portable and offers multiple environment flexibility, meaning it can run on public cloud systems, on-premises servers, or hybrid clouds.

Zero Cost

Kubernetes is a free, open-source platform.

Process Automation

Kubernetes can automatically decide which server will host any given container.

Self-Monitoring

Kubernetes stays vigilant, maintaining constant checking of the servers’ and containers’ health.

Scalability

It provides horizontal scaling, allowing companies and organizations to quickly scale-out storage, fitting their workload needs.

Storage Orchestration

Kubernetes integrates with most storage systems; for example, you can combine it with an AWS Elastic File System.

Do These Tools Have Any Drawbacks or Disadvantages?

Of course, they do! No tool is flawless, including Ansible and Kubernetes. Each has its share of obstacles and difficulties.

 Ansible’s user interface leaves a lot to be desired. The UI executes only 85 percent of the commands that are usually run on the command line. While 85 percent sounds like a good figure, a decent UI gives you nothing less than 100 percent.

 Furthermore, Ansible has no notion of the state; it just runs tasks sequentially until it’s done or encounters an error.

 Also, Ansible’s Windows support still has a lot of catching up to do. You still need a Linux control machine to manage Windows hosts.

 Finally, since it’s still a relative newcomer to the DevOps scene, Ansible has less experience in delivering support to enterprise-level users and the smallest user/developer community. That latter deficiency makes it tougher for users to perform troubleshooting tasks.

 Kubernetes isn’t perfect either. It reportedly has a steep learning curve. Even the most experienced DevOps professionals encounter difficulty trying to figure out the platform’s ins and outs. Kubernetes users should be familiar with the entire cloud-native ecosystem as a whole.

 Kubernetes is challenging to install and configure manually since you will need to configure security and multi-host networking; attach storage; and enable monitoring, auditing, and logging.

 Also, Kubernetes doesn’t have a default high availability (HA) mode, so you have to configure your HA to create a fault-tolerant cluster manually.

 If these disadvantages appear intimidating, then you can always hire some Kubernetes experts to round out your team and handle these challenges. Hiring more personnel, of course, leads to the final disadvantage: spending additional money to recruit some dedicated Kubernetes talent. While this is a good thing for professionals who are looking for work in the DevOps field, it’s a pain for companies that are trying to adhere to a fixed budget.

 How Are These Two Tools Alike?

Kubernetes and Ansible don’t have much in common. Both of them are cost-effective since they’re both open-source software. Additionally, they’re both touted as being powerful yet easy to use. Still, there’s little chance of confusing one for the other!

 What Is the Major Ansible vs Kubernetes Differences?

The differences between these two products are profound. Ansible is an IT automation tool that deploys software, configures systems, and organizes more complex IT functions such as rolling updates or continuous deployments. On the other hand, Kubernetes is a system designed to orchestrate Docker containers. It manages workloads and uses nodes to handle scheduling to make sure that their condition matches the users’ expectations.

 In other words, Ansible deploys changes to hosts, while Kubernetes manages containers and keeps them working properly.

 Ansible is an excellent useful tool for front-end developers, particularly in situations where some programming is required. Kubernetes is best suited to developing larger apps.

 Based on the properties of both tools, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Granted, they’re both DevOps tools that handle configuration management, but the purposes for which they’re used have minimal overlap.

 Just How Popular Are These tools?

Each solution has its share of adherents. AppDirect, Bose, Comcast, eBay, Google, IBM, Nav, Nokia, Philips, Slack, Spotify, Unicom, and many more use Kubernetes.

 Ansible’s following, on the other hand, consists of customers like Capital One, Cisco, HootSuite, NASA, NEC, Twitter, and Verizon, among others.

 Since both tools tend to operate in different circles, it’s hard to compare their popularity in a head to head matchup. However, Ansible is the most popular configuration tool, commanding a 41 percent rating over similar tools like Chef and Puppet, according to Flexera’s RightScale 2019 State of the Cloud Report.

 Kubernetes, meanwhile, has become the darling of the container management systems, beating out competitors such as Docker Swarm and Apache Mesos, according to an article from Opensource. The main reason for Kubernetes’ popularity has to do more with the size of the community that supports it, according to an article from Container Journal.[Source]-https://www.simplilearn.com/ansible-vs-kubernetes-article

Basic & Advanced Kubernetes Training  using cloud computing, AWS, Docker etc. in Mumbai. Advanced Containers Domain is used for 25 hours Kubernetes Training.

[729renegades]

BUSINESS LESSONS FROM THE TELLY

Studies show that staff are far more productive when they feel enthusiastic and motivated.

And, I’m willing to bet most of your staff spend less than half their time at work being genuinely productive… I speak from experience NOT from any judgement.

I’m also willing to bet, this is as frustrating to you as it is to me… but here’s the thing, you and I are usually the major cause of the problem.

Now, it never ceases to amaze me how we can find business lessons in the strangest of places.

I was reflecting on this very subject recently when Lady G and I were watching the Great British Menu. For those who don’t know this programme, it’s a competition involving professional chefs from all over the UK who each cook four unique dishes of food. These dishes are then judged, first by a fellow chef then again by a group of food critics.

The prize? Four chefs go to the final and get to cook one course each in a 4-course dinner for 60 guests at a special banquet!

So, what’s the lesson in this you may wonder?

