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allie1804-fan · 4 years ago

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Please Assist Me (Chapter 18)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Ch6apter 10 , Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15 , Chapter 16, Chapter 17

Warnings: Explicit Content

He Said

At last in January of 2021, the schools opened and we felt like there was more every day normal going on. There were a few more restaurants open with outdoor service too so Sophia and I had the occasional lunch out together when he had free time. I was training hard though so I didn’t have much free time which meant we tended to need to stick to Hollywood rather than driving out to the coast off the beaten track and that was our first mistake. Sophia had been my assistant for almost 2 years now so it wasn’t odd for us to be seen together but as there was almost never any other women seen with me, Cheryl alerted me that pictures started appearing in gossip rags, putting 2 and 2 together based on their (correct!) reading of intimate gazes and body language.

She Said

In the new year, a few photos started to come out of me with Keanu online and in gossip rags. The publicity wasn’t hugely invasive and I wasn’t too bothered by it - my family and friends knew the truth so this only really attracted random contact on social media from acquaintances being nosy rather than any real invasion at first.

My first direct experience that the attention was getting invasive came one day at the school pick up. I had noticed a man hovering at a distance from the gates who I was pretty sure wasn’t a parent. My attention was torn away when my kids came out but as I turned to take them to the car, I saw a teacher cautiously approach him and after a brief exchange he turned on his heal and left. That’s when I spotted the camera slung over his shoulder. A couple of days later, pictures of me and the kids were published on-line on a gossip site. The kids’ images were a little blurry but still, I was furious.

He Said

“Fuck!”

I’d just clicked on my phone on a link Sophia had sent to me for a photo news site showing pictures of her and the kids at their school gate. Some low life pap had tracked them down and deemed them newsworthy because of her link to me that had been emerging more and more frequently of late.

I forwarded it to Cheryl and asked her to arrange an urgent call with her and my lawyer to work out an action plan. Then I called Sophia, nervous that I might be in for a tirade of Spanish insults.

“Hun, you OK?”

“No, I’m not OK. Que pendejo insoportable!”

Here we go, I thought!

“who me?!”

“No, no, the photographer, this isn’t your fault!”

“kind of is though isn’t it?”

“No, I won’t let you take the blame – but we have to stop them. The kids need to be kept out of this right?”

“Yeah, I’m waiting to hear back from Cheryl. I asked her to arrange a call with the lawyers. I’ll let you know when they can set it up OK? And I’m sorry, even if you say it isn’t my fault, it wouldn’t be happening if we weren’t in a relationship.”

She sighed.

“We’ll figure it out, OK, I just, I need to keep them safe”

“I know, I know sweetheart”

We managed to issue a cease and desist order on that particular photographer to not take further photographs of the children and put out a general statement asking the press to respect their privacy but that did seem to have the effect of making them more thirsty for pictures of Sophia and I – we were still game. As pictures circulated of us eating out or on bike rides, this apparently spawned a trend of what I understand are called “Trolls” seeking out Sophia on social media to send her hateful messages to ‘leave me alone’ and to stop ‘trying to wheedle her way into my life’ and ‘get her grubby Latino hands on my money’. And, she said, if they didn’t do it directly, there would be comments underneath her photo on fan sites with people expressing their disgust at my choice of romantic partner. On top of that, there was a lot of denial - people saying that Sophia was and could only ever be my PA – just like Janey they said. Good grief the world really had gone to hell - why did who I was dating even matter?

Apparently there were many people being kind and saying it was nice that I’d found love and that she was beautiful, might give me the babies I’d missed out on etc etc but I could see the comments of the trolls weighed on her mind and lodged there far more than anything positive. Eventually I said she should really just follow me into the social media free wilderness. She could keep an active messenger service for group chats with friends and use a cloud service to share photos of the kids with our parents but for her sanity, she needed to drop Facebook, Instagram and Twitter before she went insane!

She Said

I knew I shouldn’t get drawn into looking at what Keanu’s fan base were saying online but the curiosity was hard to control. I actually only started getting drawn in after the trolls started tracking my down and sending me abusive DMs. That made me want to know if there were any positive voices or if these nasty people basically spoke for the whole of his fandom. I found myself wasting so much time going down rabbit holes trying to find out who these people were but there was no way to do that really.

When my general tetchiness finally got too much and Keanu said I should join him in the 1990s and get off social media, I knew he was right but at the same time it was infuriating as I had got so used to using it for sharing news, family photos, jokes etc as well as using all the messenger tools to connect with my friends. After all the isolation of 2020, this new isolation felt like a kick in the teeth but I felt so childish to think that way and didn’t dare say anything to Keanu. Having never been on social media, he just wouldn’t get it! After about a week though, I had to admit I felt better and admitted that his way was probably the sane option – after weeks of anxiety, I finally felt free from the worry of silly people out there who didn’t know us personally having an opinion about whether we ‘should’ be dating.

Happily, we also had a trip to New York to look forward to - Keanu would be starting filming on John Wick 4 and we were heading there as a family with around a week free to enjoy the city together before he would start on set.

The kids were beyond excited to be flying, not ever having done so before. They each had a little pull-along case and we booked first class so we would have as little time as possible milling around in the public spaces at the airport. I was sure there’d be paps about - we couldn’t ban them from taking our photo altogether even though we’d asked for their privacy to be respected so I was desperate to minimise their chances.

When we got to LAX, it was literally minutes after we’d got into the building when a fan approached asking for a photo. Keanu started to try and explain that he was on his down time with his family and would they mind if he didn’t take one today but he hated the crestfallen look on their face and he quickly suggested that we split up and meet up in the lounge. I rummaged through my bag to get his ticket out and handed it to him with a pointed look at the woman before heading off to check in with the kids, not caring that my silent displeasure might make it online somewhere to be used as evidence of what a bitch I was!

We went on through to departures and waited a good half hour before he showed up.

“Hey Keanu why did you take so long” Eva whined.

He chuckled.

“Sorry honey, but I guess it’s because ‘I’m Duke Caboom, Canada’s greatest stuntman’ he boomed, tickling her sides “and sometimes that means people want to say hi and take a photo so it took a while to catch you up.

“Oh OK” she said matter of factly not at all phased by that idea. I guess she knew how excited Julie and Miranda’s kids had been when they zoomed with him when he was in Berlin so it made sense to her even though Toy Story 4 was the only thing she’d ever seen with him in so she had no idea just how truly famous he was!

“You’re too good to them” I said, still a bit put out that we’d already been separated for a while right at the beginning of our trip.

“Yeah, but it never ends well if I’m an ass…. I mean not nice and you’ve got to remember that I’m usually ‘so high’ on a screen and seeing me in real life is exciting …. to them at least” he said cocking an eyebrow at me as if to say that I no longer saw him as special.

“You’re exciting to me too silly!” I said, relenting a bit from my sulk.

He squeezed my hand.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try to give off some ‘stay away’ vibes in New York so we can all hang out like real people.

“I know, I’m being a bitch, I just wanted this to be, you know, normal”

When we arrived in New York, we had a car waiting so were quickly away from the airport and managed to pass through it without being bothered. On the journey, the kids were pressing their faces against the car windows to see the famous sky-scrapers and there was much anticipation of getting to his apartment to see how their bedrooms looked. We’d arranged to have them decorated and bought new duvets and drapes which Keanu’s maid service had taken care of putting up for them. We got take out pizza for the first night and once again I felt safe and cocooned from the outside world of fans and paparazzi.

He Said

It was strange that Sophia and I had been together for not much short of a year before the public interest in me, and its impact on living our lives, really became a pain in the ass and the source of some conflict between us. I had to remind myself that I’d been living this way for about 20 years and had learned to just allow a little extra time in my day for stopping for a photo. It only affected me when I was on my own so I had to learn to see if from her point of view - it was a shock to her system basically. She’d been my PA for 2 years but we had rarely needed to conduct our business in the public eye so she hadn’t even experienced the attention when we weren’t dating – it was all happening in the context of her being my significant other and with the backdrop of the online trolls and the need to protect her kids.

I guess it would have happened much sooner if I hadn’t been away filming for almost 5 months shortly after we started dating so we’d had an extended time of being together but with no-one outside of friends and family knowing. I tried to tell her we should be grateful all this hadn’t started sooner. I’m not sure that was the right thing to say!

My celebrity did have some advantages though and in New York I’d managed to arrange a private tour of the Empire State Building and rink side seats at a Rangers game. Those earned me points but we weren’t so lucky in Central Park. My apartment isn’t far from there so we headed out for a walk one afternoon, ending up in in the Conservatory Garden figuring that this would be a nice place to be by some water but not where most people would be like Bethesda or the model boat pond.

We’d bought some sandwiches on our way (my time to enjoy the pastrami, pickle and Russian salad I so love) and settled on a bench to chill and rest the kids’ legs when I saw a guy across the other side of the pond raising his camera. It was clearly a Pap with a long lens. I’m normally not a hot head but it was such an intrusion to our pleasant afternoon that I handed Sophia my sandwich and marched up to him.

I was striding fast, not caring much that my stance was clearly threatening and some people idling by the pond scuttled out of my way. The Pap, surprisingly stood his ground until I reached him, squaring up to him.

“Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing? We’re just having some private time as a family and you come along determined to ruin it!”

I was yelling and drawing the attention of others by the pond but I didn’t care.

“hey man, you’re fair game” he responded brazenly.

“Yeah that’s right, I, me, I’m fair game, me not them ,now get the hell out of here”

He was a short weasel of a guy and I was towering above him. He soon thought better of trying to take a picture and scurried away. A woman a few feet away spontaneously clapped!

“Good for you Keanu” she said.

I blushed, coming down suddenly from the adrenaline of the confrontation. It has been a long time since I’d even spoken to a Pap. I usually just ignored them, occasionally putting my hand in front of my face to ruin the shot. It generally wasn’t worth antagonising them but this dude had pushed it too far.

I thanked her and returned to the bench. Sophia handed me back my sandwich while the kids eagerly asked why I’d been shouting at the man. I explained as best I could and I think they were grateful that I just wanted their mom and them to enjoy their time without strangers photographing them.

A couple of days later, Cheryl let me know that the guy made a claim on-line that I’d assaulted him – no actual legal claim was made, I guess because he knew it was bullshit. That was quickly proven when people quickly came forward that they had witnessed it and no such thing had happened. I wondered if the lady clapping was one of them.

She Said

After the Central Park incident, I was so proud of how Keanu had stood up to the paparazzo but we still made a decision to do most of the tourist things without him after that. I couldn’t see us being in Time Square, The Lego Store or the M&M store with him alongside us comfortably. And that was strange and a little sad for me to be back to the single parent feeling, having experienced some very cherished family days.

Our time to go home was fast approaching and I was keen to get one day just for the two of us. Luckily I have a cousin in New York who wanted to spend time with the kids and they offered to take them on the boat trip to the Statue of Liberty for the day. We made the kids breakfast and handed them over to my cousin with backpacks, ready for their adventure.

We just had coffee ourselves as we were planning on a brunch out for ourselves later after some us time between the sheets!

The minute the door was shut, Keanu was pulling me by the hand back to bed.

We quickly shed our pjs, climbed under the covers and started to kiss

Keanu soon reached down and started to gently tease my folds. I moaned into his mouth thrusting myself against his fingers.

A thought came to me and I pulled back and asked

“Can we um, try something today ?”

“Mmmm - what?”

“Well you know your movie, Siberia? “

He nodded

“Well, I watched it while you were away and, um that thing with your thumb ....”

“Oh you want that do you?” - a wicked grin spread across his face

“Well we can try that lots of ways ….. so, we can try that from behind. Get on all fours for me”

I obliged and I felt him slip his stiff cock into me, my folds parting with a pop. He was moving very slowly, then after a few thrusts as I was moaning softly, I felt his wet fingers reach around to gently tease my clit. He did it just enough to make me moan louder but not enough to make me cum. Then he pulled out leaving me bereft

“What?” I cried out

Then he rolled over on his back and pulled me onto him.

“And then there’s lady on top”

I happily sank down on his cock and started to ride him. I was groaning but at the same time I could hear my voice quavering as I neared orgasm once more. He licked his thumb, this time, re-enacting the Siberia moment making me throw my head back in pleasure. I was about to lift off, my voice raised in pitch but again he stopped me before I could, holding my hips to stop my movement.

The he flipped me over onto my back and straddled me, making me wait a few moments as he played with my breasts and smoothed his hands down my sides .

“And finally we can try man on top”

“Will you do that thing ?” I asked

“What the thumb ?”

“No, well yes, but first the thing where you lift me onto you”

“Oh like our first time?”

I nodded, glad he remembered.

He obliged lifting me onto him, pulling me up, ensheathing him slowly so I could feel every vein of his rigid cock and he could feel every ridge of my tunnel.

I was wailing by now each time he pulled me up then released me – I could feel his cock getting even harder when he asked simply

“Ready?”

I just whimpered and nodded my agreement.

He Said

I was so close to coming, I needed to really focus to give her everything she deserved.

I manoeuvred her fully onto her back and encouraged her to lift her legs up over my shoulders.

This allowed me maximum access to thrust in all the way to her cervix and pump in and out.

I could already feel the beginnings of her orgasm, her pussy pulsating around me. It was as if she was a beautiful flower, attracting me with her petals then sucking me in, holding me there in a vice like grip to take what she needed from me. It was primal and all encompassing

As I felt the ripples get more intense, I managed to balance on my left hand and free my right hand, lick my thumb and circle it over her clit.

That was it, it was all over for both of us. She clamped around me, her legs quivering and I shot my hot load inside shouting out as she screamed “yes, yes oh god, yes”

My thrusts gradually slowed, I was still moaning and fighting to catch my breath. I eased her legs down and lay on her just holding my weight off her by resting on my elbows. I gave her a sloppy kiss before easing off her onto my back. I still couldn’t speak. and just squeezed her hand. Tears leaked out of my eyes and I gulped, looking across, I found her in a similar emotional state.

“Wow that was - god I don’t think I’ve ever, ever come so hard”

“Me neither - love you so much Mr Reeves”

“Why do you always call me that after really great sex?”

“Dunno” she chuckled “maybe to give you the respect you deserve for making love to me so, so ….”

“What?”

“So masterfully, so beautifully”

“Mmmmmmm”

“Let’s have a snooze before brunch yeah?”

“Mmmm”

I think she was almost asleep already as she turned away and I spooned behind her, holding her warm breast in the palm of my hand.

@fortheloveoffanfic @kindainlovewithk’eanu @omg-imagine @iworshipkeanureeves @fics-not-tragedies @ficsnroses @keanureevesisbae @penwieldingdreamer @witty-wallflower @paperplanesandwallflowers @bitchyslut99 @ladyreapermc @toomanystoriessolittletime @fanficsrusz @keanuficfiles @bitchyslut99

#keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves fanfiction #keanu #keanu reeves #romance with boss

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singingunderthecurtain · 6 years ago

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DIAMOND (CEO AU Baekhyun Series) Part 19

Author: @julietsoddeye AU: CEO!Baekhyun Genre: Angst | Smut | Romance Pairing: (in this chapter) Baekhyun x Lee Soojin (OC) | Junmyeon x Yanmei (OC) | Chanyeol x Hisako (OC) Word Count: 4.9K Trigger Warning: Strong Language and Physical Violence

Plot: After 10 years of exile to another country, Soojin is finally back home and was surprised to find out that she was already engaged to the son of her father’s long-time friend and business partner.

Diamond Mini Mansterlist

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20

The morning after, Hisako woke up to Chanyeol still sleeping, still cuddled to her. His face deeply buried into her chest, limbs locking her into his embrace. She wanted to go, leave before he awakes. But that seems to be an impossibility with how much cling he has onto her.

Peeling him off of her would surely wake him up. So she stayed still. Thinking of going back to sleep, but Chanyeol suddenly stirred and stretched. Opening his eyes, the first thing Chanyeol saw was her and he smiled. She reciprocates with a small and impassive one and tried to push him off.

“Where are you going?”

Chanyeol asks, tightening his grip on her.

“It’s morning, Chans. I should go.”

“No, let’s stay in bed all day.”

He buried his face on her chest again and he hears her sigh. It wasn’t a satisfied or a happy one, it was one where it’s full of silent frustrations. He understands why she would be embittered, he would be too if he was let down like that last night. He wishes he didn’t have to disappoint her as he did.

He doesn’t want to, but what he also doesn’t want to do is rush things with her. He doesn’t want to end up falling for her completely and then something or someone would suddenly be against their relationship.

“I’m sorry…”

He whispers. It was a silent whisper he’s sure it can’t be heard, but she did. He knows she did and he felt her twitch in their position.

“F–for what?”

Hisako didn’t mean to stumble her words, but she did for no reason. She’s nervous for nothing.

“For last night.”

Chanyeol pulled away and looked her right in the eyes. She tried to turn away and avoid eye contact, but Chanyeol’s determined to make her see his sincerity. So he grabs her chin gingerly with his thumb and index finger to reclaim her attention. Hisako couldn’t do anything but to look back at him.

“Don’t look away, Hisa.”

“Chanyeol—”

Chanyeol suddenly captured Hisako’s lips in a surprise kiss and she almost squealed with the motion. She was trying her best to push him off, but since literally his limbs are locking her down he wasn’t budging at all. Letting go of self-restraint, Hisako starts kissing him back.

They couldn’t care if they just woke up and morning breaths are a real thing, they kissed like they haven’t kissed in a long time. His morning dry, yet soft and cushiony lips just mold perfectly with hers. His kisses are sweet and gentle, very incomparable to anyone she has kissed before. And she realized that this is the first time she’s kissing him with no alcohol in any of their systems.

“I hope you know my feelings. I like you, Hisako, I really do. I just– I don’t wanna go the same path as Yanmei and Jongdae.”

He kisses her lips again and his touches lingered a bit longer as if he won’t get to see her again for a long time after today.

“Chans, it’s fine. I don’t expect anything from you.”

Hisako whispers as she rubs circles on his warm cheeks with her careful thumbs.

“You don’t?”

He asked and she shakes her head no.

“No, I don’t. I don’t want you to pledge your future to me, it’s not yours to give anyway. I don’t want to end up like them too, I don’t want to see us both falling apart and hurting.”

“No, of course not.”

He answers, continuing his soft caresses on her head of hair.

“If this… Whatever this is that we have right now is comfortable for you, for us, then so be it. I don’t want to add another stress in my life, you know how shitty work is for me– Not that I’m calling you stress at all… The uhm, the stress of a relationship is what I meant...”

“No, I totally get it. Let’s just enjoy each other, hanging out with you like this is enough for me, you’re more than enough for me, Hisa.”

Hisako smiles, very genuinely so. She was happy to know that he feels the same way she does. That they are on the same boat that ships, but not actually shipping, if you catch my drift.

“Glad we’re on the same page, Chans… But I really have to go.”

Hisako starts to push Chanyeol away, but the man is stubborn and won’t let her go.

“What, why?”

He pouts just like a child.

“We set a brunch with Junmyeon, Yixing, and Sehun. Pretty sure Jongin will be there too.”

“Can I come?”

“Yeah… No, I don’t think so.”

Hisako shakes her head negatively, very vigorously so.

“Then they’ll find out I lied abou—”

Hisako slaps her mouth shut and Chanyeol’s lips widen in a shit-eating grin.

“So you didn’t have a second round with a ‘friend’ last night?”

Chanyeol teases, putting emphasis on the word ‘friend’.

“Thinking about it, you really don’t have many friends outside our group.”

He teases some more, causing Hisako to slightly hit him in the chest with her balled up fist.

“Hey! I have people I talk to at work!”

She defended.

“Yeah, but they’re not your ‘friends’, they are called colleagues, Hisa.”

Chanyeol said matter-of-factly.

“Whatever, Park Chans!”

Hisako completely pushes him away and it caught him off guard for a bit but he pulled her back and gave her a tight hug while laughing his lungs off. They rolled on the bed for a while with Hisako screeching loudly, she was very ticklish. As Chanyeol kisses her and buries his face on her hair and neck, or anywhere else really. Caging her entire body inside his legs and arms.

“I’m just kidding, baby.”

Hisako freezes with the pet name. Immediately, Chanyeol notices and spoke up before anything gets awkward again.

“I–I’ll pop your clothes for a quick wash and then you can shower first… Or you want to shower together?”

He smirks and he got another smack in the chest from her.

“Chanyeol!”

“It’s important to conserve water, you know!”

“Sure it is, but I’m not showering with you!”

She kicks Chanyeol off to escape towards his bedroom bath. Running after her, he grabs the back of her shirt to pull Hisako back into his embrace before she can even grab the bathroom door lever.

“Take off your clothes first…”

Chanyeol whispers into her ears.

“Not in front of you, no.”

“Please?”

Chanyeol pouts cutely, eyes twinkling brightly.

“Okay,”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With Seulgi still going south somewhere around France and her parents trying to convince her to come back home (her parents are much gentler than of Jongdae’s, that’s very saddening), the wedding altogether has been canceled. Although both families are still hopeful the union of their children and companies will happen someday, sooner than anticipated.

The media went crazy for a while since it was reported that the ceremony never happened and was postponed indefinitely. Thankfully they stopped covering it as soon as the announcement of Soojin and Baekhyun’s wedding was published, masking it all behind another rich person's matrimony news.

Jongdae continues to pursue Yanmei, however, she hasn’t given him the time of day. She decided to keep herself busy and focus on her career instead of stressing about relations. She loves Jongdae, of course, it [can] never went away, but she decided not to tangle in with his family affairs as it is very obvious that she wasn’t welcome in it at all.

Yanmei knows her position, Jongdae’s father is a powerful man and she doesn’t even wanna know what the consequences will be if she so chooses to sustain her relationship with their son and go against him.

She has watched enough Asian dramas to know that rich people can and will (if they have to) use their money to do everything they want. She’s not risking losing her job and be deported back to the United States just because a poor girl like her fell in love with their only son and heir.

“Yanmei-ssi, please do not take this the wrong way. And please, don’t be uncomfortable after I say this to you. I don’t want that…”

Junmyeon spoke again after the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they carry on to eat at another expensive restaurant of his choice.

This one they haven’t been to and it seems to be posher than the last place they’ve been. Ever since that fateful day of Jongdae’s failed wedding happened, the two of them have bonded. They have lunches and dinners a few times a week. Every day after work, Junmyeon would send his personal chauffeur to send her home safely and sometimes he will be the one waiting for her if he’s not busy.

“Okay, go on.”

Yanmei smiled, gesturing with her hand to encourage him to speak up.

He must have paused for too long and he shook his head slightly to stop his mind from completely going haywire and altogether forget to say what he was practicing for a few days already. He’s nervous, Yanmei can tell and she’s worried that he might have a piece of really bad news to say for her.

Maybe it’s regarding work, maybe it’s about Jongdae, who knows. Hopefully none of those things.

“Well… Okay… Fuu—”

Junmyeon cuts himself off, almost cursing out.

“Are you… Are you going to fire me, Junmyeon-ssi?”

Yanmei’s face fell as she said those words herself.

“Yes, I am… Wait, what? NO!”

Junmyeon’s brows raise and his eyes widen in complete shock with what he just agreed to.

“No, no, no. I am not firing you, Yanmei-ssi. Why would I take you to my favorite restaurant just to fire you?”

The relief he sees in her eyes is almost comical, it almost made him laugh but he can’t even laugh with how much nervous he was as of the moment. Junmyeon put down his knife and fork before he drops it and makes a lot of noise in the jazzy and romantic vibes the semi-private area of this restaurant provided for him to say what he wanted for Yanmei to know.

“Oh, thank God. I thought you were just being nice before you completely kick me out of the school. I know I haven’t been doing too well lately and I’m slowly coming back to normal, I promise. I am so, so sorry about that Junmyeon-ssi.”

Yanmei was clutching so hard on to the hem of the dress Junmyeon gifted her, she actually wrinkled it with her bare hands from how much she’s fisting her hands in a tight ball.

“I know, Yanmei-ssi. Your department supervisor reported everything to me. And you’re actually up for an immediate promot—”

Junmyeon stopped himself mid-way because he was spilling too much of something he shouldn’t tell just yet. This is not what he wanted to say, this was for another day.

“Wait… A what?”

Yanmei’s jaws slacked with the unexpected news. Her breathing suddenly became brisk, she can actually feel the crazy beating of her pulse in her head. Junmyeon then suddenly hits his head with his hand as he started cursing but immediately regretted it.

“God fucking damnit! I’m sorry I’m n–not usually like this. I apologize, Yanmei-ssi I am so unprofessional…”

“I… I’m getting a promotion? … Already? I am four months immature of my first year working in your school, and you are really trusting me enough with a promotion…?”

Junmyeon suddenly paused because he couldn’t believe a person would actually degrade herself like that.

Yanmei is a very good educator, she is one, if not the best in the batch that they hired for this school year. Not only was she very qualified, but she is also very compassionate for her students. She’s extra gentle and understanding with the kids she taught because she has first-hand experience on how to have someone that has special needs in her family.

“Yanmei-ssi, I can’t believe you would discredit yourself like that. Your previous school actually sent us old videos and full reports on your performance for the last three years you have worked there. I passed it on to the school board and they were very impressed with you. They were also very captivated by your way of practice at our school and your drive and passion for your work that they actually were the ones who convinced me to promote you as head of your department since Mrs. Hong will retire soon.”

Junmyeon’s face was disappointed for a bit but he completely softens when he sees Yanmei frowning in shame. So he changed the subject immediately not to make the mood sour than it already is.

“This is not what I was planning for the night to go. I am so sorry, Yanmei-ssi. I wasn’t planning on saying this to you at all, a complete slip I let out.”

“Wait, Junmyeon-ssi if this is not what you’re planning on saying, then what were you really going to tell me?”

Yanmei braced herself for the worst now. The unexpected slip was REALLY awesome news, now she’s afraid what this one will be. Was he not planning to give her that promotion because she’s fairly new to the school? Her lack of confidence may have fucked up her chances now. Great, just great Yanmei! You always run your fucking mouth!

“I… I, uhm,”

Junmyeon cleared his throat really hard he felt his pharynx scratch a bit with his extreme throat-clearing nervous tic. Coughing hard, he reached for his water but it was empty. So Yanmei immediately stood to hand in her half-full glass of water for him.

“Are you okay, Junmyeon-ssi???”

Yanmei comforts Junmyeon as she gently taps his back while he drinks her glass of water. After a few moments, Junmyeon finally relaxes and stopped coughing.

“Thank you, Yanmei-ssi.”

Without thinking, Junmyeon tenderly grabs Yanmei’s shoulder with both hands and gently made her sit back in her chair. Confused, Yanmei just follows what Junmyeon was doing and sat when he pushed her back down.

“Okay, it’s now or never…”

Quickly pulling a very unmistakable small robin-egg-blue box from his pocket, Yanmei gasp so loudly, she swears people from miles away can clearly hear her.

“No… No, Junmyeon-ssi, no…”

Yanmei keeps shaking her head no and was about to stand up to get away from Junmyeon, but he was fast on his feet, swiftly laying a hand on her knees to calm her down.

“Yanmei-ssi, please hear me out. I know you’re scared right now that’s why I didn’t do anything stupid like rent out the whole place just for us and have a small table placed in the middle of scattered rose petals around or stuff like that, so please…”

The sincere plea in Junmyeon’s eyes melted Yanmei’s heart a bit to let him continue what he was going to do. She nods her head once and it made Junmyeon feel like he won the lottery. The fact that she allowed him this once despite everything probably meant something, right?

“Thank you… Yanmei-ssi, I… Don’t even know when I started liking you, but I know the reason why I did. It’s because I get to know you the last few months very well. You’ve made me share things with you I usually don’t share with just anyone and you made me feel things I haven’t felt in a very long time. And I…”

Junmyeon opens the Tiffany & Co. box to reveal a Platinum Diamond Heart Pendant necklace. Even though it’s small, Yanmei knows it’s expensive and it made her reach for the bracelet Jongdae gave her that she still wears to this day. What are with these rich young men giving out expensive pieces of jewelry to an underprivileged poor girl like her? When she came to that vacation with Soojin in The Bahamas, she wasn’t planning on literally falling in love with a man, let alone being confessed to by another one.

“I want to get to know you… Really get to know you on a deep level. I want to be more than just friends with you, Yanmei-ssi. And I promise you, no family member will disapprove of us. Jongin and I are literally free. You know our mother is gone and our Father has his new family.”