The initial reaction from the judge is not what you might expect… there’s no immediate criticism, no, “What the f*ck were you thinking!”… no shouting, no screaming, no bollockings!

Instead, after the chef cooks one of their dishes, they then sit down with the judge and they share the dish together.

As they eat, the judge simply asks the chef if he or she is happy with what they’ve produced… questions like, “is that the flavour you were hoping for from this sauce?” or “happy with the texture of your sweetbreads?”

Imagine doing this with your staff.

It doesn’t take long for even the least aware member of staff to realise that you’re actually alluding to a concern you have and pointing out a potential problem without having to scream and shout about it.

The disarming nature of the question encourages the staff member to actually think about their answer and quickly realise there’s room for improvement.

But then, the Judge ends with a really great question … “what score (out of 10) would you give yourself for this (dish)?”, and this is genius in its simplicity.

You see, by asking the staff member to score themselves you’re really asking… “Is this your best work?” or “Could you have done even better?”

The score your staff member chooses can often reveal a lot about them.

Awarding themselves a justifiably high score will show confidence whilst a justifiable low score will show they are aware of the low standard of their work and therefore give you the opportunity to ask what they could do to improve that score.

Of course, they could give themselves an unjustifiably high score… which would be sign of overconfidence or arrogance. This would require you to point out the areas of improvement needed and why.

Or, they might give themselves an unjustifiable low score which would indicate either humility or lack of confidence. This would require you to point out their great work and encourage them to build on that.

What a great way to help our people feel enthusiastic and motivated, to encourage them to want to work well and to align their goals with those of our businesses?

So, what else can we do to develop our people?

 Motivate

It’s a myth that people are only motivated by money… in reality, it’s based on giving people an appropriate combination of rewards such as career progression, responsibility, influence, recognition, security, challenges and feedback.

And remember that what motivates you and me, doesn’t necessarily motivate your staff!

Manipulating and bullying people simply does not work. It leaves them demotivated. The key to successful motivation is not only their attitude but yours.

Try treating employees as partners in the business, keep them informed, ask for their views, provide a comfortable working environment, the right training and equipment for the job.

Build up an atmosphere of trust and teamwork, not defensiveness and fear. A company run on fear is a miserable place to work, full of people who avoid making decisions in case they are wrong.

Avoid blame — and acknowledge that mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning process but encourage people to ask for help when difficulties arise.

Keep communication open and honest. Hold regular brief meetings to plan work, establish goals and discuss any special events and deadlines. Share any news and problems and give employees credit publicly for their achievements.

Take an interest in people’s lives and be prepared to chat about the things your employees are interested in. Listen actively to whatever people have to say.

Celebrate

Let them know what is expected of them. The objectives you identify for the company need to be turned into practical, achievable goals for the individuals working in it. If employees can see how their success contributes to the big picture, they will feel motivated and enjoy being part of the team.

Agree realistic but challenging goals that directly benefit the business. Ensure they can influence and monitor the results they are being asked to achieve then celebrate their achievements.

Give everyone a chance at success. For example, a book-keeper is more likely to stop debtors taking liberties if he or she has responsibility for bringing the figures down. The book-keeper also needs to know why this matters so much. If employees understand problems, they often come up with solutions themselves.

Communicate

Most employers find it all too easy to complain about employees’ mistakes. If you’re going to criticise, do so in ways that’ll help them improve. But more importantly, try to praise their achievements ten times as often as you point out errors!

Let your employees know how they are doing but remember, the objective is to improve performance, help learning and build their motivation and self-esteem. Any feedback that doesn’t contribute to these goals is counterproductive.

Respond quickly and be clear on the issue. Allow time to do it properly and show real feelings. Be delighted or disappointed. Don’t save up praise or criticism for reviews, or for when you lose your temper.

Don’t make it personal. Describe the consequences of an action, rather than criticise the person. Keep your praise and negativity entirely separate. Never end with negativity. Once the message has sunk in, encourage the employee to think through with you how to get better results.

 Deliberate

You can never win an argument with an employee. The loser will become demotivated, and that is not in your interests as an employer.

If disagreements arise, limit the damage. Carefully, separate facts from opinions and emphasise the areas where you agree.

Listen while they talk and acknowledge their opinions even if they are at odds with your own.

Try putting yourself in their shoes.

Give people room to save face, especially after criticism, failure or disappointment. Riding roughshod over them simply leads to poor morale, low productivity and high staff turnover.

Remunerate

Handled badly, pay can be a terrible demotivator at every level in your business. Be aware that every pay packet sends a message and employees are sensitive to its nuances. If you pay less than the competition, expect to have demotivated employees. And if you give rises only when people threaten to quit, you are rewarding disloyalty. Also, avoid paying higher rates to attract new employees, current employees will resent it.

Be careful with year-end profit as a target for bonuses. Employees may not see a direct link between their efforts and their bonuses as the delay may be too long.

People know the profit figure may be altered for tax reasons and only a few employees will believe their efforts can influence the result.

The most visible or obvious part of any remuneration package is salary which can be made up of several elements including basic pay, commission, bonuses, profit-related pay and share dividends. That said, many of the most motivated people are also some of the lowest paid (e.g. nurses and teachers)

Many employees appreciate company contributions to pension, insurance or healthcare schemes and it’s often much cheaper for companies to offer access to group schemes like pensions than it would be for employees to purchase individual rights

Company cars are always a popular perk for many employees despite increasing taxation on cars and fuel.