Closing the small box of jewelry while grabbing one of Yanmei’s hand, Junmyeon smiled so brightly Yanmei can’t help but swoon. She’s not gonna lie, Junmyeon is a very handsome man. Not to mention really nice to her. He is very easy on the eyes, and probably easy on the heart too.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to answer now, I can wait. I know you’ve been through a lot lately in regards to your situation with Jongdae. I want you to think about it.”

Junmyeon placed the box on Yanmei’s palm and closes her hand to clutch on the thing.

“If your answer is no, return this to me anytime you want. If your answer is yes, then please wear this necklace on Baekhyun and Soojin’s wedding and we can come together as a date.”

All Yanmei could do was nod her head as she looks at his warm hands gripping hers comfortably tight.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ever since her father awoke from the unconsciousness he fell into, Soojin’s schedule has cleared up for the most part again as her old man refuses to rest furthermore. With his health scare, President Seungho ordered for Soojin and Baekhyun’s immediate wedding plans because, as in his own words, ‘We’ll never know what the future holds, and I’m not getting any younger.’ and he wanted to see his Soojin walk down the aisle sooner than later.

But Soojin and Baekhyun are still not okay, she doesn’t know when they’ll be okay again. With all the doubts and distrusts, she really wasn’t sure if they can even be friends at this point.

“Oh, darling I hope you can conceive soon after the wedding. Your Father and I are just so excited to see little kids running around our garden.”

Mrs. Byun said while tucking Soojin’s hair behind her ear. Baekhyun chokes on his tea, spilling it all over him because of what his mother suddenly blurts out, as both of the ladies browse through wedding brochures the wedding planner she hired provided them. Thankfully Soojin was neither eating nor drinking anything, she wouldn’t want to choke and die this young.

“Aaaaaaa, eomma!!! …”

Baekhyun whines, wiping himself with the table napkin.

Soojin purses her lips together, suppressing a giggle that wants to escape her lips.

He saw her struggles and wanted to laugh along with her, but he remembered that he can’t be fragile. He can’t give in so easily. She is his weakness, but she also needs to learn her lesson.

“What? Did I say something inappropriate?”

Baekhyun’s mother sips her tea and gave Soojin a side-eye look.

“Yes, eomma!”

“It’s not, my son. From the shade of red on Soojin’s cheeks, you two probably already did it.”

Soojin couldn’t help but flush. She feels the heat of her cheeks and almost slaps her own face as she covers them with both hands. Baekhyun looks at her and memories from nights they spent together washes ashore from the sea in his mind. He shook his head to rid himself of the recollection, today is not a proper time for that.

“Eomma, that’s really…”

“It’s fine, Baekhyunnie. Sex is important between two people in love, I get it.”

Baekhyun’s mother winks at him knowingly.

And that was the end of that discussion. The older woman finally left the two alone after a while, excusing herself for a spa session she said she needed to do. Oh, the life of the rich must be so exhausting to want to have a spa day once a week.

They haven’t been alone again like this in a while and she doesn’t even know how to act around him anymore.

Because she knows she’s gonna get ignored by him anyway.

He yearns for her, he wanted to feel her soft skin on his fingertips again, it’s been quite an awful lot of weeks already, maybe it’s time he tells her the truth…

“Soojin, I—”

Her ringtone suddenly blares out, abruptly cutting what he wanted to say.

“Sorry, I have to take this first…”

Soojin regretfully left Baekhyun alone to go to the balcony.

It was another unregistered number, she hasn’t gotten a call in a long time, so she made sure she shuts the balcony door for privacy.

With shaky hands, Soojin answers the call.

“H–Hello…”

She hears nothing but labored breathing in the background. Multiple breathing, in fact, the same one that she heard before.

“Speak up or I will end this fuckin call!”

She braved a threat and the person on the other end laughed. She wasn’t sure if this person is a man or a woman because of the multiple layers of voices, probably using a device so to mask the original timbre of the person on the other line.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you, I called you with a purpose, Soojin-ssi…”

More labored breathing met her ears and she fell silent and patient. There really must be a reason why this person keeps calling. She felt it’s not a prank this time, no one was suspicious enough to pull this dumbfuckery.

Sehun couldn’t even pull this one out without boasting it immediately. He’s not as smart as most girls who adored him for his looks and money thinks he is.

And she knows no one will dare do a trick like this anyway. Her and Baekhyun’s friends may be playful at times, but they’re not this evil.

“I am in the middle of preparing for my wedding, this better be good, you… Whoever you are!”

The laughter she heard made her almost threw her phone away. It was so loud and distorted, it almost hurt her ears.

“That’s really great, Soojin-ssi. I can’t wait for your wedding…”

It took a few moments before the caller spoke again.

They said they cannot wait for the wedding, they must be invited. Soojin took a mental note of that, she must review the guest list later.

“But I bet you wanna know the truth, Soojin-ssi…”

“What truth?”

“Oh, you know… Your brother and your fiancé’s plans…”

Soojin eyes doubled in size and her heart started racing.

“How do you… How do you know about that?”

“I know everything about you, Soojin-ssi. I also know what you did last summer…”

The person laughs obnoxiously again. Soojin tried to calm herself but she’s starting to get scared. What person is this evil? She’s sure she hasn’t made any enemies back in America or even here in Seoul.

“If you want to know everything, meet me.”

“How?”

“I will send the location via email to you at exactly three in the afternoon. It will delete itself once the system knows you’ve read it, so make sure to write in on paper before the email self destructs…”

The person continues to explain.

“DO NOT bring anyone with you, not your driver, not your friends and definitely not Baekhyun, you understand me?”

“Y–Y…. Y–Yes…”

Soojin stammered, she can feel her knees buckling so she felt the need to hold on to something. But the balcony was small and empty, so she just grabbed onto the end of her shirt, crumpling it with her tight hold.

“Now fix yourself before going back to Baekhyun. Don’t let anyone know or I will put a bullet through the love of your life’s head. You wouldn’t want to marry a dead man, now do you, Soojin-ssi?”

Soojin can hear the hostility of the person’s voice. She knows they are determined and she just has to agree.

She can’t let Baekhyun be harmed, not now that she loved him with all her life.

It’s either Baekhyun’s life or hers.

And she chose to save his life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Where is Sooj eonni? She’s already a few hours late.”

The obviously already worried Soojung blurts out among the friends around her.

“Hey, relax. I bet she’s on her way with Baekhyun Hyung.”

Jongin pacifies his girlfriend by giving her a soothing caress on her back.

“Yeah?”

She looks at him and then around again, counting heads if the party is already complete. Baekhyun, Soojin, Hisako. Chanyeol. Yanmei, Junmyeon, and Yixing are still not around.

“Yeah. In fact, here let me call Baekhyun Hyung for you, okay?”

“No need for that, I already called him a while ago. He said he’s on his way. He said he left his office early to meet a few people before going here.”

Sehun throws in.

“Did he say he’s with my eonni?”

Soojung asks, no demands.

“Well… I didn't ask, sorry.”

Sehun scratches his head.

“Relax, Soojung. Everything will be fine.”

Jongin assures her with a smile and gave her forehead sweet kiss.

The restaurant private room door opens and Soojung’s head immediately whirls to it, only to find Junmyeon and Yanmei entering together as their party’s assigned hostess escorts them to their seats.

Soojung sighs in disappointment.

“Hyung! You made it!”

Sehun greets, Jongin and the other guys tagging along to welcome their friend except for Jongdae. He was just seated, following Yanmei with his eyes as she makes her way to Soojung, Sunmi, and Doc. Hyerin.

“Yanmei eonni, do you have any idea where Soojin eonni is?”

Soojung’s starts with a question as Yanmei greets all the girls with hugs.

“Soojung-ah has been worrying about Soojin since Kyungsoo and I arrived.”

Hyerin shrugs at Yanmei when she looks to her questioningly.

“I just have this inkling feeling in my chest, I don’t know.”

Soojung said, sighing again.

“Last time I talked to Sooj, was at one PM today. I asked if we should go together for tonight. She said she’s with Baekhyun and they will be going together.”

Yanmei shrugs too. Hyerin gave her a flute and pours in the Rosé.

“Already?”

Yanmei chuckles but drinks the alcohol anyway.

“Of course! It’s a party!”

Hyerin clicks her tongue and winks at Yanmei, drinking her glass along with her.

“Baekhyun Hyung, Yixing Hyung!”

Everyone turns towards the door when Sehun exclaims the names, with no Soojin in sight. Soojung pushes through people to greet Baekhyun.

“Oppa, where’s Soojin eonni?”

“Well we were together this afternoon, but by quarter-to-three, she was hurrying out the door. She said she will be meeting Hisako.”

Adding salt to the wound, Hisako and Chanyeol suddenly arrive. Surprised that everyone was gathered by the door.

“Yo, ‘sup!?”

Chanyeol greets, all confused.

“Where’s Soojin?”

Everyone seems to question Hisako.

“Isn’t she with you, Baekhyun?”

“Ooooooooh, I knew something is up!!!”

Soojung starts panicking.

“What, what?”

Hisako was dumbfounded, having only been arrived yet already being met with all the commotion.

“Soojin eonni Isn't here yet.”

Soojung is hunched over a random chair, her fingers are massaging her already aching head as Jongin tries to calm his girlfriend down.

“Have any of you tried calling her?”

Yanmei asks.

“Yes, but she’s not answering.”

Jongin answers for Soojung.

“Yeah, she even dropped my call.”

Sehun adds.

“Try calling her again?”

Sunmi’s small voice interjects.

Hisako and Yanmei shakily grab on to their purses, anxiety already getting the best of them.

“I’ll do it…”

Baekhyun calmly fishes for his phone in his pocket. He presses number one speed dial on his screen and turns the speaker on.

The person you’re trying to call cannot be reached, please try again later… The person you’re trying to call cannot be reached, ple—

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A sharp pain at the back of Soojin’s head woke her up.

She opens her eyes to nothing. Her vision was being blocked by something that’s covering her entire head.

“WHAT IS… WHAT IS THIS? WHERE AM I? HELP!!! HELP ME!!!”

Panic starts rising to her head, her breathing labored as she tries to scream for help.

An object suddenly flew into her face, probably a hand, slapping her.

“Shut the fuck up, you bitch! No one’s going to hear you anyway!!!”

A man screams and more slaps were thrown at her face and punches on her stomach and arms.

Soojin couldn’t even scream anymore, pain is all she knows.

“Hey, hey relax. Don’t damage her too much…”

A voice of a woman said.

Her ears are ringing, but the voice seems familiar to her.

“Sorry.”

The same man said.

“Remove that, I wanna see her face.”

The woman ordered and immediately the thing covering Soojin’s head was pulled up away from her.

It took a while before her eyes adjusted to the dim lights in the place and she was met with four to five people all watching her like she’s some kind of a circus attraction.

“Oh no, you gave her a black eye… Baekhyun won’t be happy when he sees that.”

The woman laughs, quite annoyingly. It has the same sound to the person Soojin talks to on the phone. This time though, it’s raw and real.

Slowly, the woman walks up to her, the only light source (that was dangling on top of Soojin’s head) slowly unmasking who the mystery person was.

“How are you, darling? Miss me?”

Soojin’s lips quivered when she see Taeyeon smiling like the devil herself, wearing a red dress with red heels in front of her.

“You thought you’ve seen the last of me, didn’t you? I’m not done with you yet, you whore!”

Taeyeon smirks and then slaps Soojin so hard she fell into another nasty unconsciousness.

Aikie Masterlist | Michiko Masterlist | FIC RECS | FIC REC SIDEBLOG

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wkm-theories · 7 years ago

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WELL WOULDN’T YOU KNOW -- SPOILERS.

OKAY. I FINALLY got to watch the last chapter. Holy shite. Okay. WHEW.

This is yet another compilation of thoughts -- however, these were observations I made AS I watched. I tried to cut out as much erroneous or unimportant information as I could. Please enjoy. - Em

1. I still have no idea what was on the other note the Detective put in the bookcase beside “DON’T TRUST THE SEER”. All I could make out was, “Bring ------ Ms -------- Damien”..? I’m probably way off, but I didn’t see any pictures of it in the stills from @whokilledmarkiplier.

2. “Did Mark invite them all to find out about his “murder”, knowing it would happen?”, I asked myself -- and yes. Yes he did.

3. Damien’s eyes were the last to be scratched out. I can only assume that the people whose eyes were scratched out in the videos’ thumbnails were victims directly associated with the end of Mark’s madness - Himself, Colonel, Celine, Damien. Hence why we don’t see, say, the Chef or Butler in the thumbnails.

4. Description reads “Markiplier - dead?” Affirmed #MarkLives theory, but BOY were we off. Unless someone saw this coming by Ch. 3, which would have been a very good guess!

5. Colonel is very worried for Celine in Ch. Finale. He apparently took her from Mark, and Celine mentions vengeance -- this must be what he wanted revenge over. So the question is, did he set this up of his own volition, or did the House’s curse compel him to do so?

6. Groundskeeper George mentioned that “-- and everyone else” had lost their minds at this point. He says the House is cursed -- this, to me, affirms my latter theory in #5.

7. Chef leaves. Butler leaves. As I thought, they either had nothing, or little to do with what was going on. They may have unwittingly helped plan with Mark, or as I said, been compelled to do so by what I deem “The Darkness” (this will become a reoccurring theme in this list).

8. The Butler says, “There’s only death here now.”. The music slows, everything gets dark -- Celine, “Hey. Help.” Things quickly go downhill from here. We begin to see the culmination of The Darkness’s power and Celine and Damien’s souls (or something) taking over the household. The Darkness then begins to say, “Madness? You want to talk about madness?”, mirroring what the Colonel had said in, I think, Ch.2 (correct me if I”m wrong) : “Life needs a little madness”. He then mimics various people, including Damien, Colonel, Mark, and the Detective. That’s all I could hear clearly.

9. For some reason, things chill out in the Detective’s room. Still not sure why. If anyone has an idea, please enlighten me.

10. AGAIN we see Colonel popping up out of nowhere after picking up his picture! From then on, we begin to see his descent into madness. He is ready to kill the Detective, as he believes he is behind all of this -- when in reality, I believe he was hired by *EDIT: Detective was definitely hired by Mark and not Damien, I apologize for any confusion. Mark was definitely bent on having everyone believe, especially the Detective, that the Colonel was to blame for his murder -- that way, at the end of all of this, if the Detective survived, Colonel would be put away for murder.

11. The Colonel, in a fit of anger, kills the Detective. After killing the Detective, We try to step in and keep Colonel from doing any further damage. He reacts without thinking, shoots us, and we fall to our supposed death. He has already lost his mind at this point.

12. We “wake” to see Mark’s dead body lying next to us. “It’s not fair, is it?” SEVERE Darkiplier vibes. I thought right then and there he was about to offer me a choice.

13. RIGHT AFTER THIS is when I felt exhilarated. Our theory that Mark lives was more or less validated (because, really, is he alive? Is he dead? I think he’s in The Darkness’s realm, now). Besides that, he did set them all up for his death, as I said, whether or not he actually wanted to. Maybe he was angry, maybe he wanted revenge -- but The Darkness fueled him into actually doing it. But by this point, I have to wonder, what was Mark’s relationship with Celine, anyway? Had she cut ties with him, Colonel, and Damien to avoid drama? They hadn’t seen her in a while, so it makes sense. *EDIT: I’m just curious to know because she showed up just in the nick of time, and unwittingly unlocked Darkiplier via The Darkness in the process of trying to fix things... Though I do realize she had to show up at the right time to further the plot, so I suppose it’s nothing.

14. To further The Darkness theory, Celine tells us that neither she, nor Damien, nor We are really dead. Our spirits - our souls - live on within The Darkness.

15. And here is where my list comes to its climax. It’s right after this conversation, when Celine sends us back, that we unwittingly submit ourselves to The Darkness, and Celine and Damien merge together with it to create the Darkiplier persona. And it makes sense -- The characters in legitimate positions of power, Mark with being an idol of sorts, Damien is a Mayor, Colonel is, well, Colonel -- and we are District Attorney. It all fits together, and makes sense logically, that we are now Darkiplier.

16. Now, once in the outside world, we see the extent to which our poor Colonel has completely lost his mind. We see the extent of his madness, how confused he seems, which could also be partly due to The Darkness’s influence, and this story concludes with the supposition that this is indeed the beginning of not only Us, the now-Darkiplier Persona, but Wilford Warfstache’s Persona, or more commonly known, as Mark’s Egos.

This concludes my thoughts. Thanks for reading. I’m gonna... Lie down now.

#whokilledmarkiplier #who killed markiplier #the detective #the mayor #damien #the colonel #the seer #celine #(SPOILER TAGS AFTER THIS)#Darkiplier #Wilford Warfstache #The Darkness #Theory #The Darkness Theory

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infpisme · 8 years ago

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23 ‘SMALL’ SIGNS THAT YOU’RE A HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSON

Being a highly sensitive person (HSP) is a perfectly normal “thing” to be — about 20 percent of the population have this trait. However, because high sensitivity is not extremely common, it’s often misunderstood. Some people have likened it to autism, but according to Dr. Elaine Aron, brain research shows that these two traits are quite different.

Likewise, many people confuse high sensitivity for introversion, because HSPs and introverts have similar needs. Indeed, many introverts are also HSPs, but you can be a highly sensitive extrovert, too.

Are you an HSP? Taken together, these 23 “small” signs may show that you are. Keep in mind that HSPs are individuals, so not every sign will apply to every HSP. However, I believe this list is generally true:

1. You startle easily. When people sneak up on you, you jump as high as a frightened cat. Just seeing your roommate or significant other walk into the room when you weren’t expecting them can set you off.

2. You need to spend plenty of time alone, even if you’re an extrovert. Solitude calms your overactive senses. After a busy day, you may withdraw into a darkened room or some other place where you have privacy.

3. When you read or hear about violent things, you have a strong negative reaction. Reading an article about animal abuse or a particularly brutal crime, you may get sick to your stomach and have to click away. You will probably struggle to get the grotesque images out of your mind for days or weeks afterward.

4. Similarly, when you experience beauty, you have a strong positive reaction. Looking at art, being in nature, or just noticing the way the sunlight strikes an object really moves you. You may find yourself overwhelmed with happiness, unable to put into words how much something has affected you.

5. You’re very sensitive to sounds. Certain pitches really irritate you, and loud sounds grate on your nerves. Likewise, your favorite song can send you into a zen-like trance or completely overhaul your mood for the better.

6. Strong smells also really bother you. For example, you may not eat certain foods because of the way they smell (for me, it’s seafood). Or, you may have to leave the room if someone’s perfume is overpowering.

7. When you were a kid, you were very picky about the clothing you wore, basing your choices on how things felt. For example, you may not have worn clothing made of itchy fabrics like wool, “footie” pajamas that covered your feet, or leggings, tights, or pants that tightly hugged your waist. Your parents may have had to cut the tags out of your clothing because they scratched you. You may still do these things today as an adult.

8. You’re sensitive to deadlines and time pressure. You feel extremely rattled when you have too much to do and not enough time to do it. You hate having to do things quickly, without enough time to process your thoughts.

9. When you were a kid, your parents or teachers called you “shy” or “quiet.” Indeed, you may have been reserved, but these labels missed what was really going on with you — that because of your high sensitivity, you often felt overwhelmed in social situations, which made you clam up or withdraw.

10. You get overwhelmed in “busy” places like bars, clubs, concerts, parties, and festivals. Even classrooms and offices, where there is typically a lot going on, can be too much. You might not notice right away that you’re being drained; rather, your energy is slowly leached out of you, then you suddenly crash.

11. You have a rich inner world. You have vivid daydreams (and nightmares). There’s always a lot on your mind.

12. You’re always searching for meaning, whether it’s through your relationships, religious beliefs, or world view. You’re not content with living a shallow life. Rather, you have a strong desire to live with purpose and feel part of a greater whole. For this reason, others may see you as spiritual and wise.

13. You notice things that others miss. You might pick up on the way your friend’s voice sounds slightly flat even though he says he’s doing fine. Or you might be the first to notice that a store you and your friends pass every day has put up a new sign.

14. You feel more porous than other people. Meaning, you seem to absorb more from your environment than other people do. The vibe of a room, other people’s moods, and the weather seem to affect you more than they affect others.

15. You cry easily. You may weep from joy, sadness, or stress.

16. You seek meaning in your romantic relationships. Many HSPs don’t do casual dating, one night stands, or flings. They become deeply attached to the people they let into their lives, and it would be too painful for them to begin a relationship knowing it had an end date.

17. You often think about the deeper meaning of life. Why were humans placed on this planet? How did life begin? What does it all mean?

18. Times of transition are difficult for you. Even positive changes — like starting a new job, moving to a better living space, or beginning an exciting new relationship — can overstimulate you. You seem to need more time than other people to adjust to new things.

19. Similarly, when something is ending (like a relationship, job, or a chapter in your life), you may have trouble letting it go. You think deeply about its significance, and you don’t just “move on” as quickly as other people seem to.

20. When you’re very hungry, you have a hard time concentrating, and your mood plummets. You seem to be especially sensitive to dips and spikes in blood sugar levels. Similarly, caffeine may have a strong effect on you.

21. If someone is watching you do something, you may become so nervous and shaky that you do worse than if you were doing the task alone. For example, when your boss observes you to evaluate your performance, you may find the attention to be overstimulating, which makes you mess up in ways you normally wouldn’t.

22. You take great pains to arrange your life in a way that keeps you from being overstimulated. For example, you don’t plan many social activities for the weekend, or you avoid going to the grocery store when you know there will be lots of people there.

23. You seem to need more sleep than others. If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, it seems almost impossible to function the next day. Likewise, sleep is one of the best ways to calm your frazzled senses.

Source: JENN GRANNEMAN

#hsp #hsp personality #hsp traits #highly sensitive person

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lavieendonna · 7 years ago

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Brushwork || Art Major!Calum AU (Chapter 14)

Summary: An Art Major AU where Dallas - third year gawky art student at VCA - makes a deal with Calum - her cute new neighbour and project partner - and they spend the entire year learning that the perfect masterpiece takes a whole lot of brushwork.

Date: 24 August 2017 Requested: as always Pairing: Calum + Dallas Words: 3.4K Warnings: nothing other than the occasional f-bomb. A bit of Mali in this chapter too, and we all love her so. A/N: IT’S A MIRCALE! TWO CHAPTER UPDATES IN ONE MONTH! AM I GOOD OR WHAT?! I’m so immensely proud of myself for sticking to my guns and pumping out another chapter less than a month from the last. Thank you to everyone who still reads this and to those who have kept up their faith in me and sent me positive vibes to keep going. This is one of my favourite pieces and I’m so excited to finish it with you all :-) big love xo

Ask | Masterlist | ‘Brushwork’ Spotify Playlist | Next Chapter | ‘Brushwork’ News

Chapter 14:I Was Too Terrified To Speak Much Louder In Fear Polly Would Legitimately Tear My Head Off And Put It On A Spike At The Door To Warn Her Future Best Friend.

Now is probably a good time to mention that Mali had gotten my number the day after I left her in Calum's apartment. She’d messaged me and said that she felt bad for not saying goodbye before she went back to Sydney – and to be honest, I felt bad for forgetting that she was even leaving. But she forgave me soon enough – word travels fast in the Hood Family, apparently.

She messaged me not long after Calum had officially called our Friday night plans a date, demanding that I called her immediately. Part of me thought maybe she was just being nosey, but by the sounds of things she just really wanted to know how I was feeling. I told her I couldn’t talk yet, that I still had class and – oh, yeah – Calum was still with me and would be for the majority of the day. She wasn’t overly impressed with that, but it kept her off my back until 4pm on the dot when I told her I’d be back at home.

I dialled Mali’s number and as I waited for her to pick up, it occurred to me that maybe I should have been calling my own sister instead of the sister of my upcoming date. Isabelle would be squealing in her seat if she knew that I, Dallas ‘Social Anxiety Makes Me Inept and Useless’ James, was going on a date for the first time in Jesus knew how long. She’d be proud of me, even, and she almost never said that out loud. There was something about telling her, though, that freaked me out even more than the date itself. Once it was news in the family then I was never going to hear the end of it. And if things ended badly (which, you know, it usually did considering it’s me we’re talking about), well, that was something I didn’t think I could handle even slightly.

“I want to hear the exact words, okay, Calum is being surprisingly tight-lipped about this.” Mali didn’t even say ‘hello’ which lead me to believe that she was more excited about this than I was.

“Well,” I had to think about it. The last 24 hours were a bit of a blur, they happened so fast. “First we were talking about our mural.”

“Yawn.” I could almost hear her eyes roll to the back of her head.

“It was the lead up!” I defended her brother. “It was pretty smooth actually.”

“My brother? Smooth?” Mali snorted. “Who knew.”

“Yeah, it was… nice. He was confident.”

“Another miracle.” Mali laughed. “What did he say after that?”

“Uh, well he said he had a question for me and asked if I wanted to go see Luke perform at this open mic night thing on Friday.” Mali squealed, but quietly as if she was trying to wait until the very end of the story to let loose her fangirl heart. “I didn’t really catch that he was asking me out, though, so I said that I would go if Luke wanted me to and then –”

I paused to smile because Calum’s voice started ringing in my ears a little bit. I never thought I’d be That Girl that reminisced about every moment between her and The Boy, but it was hard not to be. Now that we officially had a date, every moment counted. And I hadn’t made it all up in my head, either. He’d said the words himself.

“Then what?!” Mali asked, impatient. I chuckled quietly.

“Then, uh. He laughed at me. He said it wasn’t Luke that wanted me there but him.”

“Wow.”

“Then I asked if he meant a date and he said it was. So, yeah, we uh. We called it a date.”

“Of course it’s a fucking date!” Mali exclaimed, and I could hear the grin in her voice. “You’re going on a date with Calum Fucking Hood!”

“Oh my god, can you…” I face-palmed, feeling the blush creep up my cheeks. It was all well and good when I whispered it out loud to myself that I was going on a date with Calum Fucking Hood, but when Mali said it out loud like that it made it seem like he was some sort of international heart throb guitar player and that dating him was a total miracle beyond belief. It was still a miracle, but not for reasons to that extreme.

“Look, it’s not a big deal.” I tried to continue, but I laughed anyway because that was the biggest lie I’d told myself in ages. Mali laughed too, and I did not blame her.

“I know, I know!” She said anyway. “Still. I’m glad for you two. This will be good for him, I can tell.”

“How can you tell?” I had my eyebrow cocked as if she was really here. I imagined her shrugging, but tapping her nose while she shot me a wink.

“It’s a sister’s intuition.” She said very matter-of-factly. “We all have it, even you.”

“Even me?” I feigned offense. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” Mali cackled much like my own sister would have. And that alone made me wonder if maybe, by chance, Isabelle wasn’t just bullying me our entire lives and I really was just as gawky as she was saying I was.

“You know what that’s supposed to mean.” Mali said very slyly, not giving me the benefit of the doubt in the slightest. “But anyway, how are you feeling? You are okay with this right?” I took a breath, though I wasn’t sure if it was because I was nervous or if it was because I was giving myself more time to answer. Likely, it was a combination of both. I lived nervous, and the longer I took to think about my words was always the better.

“Yeah.” I said, probably less enthusiastic than I meant. “Yeah, definitely. I, uh. I’m… I mean, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want this. I just convinced myself it never would I’m, like, in shock or something.”

“Why the hell not?” Mali seemed to demand of me and I shrugged because the list of ‘Why Not’ reasons was too long to even know where to start.

“Because it’s me!” I laughed. “And I don't look like Polly and I’m not like my sister or his friends. I didn’t think I was his type.”

“Calum doesn’t have a type.” Mali said after a small pause on her end of the phone.

“Really?” I asked. “I figured he was a tall, leggy, blonde kind of guy.” Mali scoffed and I kind of just accepted it as I wondered out of my room and out into the kitchenette (I’d made the realisation that I was starving when my stomach growled half-way through that sentence). She didn’t comment on how I’d just described her as Calum’s type – which I was glad for because I didn’t really want to re-visit that awkward conversation.

“Nah, nah.” Mali sounded like she was trying to reassure me of this (which I wouldn’t put passed her, if I was being honest). “Calum… He likes who he likes.”

That statement made me feel better than I thought it would. Because even though on one hand that meant I basically every human alive was my competition, it also meant that there was a chance I was good enough for something.

“Well, thanks.” I said dumbly while I stared at mine and Polly’s mostly empty fridge, frowning at the lack of appeal it had. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I say something unnecessarily sexual that he could charge me with sexual harassment for.”

“Wait, what? I need the story behind that one.”

“Maybe another time.” I said with no intention of ever reliving the moments I’d accidentally come on to her brother. “When are you coming back to Melbourne?” I thought changing the subject might make this conversation less humiliating.