Consider staff discounts on your products or services.

Subsidised meals and accommodation can be attractive benefits to many staff.

Rewarding staff through company events and days out can be very effective. You can use them to reward specific achievements, like achieving quarterly sales targets. It is a particularly useful way of rewarding groups of people and helps build team spirit at the same time.

For many employee’s money and benefits are not the main motivator. Doing something worthwhile or working for a worthwhile cause is all the motivation they need.

Stimulate

You need to know which individual employees are ambitious and which are likely to be content to stay in the same jobs. Identify which employees have the capacity and desire to learn new skills.

Take every opportunity to make people’s jobs more satisfying. Increasing the variety of tasks employees undertake makes work more stimulating.

Give employees the chance to shoulder more responsibility and increases their sense of involvement. Swap people around so they can try each other’s jobs and appreciate each other’s roles. This develops versatility and team spirit.

You risk losing talented employees if they are under-used, frustrated or bored. Find out what they want by asking them what you could do to make their jobs more rewarding. Ask employees the key question: ‘If you could improve just one thing about your work situation, what would it be?’

Whatever you do to attract, retain and develop your people, remember this, they are your most valuable asset. Happy staff means happy customers. Happy customers mean more sales. More sales means improving profits. Improving profits means happier business owners.

So, if you want to be happy, look after your people!

  from Blog | 729renegades https://ift.tt/2MdJaxc

[wildguyremington27-blog]

3 Common Reasons Why Your Events Isn't Working (And How To Fix It)

10 Tips For Bringing Your Event To Life

Your job as an event coordinator doesn't stop with the meeting in the business conference room. You may be hire to arrange an employee appreciation occasion, an awards supper, a product launch, the celebration of a business turning point, a gala recognizing a long time staff member's retirement, an incentive event for the company's sales force, a fundraising occasion, a holiday event ... the list continues.

These types of affairs vary from your normal corporate organisation meeting, and you deal with distinct concerns and pitfalls when planning them. Rave program evaluations are typically the outcome of the blood, sweat, and tears you dedicate to the project. A well-designed and well-orchestrated event is comparable to an excellent stage production. It's all about getting your act together and performing the right show for the best audience.

The following are 10 pointers that zero in on the nitty gritty elements that can help make your efforts glowing reviews (and make your mom really proud of you). As you start each planning program, a key question to ask yourself is, "how can each activity engage the participant's interest?"

Tip # 1: Choose When To Phase Your Event

Timing is everything. The decision about when to hold your occasion is determined in big part by what type of event it is. Ask yourself, is the event much better fit for the day or evening? Do you want to hold it during the week or on a weekend? If your occasion does not have a deadline, would it be best to hold it throughout a specific season or season? Make certain to check that your occasion doesn't overlap with any religious vacations, and it's probably best to avoid scheduling throughout significant sporting occasions.

Pointer # 2: Draw up An Area

The very first order of business is to choose whether to hold your occasion inside your home or outdoors. Nevertheless, outside occasions have a number of significant considerations, the components being number one on the list. Believe tents, portable flooring, electrical generators, and area heating units, in addition to a well considered contingency plan. Also, understand that speeches and audiovisual discussions are notoriously difficult to stage outdoors.

Tip # 3: Think About Unique Environments

Hotel conference room can get old extremely rapidly and the idea of an unique environment can instantly include interest and enjoyment. Consider retreat centers, cruise ships or yachts, museums, stately home, sporting locations, and theaters. Realize that many of these locations work well for special functions, but they do not necessarily have adequate conference centers and devices. Make certain you do your homework in advance and comply with the "Satisfying Coordinator's Principle" - never ever select a location without having actually seen it personally!

Tip # 4: Set The Phase

The program strategy you pick comes from the function and individuals. Your four primary considerations include:

What is the primary focus of the program-- instructional, organisation or social?

What are your monetary criteria-- produce earnings, break even, or be a business expenditure?

What are your participants' expectations?

What is the maximum provision of educational, service, and social programs?

Idea # 5: Produce The Right Environment

One key to a successful special event is to seek out entertainment or decors that are special and enjoyable to stimulate excitement and add the right atmosphere. Think outside package and think about all sorts of amusements-- walking artists, magicians, chefs' demonstrations, palm readers ... anything out of the ordinary. Novelty is the crucial to your success. Bear in mind that entertainment that rave about can likewise can be found in the kind of a sophisticated coffee shop or startlingly lovely champagne fountain. Remember to inspect all embellishing strategies with the place ahead of time since numerous have limitations on what they permit. For instance, numerous facilities forbid helium balloons.

Suggestion # 6: Produce A Memorable Theme

Developing a theme for your occasion assists make it easier to organize food, decoration, and other accessories, such as free gift products. Select a style that fits your participants. Consider selecting from the following categories:

Style: The Roaring Twenties or An Evening at Ascot

History: The Garden of Eden or A Renaissance Fair

Politics: Fourth of July Celebrations or Women's Lib (political and historical).

Popular culture: Wizard of Ox or An Evening with Dr. Seuss.

The arts: An Italian Affair or A Night at the Oscars.

Pointer # 7: Integrate The Theme.

Do not consider a theme unless you are prepared to follow it through your entire occasion. Don't restrict it to a couple of posters on the walls, which just include lip service instead of genuine atmosphere. For the most impact, incorporate it in the past, throughout and after the event. Reflect your theme in your invites and in any celebration prefers that visitors take home. Your theme must match the tone and content of your event. Encourage speakers and talk about with them how they can include, however not overuse it in their remarks. A few additionals to think about when integrating your theme:.