“As soon as you and Calum send out your save the dates.” Mali fired back, making me kind of regret ringing her to begin with. I laughed, though. Her dig at me didn’t seem to sting the same way as when Polly did it. “I do have to go, though, my Mum is calling me to help with dinner.”

“Alright,” I said, giving up on the fridge and trying my luck in the pantry instead. “Well don’t give anyone food poisoning.”

“I’ll send you a package for taste-testing.”

“I’ll pass. Talk to you soon.”

“Send me a picture of The Outfit!”

“If I remember.”

And then that was it. I found a box of chocolate Pop Tarts on the top shelf, and I had no idea how old they were, but you can bet like hell I was going to eat the shit out of them.

“What’ve you got there?” That was Polly. She’d wondered out of her bedroom, and that confused me because I was under the impression she had classes until later tonight.

“Pop Tarts.” I said with a grin. “Want some?”

“Always.” Polly nodded and I threw her a pack, knowing she didn’t much care to heat them up. I thought she was a monster for it, but I didn’t often say that out loud. Also, she was in a funny mood so I didn’t want to push my luck.

“I thought you had classes tonight?” I asked her as I unwrapped my snack and jammed them into the shitty toaster on the bench. Polly shrugged, sitting on the Ghost Stool on the other side of the counter, and rolling her eyes nearly into the back of her head.

“Got an email from the lecturer and the tutor. They’re both sick and out until next week so they’ve given everyone an extension on our folios.”

“Huh.” I raised an eyebrow. “Fair enough – I think?” Polly was chuckling darkly and making me second guess if this was a good thing for her or not.

“I mean, sure,” Polly scoffed. “But I don’t think they’re really sick. I’m pretty sure they’re fucking and have gone on holiday together.”

“You think so?” I asked. And Polly nodded wildly.

“Oh yeah. They’re both young for their jobs, in the same field, and they see each other every day.” Polly laughed again, this time less darkly. “Everyone can spot the sexual tension between them – they try to pretend they hate each other but it doesn’t work very well.”

I chuckled, not because what Polly was saying funny but rather, because Polly always had a knack for creating conspiracy theories about everything.

“Well, either way,” I took to saying as I switched the toaster off at the wall and just about threw the steaming hot chocolate tarts onto a small plate to let them cool down. “You got the extension to make up for it. And even if you don’t need it –” I could see Polly about to interrupt with that exact excuse. “– At least you’ve got time to do other stuff. Whatever you want, really.” Polly paused and then shrugged as if I’d made a good point.

“True.” She said simply before taking another bite of her Pop Tart. I took a chunk out of mine too, swearing loudly when the melted chocolate within blistered the roof of my mouth. Polly snickered at me, and I glared back.

“Rude.” I mumbled, sticking my aching tongue out at her.

“No.” She said, straightening her posture and staring me down very intensely. “No, what’s rude is my best friend scoring a date with a total hottie and not telling me about it.”

I flushed a brilliant red from neck to cheeks.

“You, uh… You heard about that?” I mumbled out. I was too terrified to speak much louder in fear Polly would legitimately tear my head off and put it on a spike at the door to warn her future best friend.

“Yeah, I heard about that.” She said. She was not impressed in the slightest. “Why did I have to hear it from Michael that you and Calum were finally dating?!” I opened my mouth to object, but then what she’d said hit me and I frowned.

“Wait,” My mouth was full of Pop Tart. “How did Michael find out?!”

“Luke!” Polly practically wailed, her mouth also full. This was the most uncivilised conversation I’d ever had, probably. We were such barbarians. Michael heard from Luke who heard from Calum.”

“Jesus…” I muttered, turning back to my Tarts. “Luke and Michael have such big mouths.”

“So do you, usually.” Polly pointed out and I sulked because she was right. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She sounded less annoyed with me now and more… upset. I looked back up to my friend and while she didn’t look like she was about to with the Oscar for Best On-Cue Crying, she did look like she wanted an explanation. And to be honest, she probably deserved one. I usually told her everything.

“Sorry, Pol.” I said with tight lips and a small, one-shouldered shrug. “I just… I didn’t want to bother you.” That wasn’t really the whole truth, but it was definitely part of it. Problem was, Polly frowned at me for it which probably meant she wasn’t buying it at all.

“Since when have we worried about bothering each other?” She deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning on the counter on her elbows. “You know I don’t care about that, good news or bad.”

“I know.” I said guiltily. I felt like I was getting lectured by my parents – but worse, since I actually cared what Polly thought and what she had to say was almost always important to me. “I just… I-I was confused about how to feel. I’ve kinda only just come to terms with the fact that I liked Calum like that, and the idea of him liking me back was some kind of fucking miracle so… I dunno, I guess, I just wanted to work it out for myself, and I knew you were caught up doing whatever with Ashton so I just… I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

There was a pause, and I was scared because as soon as all of those words come out of my mouth they sounded like the wrong thing to say. And I hated that – when the truth is the truth but it feels like it’s not. And Polly was looking at me with these eyes that I just couldn’t read properly, so I didn’t know if I’d just offended the shit out of her or hurt her feelings or what.

“First of all,” She finally spoke after a minute or so of pure silence (aside from my heaving breathing as I tried to cool down the Pop Tart that was already in my mouth like a dickhead). “You shouldn’t feel like you need to do anything on your own. That’s why we’re friends, dude, and you need me just as much as I need you.” I nodded, still refusing to look the girl in the eye, just in case I turned to stone. “Second of all, it is a big deal. I knew you were going to like him like that the moment we met him – hell, I nearly liked Calum like that when we met him, have you seen the kid?!” I laughed at that one, rolling my eyes slightly at Polly’s theatrics.

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her off as she reached over the counter to push me in the arm (gently – it was too awkward of a position to punch me for real). “Will you be less mad if I promise you can help me with my hair and make-up before I go?” I finally looked back up at her face and she was beaming cheekily the way she did, and it was a nice change to see her smiling at me. I could almost see the Old, warm twinkle in her eye.

“Always.” She said for a second time and she pushed me again. “Anyway,” She continued. “Third of all, there’s nothing going on with me and Ashton so that shouldn’t even be an excuse at all.” This time, Polly looked away from me and I shot her a challenging cocked eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah, because you and Ashton rocking up the next morning after a Tequila party in your underwear is ‘nothing’.” I shot. “Care to explain that one, since we’re on the topic.” Polly gave another wild shrug, her face pulled together in a grimace as she tried to find the words. She swallowed the last of her Pop Tart and shrugged again. I thought I could see the hint of a smile twitching in the corners of her mouth.

“We’re… Ugh, I don’t know, it’s complicated.” I furrowed my eyebrows together.

“What’s complicated?” I asked. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah.” She huffed.

“And he likes you?” She shrugged.

“I think so.” She sighed. “But there’s… there’s more to it than, that, we’re… well, we’re working it out.”

Polly gave a crooked, unconvinced smile before standing up to put her wrapper in the rubbish bin. She didn’t sound (or look) like she was going to say any more on the topic so I didn’t press for any more answers. I wanted to, because she was being very vague about this whole situation and I wanted nothing more than to ask her straight out if her and Ashton were sleeping together. I had the feeling they were, because based on this conversation alone, ‘more to it than that’ could really only mean one thing. I could have been reading into it too much, but I didn’t think so. It was Polly and it was Ashton. They had a habit of making things complicated with sex.

I was a little bit annoyed, especially when Polly wondered off back to her bedroom. She’d just grilled me (lightly) until I spilled what was on my mind and apologised for offending her and our friendship, and yet when I tried to do the same and get her to open up, she shut me out and got vague. I was finding it hard to understand how that was fair. Part of me felt like it was just me being dramatic and entitled, but like it had been all the time lately, there was something about this friendship between Polly and I that seemed very one-sided. I frowned, staring at Polly’s closed door for a moment before huffing and waving it off. It was a future problem for future Dallas. I had more important things to worry about.

I realised, as I sulked around the kitchen and put the rest of my things away and changed clothes, that I was quickly running out of daylight and I needed to haul ass down to the mural. Calum and I were slowly running out of time and considering we almost never had time to work on this shit together, we were relying on each other to pick up the pieces every time we worked on it separately. The last I’d checked, Calum had finished the last coats of base paint and, since he’d drawn and given me a copy of the final design, I gave him the creative freedom to choose his colour scheme too. That meant it was up to me, today, to start the outlining on the wall.

It was going to be tough, limited daylight aside. Calum’s design on paper was almost flawless, and I was crazy scared whatever I started on that damn wall wasn’t going to do it justice at all. I worried the whole way down to the atrium, and even more when I laid out the tarp and paint. I figured out that spotlights were going to help my sunlight issue – but they weren’t going to help if I fucked up big time.

For yet another night, I spent hours down working on that wall. Security asked me 3 times for my ID, my pass and the letter from our teacher explaining what the fuck I was doing painting on school property in the middle of the night. It was a new record. It was nearing one in the morning when I’d finished the outlines for each stage of our ballerina transformation, each one was only missing one thing.

Her face.

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comic-movieheroesranked · 7 years ago

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Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2005) Final Part

Another year, another ranking of our favorite comic book characters to grace the movie screen! This year we have the debut of several movies including: Aeon Flux, Batman Begins, Constantine, Fantastic Four, and Sin City; a spin-off movie centered on Elektra; and the final installment to an outer space trilogy, Star Wars: Episode Three-Revenge of the Sith! Here’s TOP 25!

*SPOILERS FOR ALL THE MOVIES HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE*

25. Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Batman Begins)

"There's nothing to fear but fear itself!"

The second-class criminal that becomes a threat to Batman in a new way. Even though Bruce trained his body physically to withstand anything, he had no preparation to deal with Scarecrow's fear toxin, an attack on the mind. It's Scarecrows toxin that threatens to destory all of Gotham via terrified citizens but it's clear he's not the one pulling the strings. When the toxin starts infecting people, Scarecrow goes on a terror spree until Rachel shuts him down with a taser to the face.

24. Satan (Constantine)

"Looks like someone doesn't have your back anymore."

Don't quite understand why Satan's feet are dipped in black paint all the time but this man is P-E-T-T-Y. John brings him in to save the day (it took me a minute to wrap that around my head too) and that's kinda what he does. He stops his son from trying to overthrow him and take over Earth and he puts the smack down on Gabriel. He really wants John in hell though so before he goes to heaven he brings him back to life so he could sin again because the man is what? PETTY!

23. Hartigan (Sin City)

"An old man dies. A young woman lives. A fair trade."

Hartigan is what I wanted Marv to be. Doing what needs to be done and stopping the bad guy because it's the right thing to do, not because he got great sex. He dedicated to stopping the pervs that keep going after Nancy and asks for nothing in return, he even turns down sex, which proves he isn't a perv either! I don't really think he had to go kill himself but he looked like he wasn't going to last long anyway so at least he went out nobly.

22. Abby Miller (Elektra)

"I don't respond well to authority and I don't take bullshit."

Abby is that annoying little sister you never had. As soon as she meets Elektra she wants to be just like her. She wants to learn how to kill, she wants to use sais, and she also wears her hair the same way. Turns out she's the "Treasure" which is a big deal for both sides. She knows how to fight with a fancy chain and her witty banter with Elektra is adorable so I definitely was happy when she was saved.

21. Rachel Dawes (Batman Begins)

"But it's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you."

I like Rachel and she is a huge reason as to why Batman exists. She knows Gotham is falling apart and she decides to help save it in her own way: the courtroom. She becomes a great lawyer in the DA and won't back down when criminals try to scare her. She also lets Bruce know the huge difference between vengeance and justice and shows Bruce that fighting for the greater good is better than just fighting for yourself. I think this is also why she finds out his identity by the end of the film while most romantic interests like Mary Jane haven't found out their heroes identities until the sequels.

20. Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Fantastic Four)

"I found a broken gasket from space."

Mr. Fantastic is the most boring out of the Fantastic Four, in my opinion. His flexible powers are really handy and make him near indestructible as long as you don't freeze him, but that's kinda it? He's mainly valued for his brains and it's the only thing he relied on when the team went up against Dr. Doom. Seriously, all he did was bark orders while Sue, Johnny, and Ben did all the heavy lifting.

19. Mace Windu (Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith)

"May the Force be with us all."

Mace Windu is a boss. He knows how to shut shit down and if Anakin hadn't been a total back stabber (or hand slicer, really), none of the problems they're facing would've been a thing. Instead, Mace gets betrayed and killed by twp people he considered allies.

18. Gabriel (Constantine)

"You're fucked."

I kinda see Grabriel's frustrations in the film. Why should rapists go to heaven just because they repent? Like where's the justice in that? Do I think all humans need to prove their goodness by having Satan's son bring Armageddon to Earth? Absolutely not. Gabriel definitely goes a little insane and because he tries to help Satan Jr., God takes away his wings and makes him human.

17. Sithandra (Aeon Flux)

"You taught me a lot more than that."

Sithandra is a rebel and Aeon's best friend. She had a cool surgery done that replaced her feet with two extra hands. Her loyalty to Aeon is tested when it seems Aeon betrayed the rebels but their friendship prevails as she leads a team of rebels to protect Aeon and Trevor from Oren. Too bad she runs out of bullets just as Oren sends a missile her way, killing her in front of Aeon.

16. Chas Kramer (Constantine)

"You were right, John. It's not like in the books."

I was so angry when Chas died! Like here we have this young kid that just wants to help and actually does help in a huge way. At first all he does is drive John around in a taxi and fails miserably to get into Midnite's club, but turns out he really did his reading. When John couldn't muster up the chant to stop Satan Jr.'s birth, Chas came in and saved the day. And then he died, very brutally.

15. Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith)

"You underestimate my power!"

Anakin is the type of person who will literally do every shitty thing possible and then still try to make himself the victim. Like how can you justify calling the Jedi evil when you're out here killing children? He even admits he wants all the power in the world to Padme but still tries to act like the Jedi are selfish when Obi-Wan confronts him. Wack! I'm glad he burned to a crisp and I straight up GIGGLED when he got his legs sliced off (Obi-Wan literally told him not to and he does it anyway). He SOMEHOW survives and is transformed into the dangerous Darth Vader that fans of the series have come to know him by.

14. Gail (Sin City)

"Always and never."