Make sure the style is basic enough that it is unlikely to anger anybody, which it is significant to your group.

Establish a meaningful slogan or message to go along with the style to add a little additional when you promote the occasion.

Think about having a special logo created to enhance the style and its possible message.

Suggestion # 8: Work With A Professional Professional Photographer.

A professional photographer is an excellent addition to nearly any occasion. Guests appreciate a visual suggestion of the fun time they had at your affair. Arranging to have actually household pictures taken at an employee appreciation occasion reveals your staff members that you care about them as people. Guests at more formal affairs enjoy having their pictures taken while they're dressed up for a night out. Choose whether you desire a professional photographer to wander among your visitors taking honest shots, to set up in a central location to take postured shots, or both.

Tip # 9: Amuse The Group.

Individuals eagerly anticipate the home entertainment segment of a program. They want to have a good time, enjoy themselves, and let their hair down, particularly after demanding and demanding sessions. So think what? Your participants' tension reliever now becomes your stress maker. You have a real responsibility to choose the ideal home entertainment for your group. Some choices consist of the following:.

Music: Your options include a band with or without singers, a musician (important or vocal), a disc jockey, and even karaoke.

Phenomenon: Think about hiring a magician, juggler, comedian, mime or hypnotherapist.

Theater: Set up a dinner theater performance, a one-person act, a murder-mystery experience, or corporate theater (which involves utilizing expert or amateur actors to dramatize a business's image, a brand-new item, or the history of a company).

Games: Include your individuals by planning individual video games, such as a treasure hunt, or an event with a video game show format, such as "Jeopardy" or "Hollywood Squares.".

Video or slide show: A photo deserves a thousand words. For a retirement supper, think about creating a slide program featuring the guest of honor's accomplishments. For a sales conference, offer a video presentation of a new product.

Pointer # 10: Work With The Right Skill.

As you think about hiring your entertainment talent, discover where and for whom they have actually previously carried out. Ensure that you view a demo video. Expect the quality of their performance and the audience reaction. Take a look at their references and ask some significant concerns:.

Would you employ them once again?

How flexible, dependable, and easy to work with were they?

How would you rate their act?

What do they succeed?

What part of their act could utilize improvement?

What were the demographics of your audience? (You want to make sure that this act would be a great fit for your individuals.).

[dorothydelgadillo]

How to Easily Up Skill and Make More Money

If you’re on the job market, you know you need to make your resume stand out. But beyond your years of work experience, what if there were some extra skills you could easily add to your resume that would increase not just your hireability, but also set you up for a higher starting salary? Time is precious and it might seem impossible, but it’s actually completely doable with minimal upfront investment (I’m not talking about going back for another degree here).

So, where should you even begin? To answer this question, I picked the brains of HR and recruiting professionals to learn what kind of skills make a difference to employers—and how much of salary bump you can expect from each.

Coding Languages

Right off the bat, there are the usual suspects—HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WordPress make a solid foundation for coding languages, and a great example of where up skilling can come into play. Being fluent in these languages maximizes your flexibility, and can provide a compelling case to employers to start you at a higher rate or salary—regardless of industry.

Xavier Parkhouse-Parker, Co-Founder and Director at digital recruiting firm PLATO Intelligence, says that if an applicant can stack a high level of HTML coding knowledge on top of the specialized role they’re applying for, it’s possible to aim for a 25 percent starting pay bump when negotiating a salary. Jonathan Lau, Founder and CEO of coding school directory SwitchUp, adds that SwitchUp’s 2016 job outcome survey for coding bootcamp graduates found that 63 percent of graduates reported increases in salaries after completing a bootcamp program. (Among those graduates, the average gain was $22,700.) With these kind of numbers in mind, it’s clear that adding some coding know-how to your toolkit is a wise investment in your career future, whether or not you’re specifically interested in developer roles—since having programming skills means you can work in virtually any field.

Go Open-Source

Beyond HTML, CSS, and WordPress, Elizabeth Becker, Client Partner and Tech Recruiter at the software recruiting company PROTECH, suggests going open-source. What does that mean? Open-source software is computer software whose source code (the code that makes it work) is open to the public and the software itself is free to use. Examples of open-source software include web browsers like Firefox, operating systems like Linux, and content management systems like WordPress. Because of its collaborative and free-to-use model, Becker says that an increasing number of employers are adopting open-source software platforms, which means an increased demand for tech professionals with open-source skills. The open-source model also means there’s nothing preventing you from picking up these skills on your own—open-source software is free, and is often just a few clicks away via your web browser.

Becker cites knowledge of AngularJS—an open-source JavaScript-based framework (collection of common JavaScript functions) developed by Google—as an example of an in-demand open-source skill to have. “[Even] being able to include a completed training course on AngularJS on your resume [can] validate your skills, especially if you don’t yet have job-related experience with it,” Becker says. “I often see highly skilled open-source professionals being able to command 10-15 percent higher salaries than other professionals without open-source experience.”

It’s not a bad idea to start taking a look at what open-source software you’re already using and spending some time getting a better understanding of how it works—in the case of Becker’s example of AngularJS, you can dive deeper with resources like the AngularJS Google Group, AngularJS questions at Stack Overflow, and W3Schools’ AngularJS Tutorial.

Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the practice of using techniques like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Keyword Research (more on these below) to increase a website’s visibility on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. According to Steve Pritchard, HR Consultant at mobile phone provider giffgaf, it’s also a skill that can fire up your resume and lead directly to more money when negotiating for a job. “Knowledge of how to get a business’ website to appear higher in Google rankings…is a…skill that every business should be keen to capitalize on. The return on investment [is] well worth [a bump in] salary,” Pritchard says. How much of a bump? Pritchard estimates that applicants with a track record of a couple successful SEM campaigns could increase their salaries by as much as 15 percent.

Whether you’re learning web development, breaking into digital marketing, or working as a digital designer, two of SEO’s main building blocks—SEM and Keyword Research—are skills you can (and should!) start experimenting with on your own. Not only can those skills lead to the kind of salary increase Pritchard describes, but SEO is invaluable in promoting your own brand and presence online: Knowing how to maximize your projects’ searchability is crucial for standing out from the pack.

Start by reading through Google’s own SEO Guidelines, which should give you a jumping-off point for the next time you’re reworking your personal or business website. You can incorporate some SEO best practices easy with small tweaks like creating user-friendly URLs to make a website more searchable (for instance, “www.yourkillerwebsite.com/tips-for-up skilling” instead of “www.yourkillerwebsite.com/qs?/3600”) and integrating responsive/mobile-friendly design (Google uses mobile-friendliness as part of its site ranking system). Next, dive into online resources like Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO, and Webmaster World (an online forum for SEO talk).

Researching web search keywords that can drive traffic to your site or project is another crucial element of SEM—by getting a handle on the keyword demand for your website you’ll not only get a better idea of what keywords to incorporate in your site’s searchable text and content, you’ll also piece together a picture of what your site’s potential visitors are looking for. You can try using a tool like Google AdWords Planner (a free program that requires an AdWords account, but doesn’t require you to actually create an ad) to research information on the volume of searches your keywords produce and decide which ones should be used prominently on your site.

As you read about, practice, and get a handle on these SEM skills, you’ll eventually be able to add SEM literacy to your resume, and—regardless of whether you’re looking to work as a web designer or a web developer—boost your value to potential clients and employers.

Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word (No, Seriously.)

With so much emphasis on advanced coding and design skills, it’s easy to overlook basic, old-fashioned computer know-how. While having these skills might seem like a no-brainer, Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D. and CEO at Boyer Consulting, says otherwise.

“I can’t tell you how many high school students in their first year of college taking my IT courses have never opened an Excel spreadsheet,” Boyer says. For Boyer, this creates a disconnect when it comes to the practical reality of making things more efficient and easier in the working world. Similarly, Boyer says that database management is another overlooked computing skill that goes a long way in business.

According Boyer, Microsoft Word is the most important office software program to learn, followed by Excel. “Everyone has to write something in their work,” Boyer says, “and if you have the ability to use Word paragraph and tabs formatting, as well as spell check, grammar and punctuation check, you are halfway to being more proficient in the software than about 80 percent of the competition for a job. [You’d be surprised] how many…Ph.D. students can’t format a document for margins, paragraph indents, and tabs, or even insert a table, [yet] are out on the job market.” As for Excel, Boyer says that vital functions to have a handle on are vertical lookup—a function used to lookup and retrieve data from specific columns in a table—and knowing how to create formulas—expressions that calculate the value of a spreadsheet cell.

If you’re feeling particularly lost when trying to find your way around routine office software, consider taking an online class to get yourself up to speed. Excel, Access, Powerpoint, and Word might not be as exotic as Ruby on Rails, but they’re a solid bump up in well-rounded resume skills. Boyer says that it’s difficult to cite specific salary increases due to the amount of other factors involved (education, years of experience, overall skill set, etc,), but to think of these extra skills as a vital way to get yourself to the head of the application process.

Human Resources and Leadership Experience

HR skills give you an excellent chance at getting employers to pay more, says Georgene Huang, CEO and Co-Founder at Fairygodboss, from hiring to leading teams.

According to Huang, management experience is a crucial skill to leverage on a resume. The larger and more diverse teams you’ve managed, the higher the chance you have at commanding extra pay. Whether it’s heading a team of developers, or managing a team of sous chefs, the same basic principles of leadership apply.

Specific experience with hiring, firing, and navigating difficult situations (company pivots, large scale business model changes, or moving from old business systems to building new ones) also builds a strong case for a higher starting salary. Again, think back and think big—it might feel like you don’t have this kind of experience, but when you start to drill down you might be surprised at what’s applicable. That time you chaired your kids’ school’s PTO board, helped overhaul the yearly fundraising programs, and participated in revamping the music program? It counts!

Finally, Huang says that abilities that demonstrate leadership like communication and presentation skills can go a long way in upping your value. And if you’re petrified by the thought of public speaking—don’t panic! Try some mock presentations with family and friends—and if you feel like you still need some work in the public speaking department, think about taking a quick speech class at your local community college or business school. In Huang’s experience, the kind of leadership, decision making, and communication skills she’s described can result in a 20-30 percent higher starting salary than applicants unable to demonstrate those skills.