I knew I was going to like Gail as soon as she listed tying people up in chairs as one of her specialties. She seems to be the leader of the prostitutes that run Old Town and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. I think she actually prefers it, which is why I think its accurate that Dwight dubbed her as "Valkyrie." Only thing off about her, for me, was her relationship with Dwight. I mean it seemed obvious she was into him from the get go but I kinda hoped they didn't end up together.

13. Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Fantastic Four)

"I can't believe I'm doing this again!"

Sue is still in love with Richard but since he isn't willing to courageously take their relationship to where it needed to go, she ended it and tried to move on with the douchebag known as Victor. After the space storm she learns she can not only turn invisible, but she can also create force fields. She spends most her time figuring out where she stands with Richard in their new lives as superheroes but when it comes down to the fighting she's quick and ready to get her hands dirty. Was the proposal a bit rushed at the end? Maybe, but it's clear her and Richard were meant for each other so positive vibes to them.

12. Alfred (Batman Begins)

"What is the point of all those push-ups if you can't even lift a bloody log?"

Alfred is way more than just Bruce Wayne's butler. After his parents are killed he basically takes responsibility over him and raises him. Now that Bruce is a grown adult and bringing the Batman to life, Alfred starts going on his own secret reason. While Ra's Al Ghul is teaching Bruce how to become a legend, something that will never die, Alfred is doing whatever he can to make sure Bruce doesn't lose his humanity. He keeps wanting him to enjoy life and embrace who he is when he isn't wearing the cowl.

11. Aeon Flux (Aeon Flux)

"We're meant to die, that's what makes anything about us matter."

Aeon is the best assassin working with the rebels. After the government kills her sister she's the one they send to take down their leader, Trevor Goodchild. Turns out he's actually good and used to be married to Aeon before the whole world fell apart. She has some really neat gadgets like tiny marbles that explode, shiny egg looking things that disrupt all technology, and she can make her eye pupil grow so she can see if someone spiked her drink. Plus she can do a bunch of flips and knows how to use a gun. It turns out she was meant to destroy everything about the society she lived in and lead it's people to the world outside, one they thought was a wasteland but turned out to be rich with nature and plant life.

10. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars: Epidsode III-Revenge of the Sith)

"You were the chosen one!"

Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't as condescending as he was in the last film so that was nice. In fact I think he was very much on his way to seeing Anakin as his true equal until Anakin decided to turn to the Dark Side. His infamous speech to Anakin after he's forced to take him down is pretty sad, he really cared about the other dude and it sucks to see someone you care about ruin themselves like Anakin did.

9. Dwight (Sin City)

"I'm Shellie's new boyfriend and I'm out of my mind."

So he starts off his chapter in a relationship with Shellie, fighting for her honor and then ends his chapter in a relationship with Gail, shooting down all his enemies. Besides him being a bit of a player, he was actually my favorite hero in all the stories. He's not ridiculously unbeatable like Marv and has more of a personalty than Hartigan. He actually admits to needing help from Gail and Miho to stop his enemies. He's obviously pretty smart because he's able to come up with plans left and right once things keep getting shittier which is also nice because I feel like everyone else just goes about things guns ablazing. He does to, but I like that he has back up plans.

8. Elektra (Elektra)

"I died once."

Back from the dead, Elektra has turned into a deadly assassin with no emotion or attachments to anyone. To save her from this dark path, Stick has her tricked into protecting Abby from the Hand, a bunch of evil assassins. She takes care of them no problem, like it seems like she's afraid but when she faces them she pretty much kills them all with no problems. Despite the movie being kinda lame it was so good to finally see Elektra in her red outfit kicking ass with her pair of sai. Like most characters in the Daredevil universe, her tv counterpart ends up being a better version, but unlike the others I would go on record to say that movie Elektra wasn't bad, she was just decent.

7. Yoda (Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith)

"At an end your rule is, and not short enough was it."

Yoda is my favorite and only because he really knows how to throw down when he needs to. Like some people try to talk the bad guy into seeing the error of his ways. Nope, not Yoda. He literally always just shows up and is like "So, we're fighting." Except, he mixes up his speech while he does it. His fight against the Emperor was epic and he totally won until the other got to his safety net of soldiers. Still, Yoda accepted failure with grace and decided to leave into exile.

6. Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Fantastic Four)

"Flame on!"

I feel like Johnny represents a lot of us in a situation where we discover we have powers and basically lose our minds because we've decided we're going to be superheroes. Like he changes their outfits, gives them their superhero names and basically creates the brand that is Fantastic Four because he's so excited to be a superhero. His fire/flying abilities definitely help feed the flame that is his confidence as he skyrockets to celebrity status via extreme sports and indulges in the pleasures of his female fans. Still, when it's time to actually be hero, he's there and ready to take on Doom, using his Super Nova heat to melt the metal man away.

5. Ducard/Ra's Al Ghul (Batman Begins)

"If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk up behind them and stab them in the heart."

Ra's Al Ghul is the leader of the League of Shadows, a clan that serves their own justice against those who break the law. Wanting to take down Gotham, the international city of crime, he ends up training the city's prince, Bruce Wayne. Using the death of Wayne's parents as a tool, Al Ghul ends up basically creating the Batman. He's the one that really drills into Bruce's head that he won't fix anything as just a single man. Of course, his methods of justice are radical, to say the least, and it ends up putting him at odds with the new Dark Knight. This ends up being a classic battle of student vs teacher, with Wayne eventually outsmarting Al Ghul at the end.

4. John Constantine (Constantine)

"Gods a kid with an ant farm, lady. He's not planning anything."

My new aesthetic is John Constantine giving Satan the middle finger as he's ascending into heaven. I'm familiar of the character in the comics but I think I only know about the current magic-based one instead of the religious one they tried to portray in the movies. His goal is simple: get ins God's good graces so he doesn't get sent to hell. He doesn't accomplish this by defeating demons like he does throughout the whole movie, or by even stopping the birth of Satan's son, but by giving up his chance at life to spare one girl from a tortuous eternity in hell. He still doesn't end up in Heaven, but now he has a clean slate to live life right.

3. Ben Grimm/The Thing (Fantastic Four)

"It's clobberin' time!"

Ben definitely got the short end of the stick when it came to abilities. Sure he now has super strength but his new rock appearance has people, including his now EX-fiance, running away screaming. What's worse is that, unlike the others, Ben can't even turn it off or on, he's just stuck that way. So I totally get the depressed state he's in when he thinks Richard isn't trying to help him and appreciate so much that despite all that he's still loyal and quickly takes on the Thing again to help his friends go up against Doctor Doom and put a stop to him. In the end he does find happiness with Alicia and his witty banter with Johnny was one of the best parts of the film.

2. Miho (Sin City)

*Silently kills everyone*

Miho is the best damn thing about this entire movie. Each freaking story is about a man saving a helpless girl in some way, shape, or form and Miho just defies all that nonsense. She's a prostitute by day, assassin by night and she literally always gets shit done. She kills a car full of assholes all by herself and saves Dwight's ass several times during the chapter. She can handle several weapons including samurai swords, ninja stars, and a bow and arrow. I'm positive she could go toe to toe with every other character in this film and still come out on top, YES I'm even including Marv because his slow ass wouldn't even see her coming.

1. Bruce Wayne/Batman (Batman Begins)

"Bats frighten me. It's time my enemies shared my dread."

This is the first time we really get an in depth look at how Bruce Wayne becomes the Batman, Gotham's protector. The loss of his parents give him the anger, but its the teachings of Ra's Al Ghul as well as the advice from those close to him that give him the tools to truly serve justice in a city that knows no meaning of the word. It's a hard task getting the police on his side as he tries to rid the city of its most powerful criminals like Falcone and Scarecrow. There's even a personal struggle of keeping the bat separate from the man, as his romance with Rachel won't go any further unless he gives up the costume. Odds are he won't be giving it up soon after he investigates this new enemy that we all know very well. This film was a great birth to one of the most iconic super heroes in comics and one that finally gets DC rolling on it's feet.

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curiouskarenscapers2017 · 7 years ago

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Vol 1 -Aug 2017

14th Aug 2017

And so a new chapter in my life unfolds, this time at a bit of a later stage in my life, more towards the middle I’d say. Some might even think it a midlife crisis but I prefer to think of it as a crisis in my midlife. Not me personally but of my life specifically. I found myself at a crossroads earlier this year and not for the lack of trying to steer it in the right direction but more of the road changed as if magically to the one less travel and thus with less opportunity. I had to make a very hard decision after trying and relying on many to make a success of the road I chose but life had other plans, as usual, and I was faced with the option of entertaining extreme measures. And as life would have it I miraculously received a short term contract right before I had to finalise my decision to start the process of applying for an English teaching positions abroad.

I never thought this would happen …again. Not that it’s a bad thing in the least but at this stage in my life I thought I would be somewhere else doing something else BUT life had other plans and as usual a lot more adventurous than my original plans! Obviously I didn’t get that memo. Maybe my subconscious gypsy brain made this happen on purpose and the itchy feet followed like a horse out of the racing blocks.

I chose to apply for a position in Japan and China. Japan got back to me first and I had to attend a Skype interview. As I dialled in from my home office after checking that I had the right time zone about 5 times, a perfect porcelain smiley face greeted me in typical animation style; high pitched, soft voice and friendly giggle. Polite and very precise with her questions and replies. I was greeted again and told to await a response via email in 3 days. Which I received as promised. Another interview was set up and the same process was followed with another interviewer. I was again told that there would be a response via email in a few days. The interviews were quite hectic and I had to place myself in the frame of mind of a teacher every time. It was quite challenging as I’ve been in the corporate training world for over 10 years since my last eastern excursion to Taiwan but I managed however didn’t get the position.

They are quite rigorous in their recruitment process, as was China. Oh my word an how! I did not realise what was yet to come. Previously when I applied for the position in Taiwan , it was literally an interview with the recruiter and I was on my way. Here I had to do a criminal clearance record check, health check which includes a blood test for syphilis and Aids and x-rays for TB, then a check into your credentials (degree). After that’s done you need to legalise all those papers by sending it back off to Jobug to DIRCO (Department of International relations) only then do you go to the embassy with all your legalized papers and wait for your approval of a visa and then go back to collect it within 3 – 5 days. They are not slow in the processes but there are so many of them. At the embassy they were very cool calm and collected. Not overly friendly or too rude. You never really know whether you’re doing something right or wrong.

Finally after many interviews and paperwork everything was done. It then felt so sudden. Not enough time to do all I needed to and it didn’t feel real. Only when I booked my ticket did the reality hit home. Soo many things to do so little time. They were so supportive throughout the process and put me into contact with a girl called Rebecca from South Africa that has been there for 9months already. She gave me some tips over Whatsapp and I packed accordingly. Some of the foreign teachers I had interviews with also gave me some tips as China allows very restricted access to the outside world especially in terms of Facebook and Google.

And so my China chapter starts. So many things had changed since my last adventure to Taiwan as you will read in my Taiwan Times I’ll post on my blog. One thing’s for certain the criteria got seriously stricter! I literally had to give them my blood type, proof I don’t have syphilis and no outstanding warrant for my arrest…thank goodness they didn’t check for speeding tickets! Whew! Also had to dig my Degree out of the tomb of my Student pyramid, thank goodness I remembered what sarcophagus I placed it in, the mummy’s! Thanks Mom. My years of studying and never using it my whole life finally paid off…when I turned 47! Remember that kids…..hold on to that degree if you have one, you literally never know when you’re gonna need it!

So eventually, after doing all the checks and collecting the lever arch files of paperwork I was ready to go to the Chinese Consulate so that they can approve my going to enrich the lives of their young people in big ol’ China. Need to push Big K to the side a bit and let Little K through for some serious creativity and adventurism. Definitely a bit more difficult than 10 years back, for one, a few more suitcases in life’s baggage, big ones, heavy ones, important ones, ones you love and hold very close.

Well, they’ll have to wait in SA as I take a small empty one with to fill up with things “Made in China”.

So here is how I will publish them. With my Taiwan Times I did it per month ending up with 12 issues per year. I’ll do the same this time round as some months you do more than in others.

2107 Aug – Vol 1

Sep – Vol 2

Oct – Vol 3

Nov – Vol 4

Dec – Vol 5

2018 Jan – Vol 6

Feb – Vol 7

Mar – Vol 8

Apr – Vol 9

May – Vol 10

Jun – Vol 11

Jul – Vol 12

The last challenge I had was placing a meager 2 weeks of clothing and shoes into 2 pieces of luggage with a combined weight total of 26kg’s. Flying Emirates I am allowed 30kg’s but the problem is when I land in Guangzhou to fly a domestic flight only 23kg’s are allowed. The girls suggested bringing as much as you can of your own vitamins and health tablets as they are expensive there. So eventually after 6 hours of packing and repacking and cutting and sacrificing I got it down to 26kg. With some clever re-arranging of hand luggage I managed an additional 5kgs of clothes and necessities…..I’m ready!!!

And then the day dawned, I wasn’t coping as well as I thought I would. I was emotional and stressed out as I tried to complete my contract work as well as making sure all my paperwork taxwise and just in general was organised. Thank goodness I started a few weeks go with filing and getting everything sorted but on the day I think I was just stressing myself out more than was necessary. Lionel was so supportive and brought me drinks and food throughout the day, with a cuddle and a kiss for the moral support.

It was time and off we went to the airport. I hate goodbyes as it is and this was the worst. Once Lionel left I walked through the passport control and was in the International terminal in 5 min. I’ve never been in Cape Town Airport’s international terminal and was impressed with the shops and layout.

I found the Bidvest lounge and booked in, After having a glass of champagne and a fruit bowl I started relaxing. My mom phoned and I spoke to my brother, skyped with Lionel and received a call from my BFF. I was ready to leave! Soo many well wishes from friends and family, so much appreciated.

A beautiful sunset highlighted the end of my SA chapter and the beginning of my China Chapter. Got on my flight said goodbye and off we went.

A red wine and delicious dinner later I was watching movies. The Beautiful Fantastic and the Zookeeper’s wife were my first two while writing my blog. Let’s see what unfolds in Dubai .

Arrived there at 5:30 am the next day. At this stage I was tired but still functional. I’ve been at the airport 4 times before so knew the layout pretty well. When I inquired about the long stay over allowance we got previously (a snack and a drink to a certain value for layovers longer than 2 hours) I was informed that that no longer applied. Off I went to find some breakfast. As usual this airport doesn’t sleep however the people do, everywhere I walked people were propped up on their luggage sleeping. In Dubai airport near the Ridiculously Expensive Le Clos distillery shop is a section where people can lie down on loungers. It’s nearly always full and you have to lean on the wall awhile until their flight boards then the elusive loungers appear. But I never have and probably never will because I’m too scared of missing my flight while flying off to dreamland where there’s lots of space and no seat belt holding you back.