Speaking a Second Language

Nora Leary, Co-Founder and Head of Marketing and Business Development at marketing firm Launchway Media, says that—due to her work with an international internship company—she’s always looking into the economic impacts of spoken language skills. She cited studies covered by The Economist that demonstrate knowing a second spoken language correlates to about 2 percent more in annual income—which may not sound like much, until you start to crunch the numbers. The Economist extrapolates that even a 2 percent bump on a $45,000 a year salary can lead to as much as an extra $67,000 over the course of a 40-year working career, if you were to set aside your language bump in savings and figure in compound interest.

If you’re looking to learn a second language, try classes at your local college, online classes, or even apps like Duolingo.

Show Me the Money

So you’re an SEM wizard, you’re strapped with a Rolodex of open-source certifications, you have an Excel tattoo, management skills are oozing from your pores, and you just spent the morning coding a Riverdale fan website. How exactly do you put this all together and communicate it to employers, short of an embarrassing, “show me the money” meltdown?

“A resume is the most important vessel in a job search,” says Brianna Rooney, Founder and Lead Technical Recruiter at tech recruiting firm Techees.  “[That] or a thorough LinkedIn.” Rooney warns that an employer will be spending mere seconds looking at your resume, so it’s critical you get straight to the point. List your background and skills explicitly and efficiently without a lot of filler. Remember, there’s no way for potential employer to know you have these skills unless you tell therm. In Rooney’s experience, a qualified resume combined with an array of bonus skills can tack on as much as $20,000-$40,000 more to a starting salary. “That is,” Rooney says, “if you interview well.”

So there you have it—a robust skillset presented in a crisp, comprehensive resume can be your ticket not only to landing a job, but landing it at above entry-level pay. And while there’s no magic combination of skills that guarantees a dream salary, it’s clear from talking to these pros that having an array of versatile skills above and beyond the bare minimum—whether it’s a combination of coding tools or speaking Mandarin—goes a long way towards improving your chances for a salary that truly reflects all your hard work.

from Web Developers World https://skillcrush.com/2017/12/04/how-to-easily-up-skill-and-make-more-money/

[petitrangement]

Mad Men is a prestige drama. Louie is a prestige sitcom. The Newsroom, like it or not, gets the prestige tag too. “Prestige” has become a term of art when talking about television, and not necessarily a term that means “good.” Plenty of shows have the hallmarks of a prestige drama—heavy themes, high production values, accomplished actors—but little of the critical support. To a large extent, prestige is a state of mind. Prestige shows can be genre pieces like Game Of Thrones, historical dramas like Masters Of Sex, and even oddball comedies like Orange Is The New Black. They’re united by their sense of purpose: an aspiration to be relevant and artful, and maybe even to land on year-end lists and win awards.

So then what’s Sleepy Hollow? Or Arrow? Where should Scandal be filed? Or Switched At Birth? What about Orphan Black?

What those shows have in common is that they have fervent followings—including among prominent TV critics, who’ve put them on their annual “best of television” lists. But with the exception of Scandal (and only slightly), they’re not major players in the Emmy and Golden Globe races. And more importantly, no one expects them to be. Astute TV watchers may hope that Tatiana Maslany will get nominated for her work on Orphan Black, but they also know—or should, anyway—that it’s a longshot.

As the upper echelon of scripted television improves, we’re seeing more and more of these second-tier shows that qualify as quality television, but aren’t quite considered “prestige.” It’s a fine distinction, but a relevant one, because perception often governs expectation—and ultimately opinion. Connoisseurs of trash TV are easily satisfied by dumb jokes and hammy performances. Prestige television is often subject to intense scrutiny, with fans and critics evaluating every plot-twist, stylistic choice, and coded message (in terms of both literary symbolism and the show’s attitudes about gender, race, and politics)—and not always to the show’s benefit. But reactions to this growing body of “mid-reputable” TV are all over the map. Devotees of the mid-reputable seem to be enjoying television more, but are quick to turn on a show when it stops being “fun.”

Understand that “mid-reputable” isn’t the same thing as “middlebrow.” Middlebrow is a term often attached to mainstream films that are serious, but not arty. Most prestige television shows are more akin to middlebrow movies, in that most are fairly easy to grasp. Middlebrow is often used by critics as a pejorative—although it really shouldn’t be. There’s skill involved in making something that’s direct, engaging, and thoughtful, and the best prestige TV and middlebrow movies do it very well. Just as not all prestige television is good, not everything middlebrow is pandering.

That said, when it comes to the kind of conventional wisdom that ultimately determines whether a piece of popular art wins major awards, the divide between prestige and mid-reputable is about as yawning as the gap between Oscar-bait and a great B-movie. Occasionally an expensive blockbuster snags a Best Picture nomination, but there’s a tacit understanding that only a handful of films are really in the conversation for the Oscars, while the best the rest can hope for is to be consigned to scattered critics’ lists. A Snowpiercer or an Edge Of Tomorrow or an Obvious Child isn’t likely to make the Oscar cut, even if on the whole they’re smarter and better-made than something like The Theory Of Everything.

It’s that unspoken agreement that fascinates me, especially as it relates to television. Perusing The A.V. Club’s 2014 Best Of TV list (which I contributed to), I see only one show, Orphan Black, that I’d slot into the “mid-reputable” category. The rest could pretty reasonably be called prestige television, or at least “cult shows.” Even Orphan Black is one of those genre series like Battlestar Galactica that shades into the realm of prestige. It’s not unheard of for series to level-jump—or even to take a step down. I don’t think The Good Wife was viewed as prestige TV in its first season, but now it’s one of the rare network dramas that belongs. Conversely, Sons Of Anarchy aspired to prestige status for a time—and was taken seriously as such in its second and third seasons in particular—but by the end of its run the show was a popular favorite that had modest critical support, and zero Emmy/Globes cachet.