I eventually sat down at the Giraffe, such a cute restaurant with an awesome vibe, and got given a menu to peruse while the waiter was cleaning up. The places were packed. I decided on this little table that just became available as I came along and decided I will not be deterred by the price, anyway how bad could it be for a breakfast? I think McDonalds will be a better bet! Thanks …and off I went. I refuse to pay nearly R100 for a cup of coffee…maybe next time!……NOT

Anyway, just as well I did because I got the opportunity to use a self-help ordering terminal…sooo cool. There were queues inside the McDonalds and I decided this was going to be the way. It’s so simple and relatively straight forward and even comes with a helpful assistant that walks around to offer some explanation. I did it! Order a sausage egg McMuffin with banana and coffee. And I just had to wait in the collections queue and not that long at that! Found a corner open eventually and sat there for a while. Time flies here because you can do quite a bit and walk around. But eventually my flight was ready and I got the honour of flying in the Massive Double storey Airbus A800. Space, Fancier screen, charging plugs everywhere, extra view camera from the tail above the plane now! Yeah!! Bring on the next 7 hours.

The food was tasty and enough, the wine was good, but still no sleeping for longer than nodding off sessions of an 1 hour to about 30min at a time.

Finally landing at Guangzhou airport time 22:10. The process getting from the plane to your luggage was quite a process as we had to queue in a very slow-moving queue going through customs. Interesting mix of people entering into the country, many African, many Arabic, Indian and the odd blonde person in between. After watching their police performing their very seriously taken job of keeping the people waiting to face the customs official behind the white line, it was finally my chance to say hi. I had a friendly official, meaning no smile but relatively friendly tone. At least I didn’t get a “You shall not pass!” in a Gandolf type voice. I got my approval stamp and so I entered through the Gates of Great dynasty of China! Into a cold grey airport…..queue the cricket.

It was busy because of the flight and stayed relatively busy until about 12am. I was hungry and a friendly security guard pointed me in the right direction a few floors down. I found a restaurant that I could pay by card and ordered a beef dinner. Very nice thank goodness.

I quickly found a kind of ‘Always-on’ network and bought a subscription to have unlimited wifi for $9 p/month. I relaxed a bit and then walked back up to the floor I need to be on to board. So this 10hour 22min layover killed me. I was a Zombie stumbling through the airport. Here and there young people were attached to plug points watching movies on their phones or playing games, after about an hour or so one got up and I took my chance and filled the gap!

Around 5am the airport came to life again as the early flights started boarding. My flight was now on China Southern to Guiyang city. I was praying that I would get away with my two pieces of hand luggage each weighing about 8kg+, one being my laptop bag and the other overflow of clothes. Thank goodness by the time I got to the front a supervisor was with the guy and as he said ‘your hand luggage’ I placed it on the scale and it was 1 kg over, the supervisor said no problem. I could have kissed him! I was soo happy. Was stressing about it big time. Off I went, getting totally lost to where the gate was and then going through another security check point! Enough already! These guys are good! The guy found a lighter I had forgotten about in my makeup-bag, Lionel got them as gifts so I kept one just in case and my Nedbank power bank had no size on the unit which meant it couldn’t go on the flight. But after about 5 re-scans of my bag and unpacking it just about he found it. So it went through SA scanning, Dubai scanning and China scanning and nobody picked it up, just this little friendly (by the way) security guy. By now I was in and out of consciousness while trying to find a seat to sit on. The place was packed! I only later found out it was because of their holidays that the airport on the local side was so busy. After a few flights had left the waiting hall emptied and we were ready to board our 8:30 flight to my new home for the year.

The flight was on a local airbus 300 and the duration now only a laughable hop skip and a jump of 1:45 min. It went quicker because I think a started falling asleep. As I came into Guiyang I was shocked at how huge the airport was, didn’t expect that. Got stopped through customs again and they just searched my one bag because they couldn’t make out what a specific shape was – ended up being my shoe with facial pads in it! Thanks guys. But yet they were friendly and asking me questions about teaching English and asking me to enjoy my stay! As I came out of the airport into the arrival lounge I immediately saw my name on a placard and attached to it was the person who would be my personal concierge for the rest of the week and probably my life here, with no complaints! Louis.

Thank Goodness, he took me straight to my hotel and although I passed out knowing I had to meet the principal, May, later this afternoon, around 4pm, because she wanted to meet me and take me to dinner, it was a heaven sent deep sleep! The hotel room was good and clean and compact. I had everything I needed.

Both my alarms went off to jerk me out of my deep sleep. I had a refreshing shower and then realised my ankles were huge and swollen, my hands were swollen and felt like I had a chronic case of water retention. I’ve never experienced the ankle thing as only on occasion with my one ankle where I broke it many years ago but never like this. I dismissed it and promised to be drinking a lot of water, which turned out not to be a problem as I was constantly thirsty. My feet were sore but I was ready for my exploration date!

I checked with May where she was and met her downstairs in the hotel lobby. Then the great trek started. Oh my word….was I in for a surprise marathon of Guiyang!

First we walked the kilometre or so to Estee Mall(as in Este lauder), which is now one of my favourite then got a taxi to Feisan Street, a popular traditional restaurant place much like a vibey Florida road in Durban. The place to be but for restaurants and eating experiences. With a lot of old world charm mixed with some new age places. I loved it. We walked to the restaurant where she wanted to take me and we entered. In South Africa you rarely see restaurants really spend much on the décor or detail. Everything is pretty much stock standard and the really expensive places spend the money on atmosphere and décor to enhance the experience. Here even the cheapest place has the best carved wooden tables and chairs, wall hanging and room dividers. All hand carved and treated and solid. It must way a tonne. Traditional headgear, instruments and tapestries lined the wall.

The waiters were all dressed up in this particular minority group, as they call it, ‘s traditional wear. So to explain about that. The minority groups are like ‘tribes’ of China, mostly boarder -lying communities and Guiyang has about 20 and the province next to us against the boarder over 30. They’re not much represented towards the main cities and central parts. They are all identified by a specific dish they make, which was really interesting. So here we were having sour fish hotpot. Sour fish being the traditional dish for this tribe. I’ve had hotpot before in Taiwan and really enjoyed it. A bit of a mission though and takes forever to eat and usually has way too much food for me, but it’s supposed to be a social event where everybody eats out of the pot together over an extended period of time, placing items into the pot randomly. Also very healthy.

The layout is really so convenient and we should look at incorporating it into our restaurants back home, I really thought the concept was very practical. The table we were seated at is in a booth style, the table itself has an embedded hotplate in the centre of it with a control on the outside of the table. So, how do we choose these items that now go into our boiling cauldron? I followed May to a section of the restaurant where various bowls of herbs, spices, vegetables I’ve never seen in my life were all neatly packed and next to each bowl a small cup with flat sticks with Chinese writing on identified the veg and kept track of what you ordered. At the end you just take all the sticks, give it to your waiter and they bring the items to your table and use the sticks to ring up your bill.

The part I didn’t see at fist was where May had to go select our fresh living fish out of a tank, maybe just as well. The type of fish is a Wuijang fish, much like our fresh water Salmon I suppose, from a specific region in china. Once back at our table, they then bring you your pot, looks like a huge wok pot. It’s pre-prepared with a standard mix into which you start placing your various items you chose. Enter; Chinese cabbage, mung beans, Chinese yam, spinach type leaves, lettuce type leaves,other plant leaves, tofu, mushrooms, sweetpotato strips, leaks and many more unidentifiable fresh veg. So while this is boiling away happily with your fish popping out of the merkyness you prepare your ‘sauce’. What makes this such a unique sauce is that it is not a sauce at all. Unlike our Ketchup, tomato sauces, mustard etc. it’s all fresh ingredients you put together in a small “soya sauce” type bowl, like you get with your sushi orders. In this you place a mixture of spices(some damn hot), spring onion chopped up finely, some other herbs and then taking some of the soup mix you pour about a teaspoon into your little bowl. This is now your sauce you dunk most of what comes out of the pot into. So quite quickly everything is cooked, you break off a piece of fish, as well as my untrained Chinese takeaway chopsticks ability allows me and place it ontop of your bowl mix. Making sure it’s covered in your sauce you then eat it. The most amazing tastes and flavours get added to the fish and what an awesome fish this was. And so you carry on for probably easily an hour or more.

As small as May was she could pack it in, I was stuffed after about the 10th chopstick full. Hahahaha, the theory that the slower you eat and the less you put into your mouth the quicker you get full is definitely proven here. Some cooked veg also accompanied the dinner, a weird looking root veg that looks like a stick outside and potato inside but has a slightly different texture was very nice, some potato and tomato and of course a pot of rice….where do you put all that!? On the side is always a teapot of green tea that is freely available to help wash down the tasty food.

We managed and had some take always. It didn’t take long for the waiters to start fighting about who was going to serve us when they saw me and soon after eating I had to pay up by getting a selfie taken with the waitress. I took a photo of the floor manager in her traditional garb and of two young guys playing a flute instrument at the door outside. Very interesting. May then excitedly said I have to try one more dish that’s one of Guiyang’s favourite, called a Siwawa. My eyes widened and my stomach reminded me that there was no room, but duty calls and I’m always up for a new adventure. Off we went only a few restaurants down. They had a bit of a waiting period that was much appreciated. The restaurant had a tree in the centre of it and Chinese drawings on the walls. After a few minutes, off to our table we were escorted.

Washing your hands before eating is a ritual taken seriously here and up we got, to a basin in the restaurant, washed our hands and went back to our table. The table had 2 silver teapots and the now familiar spices to make your sauce with.

The old lady waiter brought a tray of various shredded veggies and placed it in the middle of the table. There were 12 small containers with the following ingredients; top left to right and down; bracken, garlic, cucumner, onion, celery,noodles, bamboo type, herb, weird strong root type, potato, seaweed and leeks.Then gave us a small side plate with little pancakes on. With pancakes, I meant only it looked like a mini pancake but was made of a very fine batter that was nearly see-through. There was about 10 in a plate.

You slowly peel it off the pile, place it in the palm of your hand and then choose which of the various ingredients you want to place in your siwawa. The silver teapots had a type of thin soy sauce in which you then mix with the spices.

You have a spoon for this and you pour the sauce over the ingredients of your siwawa, fold it closed and then pop the whole thing in your mouth. A bit messy at times but so refreshing and light. Definitely one of my favourites now. They also gave us a cup of brown juice. It was so tasty and refreshing and it had little beans in it, Mung bean soup, it was called, more juice than soup and it was cold. Very nice, will have more of that!

After this, I couldn’t any more and greatfully we were off exploring Guiyang and it’s hidden treasures. With my sore swollen feet and ankles the treck was doable and more exciting than the pain was noticeable. We came upon an open square in a park like setting near a major intersection, they have many parks and community squares in the city which is awesome. I heard this cracker sound from far away and was wondering what it was. As we came nearer I saw older people with sticks in their hands hitting something silver on the floor.

At closer inspection I saw that the silver object was a spinning top, some had lights on them others had moving pictures on the side and the sticks were actually a kind of whip that you used to keep the top spinning, and everytime your whip connects properly with the top it cracks like a firework. We had to of course try as well. At first very awkwardly and my whip didn’t even make a sound never the less hit the top, but as I got the wrist movement right the sudden crack rang out…yesssssss, I nearly air pumped my fist but kept my rejoicing to a controlled level and just grinned ear to ear, May just laughed. It was great fun and your arms got really tired. Apparently this is an activity for the older generation to keep fit. Very considerate of the government.

We walked another what seemed like hundreds of km and then came upon the famous picture you would see of Guiyang, the Hong? Tower on the Nanming river, a beautiful sight full of people and very vibey. Everybody was taking selfies and pictures everywhere you look. It was evening now and darker and the multicoloured lights were starting to brighten the sky. It used to be a scholarly place where academic competitions were held and Guying produced of the top candidates in the country. It’s now a tea room where you can enjoy the view while sipping your tea. I’ll have to go back there as it was closed when we arrived. There was also more to see here that was closed at this time. So I’ll have to come back and check it out again. No issue there.

And so our evening came to an end and we were back at the mall. Our head office-called the operations centre, is also attached to this mall next to the Haagen Dasz shop…how would I ever forget that! And the Starbucks across from the Haagen Dazs shop….I’m sorted. We said goodbye and I thanked her for an amazing evening and had to walk back to my hotel which was another km or so. I was dead, out of sight I could slump and limp back to my hotel…..my feet were killing me. I arrived had a shower elevated my legs against the headboard of the bed and passed out.

Thank goodness there was free Wifi every where. Including the hotel which made it possible to whatsapp call and we-chat and skype all for FREE. The next few days were a bit of a blur.

Thursday at about 11(God bless his soul) Louis fetched me for a health check and also picked up another new teacher that would be working at another campus, Victoria, from Atlanta,Georgia. So together we sat in their health care centre that was soo well organised. We chatted while poor Louis filled in papers and spoke to people. Eventually he instructed us to get a signature from each department and then we’re done. So on the same floor in an open space about 8 doors(with English names on it) surrounded us, with chairs in the middle You walked up to the door and the doctor would beacon you in. My first one an old lady waved me in and I sat me down while Victoria stood in a short queue with young kids to do a EKG. She did my blood pressure , that was probably sky-high as I still struggled to adjust to the high altitude with my swollen hands and ankles. Pity I couldn’t ask about that. She probably deflated my cuff about 5 times before she looked and me scowled a bit and then showed me to the bed. I lay down and she poked and prodded my stomach. She squiggled her signature next to one of the tick boxes on the page and nodded her head. I thumbs upped and had my asking face on, and she smiled. Thank freaken goodness.

Next the eye specialist. Also an old doctor here I had to get on a scale that talks to you and probably tells the whole waiting area how heavy you are. I know I know!! And it did! Damn machine. I laughed as the most ridiculous number flashed in front of my eyes and I decided there and then that my diet was going to start today! The old doctor smiled and made a running motion with his arms which obviously indicated I need to exercise. Hahahah does he not know I spin???….well obviously it doesn’t show! Sigh! He had a sense of humour, I liked him. I then had to sit on the chair with my paddle in front of my eye and identify the E upwards, downwards or sideways and I did that, he then asked me to take my glasses of and I did the same. He came over to me and took my glasses asking me why I have them, because I see better without them…hahahahahhaha I nearly killed myself laughing. I explained with body language that they’re actuall just for reading, close up, he’s cool. As I left he lit a cigarette in his office and chatted to another doctor.