Like Sons (and like a lot of the pulpier shows), Homeland wavers between categories, as does Justified. The jury’s still out on Jane The Virgin, a terrific new show that’s probably going to need to bank a full season as strong as its first half has been before it gets its proper due. But then Jane is heavily comedic, and comedies are a little harder to classify as “prestige” or “mid-reputable” or “trash,” unless they’re overtly cinematic like Louie, raunchy and hard-bitten like Veep, or aggressively post-modern like Community. (It’s tough to know where to slot A.V. Club list-makers New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but since both have been in the mix for year-end awards, they’re closer to prestige than not.)

Similarly, it’s hard to say which reality series qualify as the class of the genre. The ones often accepted as prestige TV are Top Chef, Project Runway, The Amazing Race, and So You Think You Can Dance, because of some combination of educational value, slickness, and earnestness. But there are shows like Naked And Afraid that seem on the surface like outright trash, but are as revelatory in their way as perennial Emmy nominee Survivor.

A quick note on “trash:” As with “middlebrow,” the term itself has negative connotations, though it doesn’t have to be taken as a negative. The vast majority of popular entertainment is trash—disposable, ephemeral—but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some historical and cultural value. It’d be fascinating to dig through someone’s wastebasket from 1958 (presuming there’s nothing wet and smelly in there). That’s the kick I get when I watch an old episode of Banacek or It’s A Living. Good trash still meets a basic standard of professionalism, and is often refreshingly undemanding in a TV landscape that these days asks a lot of the audience.

And just as a prestige show can slip down to mid-reputable status (and vice-versa), a trashy show can get a promotion. I’d argue that both Sleepy Hollow and Arrow were perceived as trash before they debuted—and maybe even well into their first seasons. As they developed their own voices and followings, they leapt from the critical ghetto to… well, to a place that’s still not the nicest neighborhood, but is one that people will at least admit they like to visit. Judging by my Twitter feed, when a mid-reputable show is at its peak, a lot of critics and TV fans will confess to being more eager to watch the latest episode than they are to catch up with a weightier show like Boardwalk Empire. At its best, a mid-reputable family drama like The Fosters or a procedural like Elementary offers the same simple pleasures as trash TV, but is done with panache and personality.

So why doesn’t that deep affection translate into the kind of accolades producers can hang on a wall? Maybe it’s because, ultimately, a lot of mid-reputable shows are fundamentally formulaic, and formulas lose their punch over time. I see a lot of telephiles leaping on the bandwagon for shows like Sleepy Hollow, but I also see them leaping back off abruptly once some of the novelty wears off. There’s less of a sense that TV buffs have to watch these shows to stay current. And the level of personal investment is often a lot lower than it is with a Mad Men, where even when the series creator, Matt Weiner, tries fans’ patience, viewers feel obliged to see where he’s headed.

I don’t mean to knock Mad Men, or Boardwalk Empire, or even The Newsroom—all of which I either watch or have watched faithfully. If anything, I worry sometimes that some daring and ambitious shows get held to too high a standard, and get dinged unnecessarily because, deep down, people are eager to find excuses not to have to watch something that takes concentration, and that could well be a bummer. (I don’t exclude myself from this. There are plenty of prestige shows that I’ve never started watching, and I always feel a shameful sense of satisfaction when I hear that they’ve lost their critical cred.)

But I also worry that TV is going the way of movies, where too often the agenda for what’s “important” is set by studio marketing departments. I heard a fellow film critic complaining last month that she wished Hollywood didn’t cram all of its “good” movies into December. I bit my tongue, but I wanted to say that maybe she shouldn’t wait until the Oscar campaigning starts to go looking for something worth seeing.

The television business is different from movies, in that critics steer the conversation a little more, often championing smaller shows and helping to turn them into prize-winners (if not ratings champs). But there’s still a lot of marketing-driven consensus and peer pressure governing what we all feel obliged to discuss. And if in the end we’re all more excited about a new episode of The Flash than The Affair, maybe that says something about what’s really the best that TV has to offer.

[vanessagalang]

If there’s anything I’m not good at, considering how vain I am, oh, let me rephrase that – I mean how meticulous and a valuable physical image is to me, it’s probably putting on makeup.

I mean, I know the basics, but I believe my skills need more didactics. Good thing CAVA came into my life.

CAVA or the Centre for Aesthetics and Visual Arts is a makeup school, makeup events place, a makeup junkie’s haven all rolled into one! I was fortunate to be invited in their launch and got a lot of makeup takeaways after! So scroll down my dear merfriends to know more about this gem.

It’s the baby of HG Studio

HG Studio is a makeup and photography studio spearheaded by Ms. Hazel Gonzales, an International Airbrush Specialist, Professional Bridal Makeup Artist, Beauty Consultant, and Entrepreneur.

Her passion and talent allowed her to travel the globe and perfect her craft. She has represented the esteemed cosmetic brand, Estee Lauder, by being its head makeup artist, and has been trained under international makeup gurus. No wonder, she is one of the most sought-after makeup consultants in the country.

Her creative works have also graced media covers and events, from magazines, billboards, commercials, tv shows, to photo shoots and fashion shows.

I was thrilled to know that HG Studio’s main love is working their magic in debuts and weddings. Considering I’m getting married in two years, it felt like destiny meeting them.

With all the things I wrote here, it was a matter of time (and maybe because of an insistent public demand) that HG Studio shares its creative prowess to those who would like to learn the art of makeup, hence the launch of CAVA.

Wonderful Vision

Ms. Hazel shared about her formative years, wherein it was a bit challenging to enroll in Makeup Studies. She related that there was only one makeup school back then, and the tuition fees are a bit pricey, so she really had to work very hard to be able to afford her dream.

She even said that they were required to wear uniforms, and these added more to the ‘list’. That is why with CAVA, she wanted to assist those like her to be able to start and achieve their dreams a lot easier. So expect reasonable terms, merfriends!

Waze-able and Familiar Location

Having a background in real estate, I was trained that location is the first thing you look at in establishments. I was ecstatic to know that CAVA is very easy to find, and I can waze myself going towards it. Your UBER/GRAB ride can be as swift too!

Here are their addresses:

HG Studio – Torre Venezia Suites 170 Timog Avenue, corner Scout Santiago Street, Diliman, Quezon City, 1103 Metro Manila, Pilipinas

CAVA (Centre for Aesthetics and Visual Arts) – Unit 305 Victoria Tower Commercial, Panay Avenue Cor. Timog Avenue, Quezon City

Gorgeous Interiors

I love how the upscale interiors are designed; they make me want to learn makeup professionally already. I am sure, one look at this, and CAVA’s email will be bombarded by makeup enthusiasts wanting to be enlisted in their makeup classes.

The interiors remind me of Moulin Rouge, where performers prepare before the show, only this looks more chic and modern.

Quality Program and Services Trusted by Celebrities

Since there is only one brain mom who gave birth to HG Studio and CAVA, it’s no wonder that some of their clients attended and visited them during the launch.

Rachel Alejandro and Marco Alcaraz were there. And we had a quick sesh posting for photos.

One of the makeup artists who did a demo, Ms Eva is also a student from CAVA and she now works for MAC. She’s a testimony that CAVA can help you achieve your beauty dreams and take you places!

Amazing Mentors and Staff

Ms Hazel, together with Ms Maria and all the members of CAVA Team were all nice and accommodating. Their friendly smiles surely diminish the tension of awkward introductions, attendees’ reserved demeanor, and I bet, even the nervousness of their clients either an artist,  debutante or bride. Their warm personalities and professionalism make you want to book them for every event!

Ms Hazel also showed us how wearing a primer can drastically make colors pop more, compared to none. She also mentioned that primers cater to different types of skin, so we shouldn’t be mixing the primers meant for eyes lids, face, and lips.

I also learned that skin’s reaction to makeup regarding acidity is not seen days after. You can actually see it within minutes, 30 minutes at most.

How would you know if you’re acidic to a makeup brand? Apply some directly on the skin where you’re supposed to use it and then wait. If it turns darker, you’re acidic. :) Such a huge takeaway! :)

Ideal Venue for Beauty and Makeup Events

Now things start to become more and more interesting for CAVA. This isn’t just a makeup school; you can actually rent the place out for events, tutorials, makeup parties, meet-ups, talks, sponsorship affairs, etc. How fascinating is that? So if you’re a makeup artist wanting to host your first event, head on to CAVA and have this amazing place enjoyed by you and your attendees!

After the makeup sesh, JC Gellidon (Sony Ambassador) also taught us how we can maximize our camera phones to achieve good selfies and create beautiful photos with basic photography know-how.

Mireh Manna also stuffed our tummies with good food, which is why learning makeup and basic photography became more fun! And The Sexy Chef was there too! I am sure you heard that they deliver healthy food to those wanting to achieve great summer bods!

I learned so many things that day, pretty new wonderful things actually! And since you’re reading this post today, I have some good news!

CAVA will be hosting their second Makeup Workshop tomorrow! April 29, 2017, in their studio! Each enrollee will also be given a certificate of participation upon finishing the course as well as a gift bag filled with goodies for makeup junkies. Slots are limited so enroll now!

Please text or call (02) 6220360 / 09178830086 to know more!

You may also contact them through the following:

CAVA – Centre for Aesthetics and Visual Arts

3rd Floor Victoria Towers Commercial Bldg., Timog Ave. Quezon City,

http://www.cava.ph/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAVAPhilippines/

Phone.: +632.622.0360      Mobile: +63917.8830086

Email: cava.ph@gmail.com

HG Studio

Torre Venezia Suites, Timog Ave.Quezon City, Philippines

http://www.hgstudio.asia/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/HGStudio/

Twitter: @MakeupbyHG       Instagram: @hg.studio

Phone: +63 2 622 0360        Mobile: +63 917 883 0086

Email: hazelgonzales@hgstudio.asia / marketing@hgstudio.asia / photography@hgstudio.asia

With fellow blogger, Kisty Mea! Had such a great time sharing this experience with you! :)

Excited to learn makeup? What’s your favorite makeup product? I love lipsticks! What’s yours?

**, Via

7 Things Why CAVA is Your Dream Makeup School If there’s anything I’m not good at, considering how vain I am, oh, let me rephrase that – I mean how meticulous and a valuable physical image is to me, it’s probably putting on makeup.