Neeeeext…my Ultra scan, just to check that everything is where it’s supposed to be and I’m not pregnant? Teeheeheee. They are very thorough and very well organised here. It was a relief, although you did feel like a cow being moved from one end of a paddock to the next. Next was a chest x-ray. Younger radiologist who helped me take my necklace off. Luckily no clothing needed to be removed, he just made me hug the X-ray machine a certain way and then walked out the room. Done and dusted. Next was a blood test with a young girl who couldn’t speak a word of English and poor Louis had to ask me is I was having my period…hahahahahahah what you don’t have to do for these foreigners. They did the tests and I had to go pee in a cup. Then last but not least the EKG. I just shook my head as I realised how much we had to pay for these tests back in SA to get the visa and here they’re doing it just like that. The lady wasn’t very friendly as she placed all these little suckers on my chest and lungs. Within 5 min that was done and she waved me out of her office. I laughed thinking that in SA about 3 hours after I did the test I had a funny feeling under my bra strap and realised when I got home the doctor had left one of the self adhesive attachments on me…hahahaha I had a souvenir.

Downstairs they had a photo booth that took passport photos and then up again for the paperwork part. We were done. Louis dropped me off at my hotel and I had to go elevate my legs a while. My feet were killing me.

Justin arranged to meet up to have a dinner at a non-chinese food restaurant run by Chinese. I agreed as I was getting quite hungry and needed some coffee. i decided I was going to meet him at the Starbucks first and then we could go from there.

The place next door is a bakery where I also went into one morning for some breakfast and coffee. There coffee was nearly better than Starbucks’. I sat there and unwrapped my prezzies given to me by the school. How awesome.

The Restaurant was called The Monkey King. It was also a local craft beer brewery started by an old chinese lady many years ago now run by her sons.

After this he suggested we go meet up with some other foreigners in a place called Uptown. We got a taxi and even though I was exhausted I thought it would be a good way of relaxing and meeting new people. It was great fun from Russia to the Dominican Replublic, Australia to Holland, Columbian to South African and American, you name it they were there. They were playing pool and just having a good time chatting away. After about 2 hours I excused myself Justin got me a taxi back and I slept like a log.

Friday dawned and we were going apartment hunting…yay..under normal circumstances, I was just thinking about the walking. But I was excited and as I walked I felt better. This felt like house hunting. So exciting. Drove through an amazing new modern area. Looks like Dubai. Glass Buildings of all shapes and sizes were being built everywhere. Thousands of apartments look like hives of insects. The area reminded me of Sandton in Joburg, fancy cars driving around and clean, wide open well groomed streets and shops. Rrees and plamnts and greenery everywhere you looked.

Louis said that this area’s apartment to buy just doubled within the last few years. Huge museum here as well, I’ll have to come explore. There is apparently also a huge lake here hidden behind the trees. Saw a little 3 wheel car…only R14 000. Mmmmm maybe I should get one..very fugly.

2020 Guiyang will have 5 mil people. The city is comprised of many different communities. Each community os looked after by a police station. As you move into an apartment that falls within a specific community you have to register at the police station, as a foreigner. You are then under their jurisdiction and I suppose their responsibility. It has happened before that a teacher decided to move to another community and apartment and did not notify anybody, soon the police phoned the school and and gave them a warning, they could go so far as to fine the school and get foreign affairs involved. They randomly patrol the community and would check up on you.

One of the communities here in Guiyang is the largest in all of China with 500 000 people living in it. Hectic.

There is a huge green swirling art piece on one of the mayor traffic circles here and it represents a Green Future which is Guiyang’s claim to fame and future goals (Forest city). We drove further out oof this financial business district towards the school campus. We were looking for an apartment near the campus so that one would be able to just walk to school without being dependant on transport. We walked my feet off.

First one across the street in a glum looking community block there was a one room room. Dodgy. Next….26 floors up, coming out of a lift into complete darkness, with wallpaper coming off the walls, nice….not. The apartment was ok, 2 rooms but in a just too bad a state to make me want to stay there plus the squat toilet did put me off a little. I did notice a swimming pool in the community on our way back to the school. Will check that out later. Just under the school we saw an agency and walked in. Louis did all the talking and I said that is that one room was 1500Y and the other was about 1 800 I was willing to sacrifice a dinner or two and pay 2000 and get a better place. The school subsidised about 1800. (part of your package) The first one they showed was beautiful but I saw 2 500 and that was too much. I didn’t know Louis was such a real haggler and they settled on 2000. We went to look at the place. But first… we had to find it. It was also uphill! Today was a big challenge for me. Awesome for my step counter though…don’t ever forget about that!

The school campus is on the ground floor of two separate apartment building next to each other, below them on the street level is a open complex with many little shops, restaurants, supermarkets and fruit shops with a dried u water feature running through it. Louis took me for a hotpot lunch in the square. I was getting used to this now and the ingredients didn’ surprise me anymore, just different variations of food.

We walked through this and down a pathway where suddenly a huge ship came into view! What the hell! It looks like Pirates of the Caribbean did a Terminator stint and appeared in the middle of a residential area. It was huge, very surreal. It looks like it was a water feature with swimming pools around it. Hope thy restore it while I’m here. Anyway, awesome to have one in your backyard.

We walked up some more steps 60 to be exact and then finally asking for directions as we went came upon the building. It was perfect. Two sections of about 6 floors max and it was at the end on the 4th floor. Climbing a further 56 steps to the apartment I was breathing down poor Louis neck like a comrade’s runner. I have to get used to this altitude! Anyway trying to look composed and in control the lady opened the door and I fell in love with the apartment. Her and her husband were tenants and they were leaving. The wooden floors, open rooms (2 bedrooms), big bathroom with a normal toilet…yesss… and a nice marble kitchen and gas stove. I want it!! Even Louis was impressed and liked it a lot. We decided, Louis made a we-chat transfer to secure it and we made an appointment for Sunday to sigh the paperwork and hopefully I could move in on Monday!!! Thank goodness! Can I go home now?

It’s very green here which I love and on our way back to Guiyang city itself and my hotel we drove through a few tunnels through the mountains, the mountains are not swiss alps type mountains with rock face but rather wholly covered in vegetation. We had to pick Victoria up on the way back and get her registered with her police station. So I opted to wait in the car and bought something to drink while I waited from a little StreetSide vendor.

My favourite beverage in Taiwan, Milky tea and honey tea. So refreshing. I can drink it all day everyday. As I waited I noticed a wall with Chinese literature on it. I’ll ask someone to translate. And then I noticed the roof tiles. On my walk yesterday around the old buildings I saw the ceramics they used on the roof tiles. Beautiful red tiles with round red embossed covers on the ends, but the end covers were breaking off with old age so some were missing and others just chipped or broken. But on these tiles on closer inspection I saw that they were replaced by plastic covers. So you get a similar effect but in plastic, obviously less expensive to replace if one has to.

They came back and we left. I was dropped off at the hotel and crashed immediately. Aaaahhh elevated legs. I was wondering how long they were going to stay so swollen, was getting a tad concerned. I was drinking copious amounts of water because it was so hot and also just because I was so continuously thirsty. We’ll see I thought they were slightly less swollen than before, I went out a bit in the evening for some food and water, got some snacks at a shop and wasn’t really hungry.

Everything here is individually wrapped, clever but annoying. Thank goodness I had my can of condensed milk and stowed away coffee. Saturday dawned and nobody phoned to do anything…aaahhhh yes, please let me have today to just do nothing! And my wish came true. I relaxed and slept, worked on a project I needed to finish and slept some more.

Sunday arrived and Louis came to pick me up. We drove through to Jinyang to sign the papers. This place doesn’t know when it’s weekend. It still looks like it’s a Thursday or weekday. Busy streets everywhere. They drive like many of our taxi drivers do. Lots of hooting to let people in and to warn people off, I’m sure they know the different tones of hooting. We got to the apartment, this time driving to the street level. And found n the apartment full of people. The landlord, the tenants and an agent. Lots of discussion going on and sideways glances at me, smiling away. The lady tenant is cool and friendly. Her husband was here as well. Thanks again to old faithful Louis things were done and dusted in record time. I had to put my red inked fingerprint on my name…

I found this so interesting and they just laughed at my quizzical face. I could move in on Monday! I was over the moon! My own place finally and so cool! I walked around trying to find dinner after being dropped off and found a little restaurant that had chow fan. I managed to order by pointing at the picture on the wall and it was awesome! Pity I might be leaving tomorrow.

Monday morning I got a taxi to my Jinyang campus to start helping out with PBL (Phenomenon Based Learning) summer camp. Two groups of 4 -6 year old and 7 -11 year old kids signed up to attend the camp for the week. And so did I. I figured getting into things as soon as possible will help me settle in quicker and also allow me to start meeting kids and build relationships with teachers and TA (Teacher advisors) basically the Chinese teachers that assist in class. It was draining but rewarding and great fun. I even got to explore Jinyang and the area because of this camp. We generally started at about 10 preparing, officially starting at 11:30 with the younger kids and then older kids in the afternoon till about 4:30 and so on. We played basketball at their basketball court arena, the next day to the Pizza hut (which will never be the same again as we went their twice with both groups, different days) and KFC, we went to the olympic ecological park which was quite the treat! We had a master chef class at the school making sandwiches and buying the ingredients at the local little supermarket.

Monday after PBL I finished off a bit earlier because of Louis was collecting me and taking me shopping for my apartment!

So exciting, going to Wallmart! First we went to open my bank account at China Industrial Bank and had a good experience with a friend of Louis that opened the account for me. He could speak some English. After that we were off to China Unicom for my sim card. Oh my word, I would have gotten totally lost in that shop, cellphones and tech stuff everywhere. Most at about half the price we would be buying them for back in SA. New iPhone 8 coming out here in Oct. I’ll go check it out, but their oppo R11 and the Huawei P10 mate are beautiful phones. New Motorola relaunch with clip on camera, clip on speaker, amazing. Mmmmmmmm.

So off we went, poor Louis, I was like a wife just putting stuff in the trolley and Louis following behind reminding me that I don’t have to buy everything here, there is also a mall there for things I don’t need right now…such a voice of reason in my happy bubble. Also afterwards I think thank goodness we didn’t buy more as it was a hall up 4 flights of stairs to get it in the apartment. Definitely a restriction on my shopping bag sizes in the future. The Wallmart was awesome and huge! Soo many things and choices of products some familiar some totally unheard of and some I have no idea what it could possibly be!

Got bedding on special and most of the other things too, like a pan and some food stuff essentials, like condensed milk, of course, for my coffee. Washing detergent and washing up liquid. Sorted. About 1600Yuan later = +- R3000. Not bad.

I waved Louis goodbye and thanked him from the bottom of my heart for all the effort he has put into getting me into this apartment and everything else. Truly awesome. Wednesday we’ll do my police registration.

Deep breath and close the door. My own place. I started unpacking all the shopping bags. Let’s do the bed first! Yeah. Got to my bed and realised that there was no mattress. Hahahaha. They only sleep on a few duvets and the plank. I tried it out the first night and couldn’t walk the next day! It’ll be the couch for me until I get a mattress. Is sent my friend Rebecca a message and she got Jerry , one of the TA’s to order me one online for about 258Y immediately. I also realised I forgot to get a kettle. No worries I have a pan, I’ll boil the water on the stove for coffee. Then I was faced with the challenge of starting the stove….hahahahaha. I have a gas stove back home and really, how difficult could it be. But it clicked away as I turned it to ignite and I thought maybe the gas is finished or the igniter doesn’t work, wear and tear. I started opening cupboard door to find the gas bottle but couldn’t find it anywhere instead just piping and a dial and a lever and a red button. Hmmmmm. Let’s figure this out. After a few futile attempts I decided I needed expert advise. So who do I contact? Louis of course with a picture or two asking him, what does this do? is this on or off ?and what is the dial for.? Some he knew and the rest I asked the next day at school. Pan is also a Chinese teacher at the school, he’s so cool. I just show him the pictures and he tells me what to do, like my washing machine buttons and the remote control! A few essential items one needs to be able to operate.

So after a few critical button identifications I was ready to operate. Had to wait until our PBL camp finished before I could go play around. Pizza hut was an experience. To get the kids to eat pizza with their hands was a mission. In their culture they don’t eat with their hands, so when the pizza came they all tried to eat it with their forks. Even in the restaurant when I looked around people here and there were eating their pizza with a fork.

Eventually the kids gave up and ate it with their hands, which they thoroughly enjoyed, others still managed to eat the topping off without touching the slice. Nearly like drinking soup out of a bowl, that’s how they tried to eat the pizza. Amazing how cultures differ. KFC was easier as we ordered ice-cream. Chaotic but easier. They also had a black rounder of sorts. Will have to try it sometime!

The second time we brought the smaller kids in I could just feel the poor Pizza hut sighing and bracing its ‘self for another onslaught, luckily they had a section where we were kind of separated from the rest of the restaurant and a sliding door could be closed.

The Olympic ecological park was also amazing. A path was design for people to either jog or walk or cycle it around the entire area which was designed around a lake. Small buses also took people from one end to the next. I’ll have to come back to explore more thoroughly as the park is quite big and there are specific stops with specific information pertaining to it that I need to still see and understand.

So eventually I got to my flat that Tuesday afternoon and tried out my new found knowledge. I got the stove to work by turning the dial to about however long I think I will be cooking for and then pressing the little red button to open the flow of gas which I then found out was city supplied. How cool is that! The flames nearly took my eyebrows off at first but I got it under control and soon was merrily cooking away! The washing machine I was using correctly anyway but just didn’t know which hole to pour the liquid. Pan suggested just in the barrel directly, which I did. The remote control worked once I put batteries into the remote control! Hahahahaha didn’t see that coming! And my final challenge came when I bought two bottles of wine at the little local supermarket and got home to find I have no bottle opener! By then I needed the wine! My newly acquired scissors did the job beautifully and I had to push the cork in.

After baptising my face in redwine I was ready for the second glass! With support from the girls back home from the start via whatsapp we were killing ourselves laughing. Felt like they were there in the room.

Found the local large supermarket while visiting the KFC next to the Pizza Hut that Tuesday and went to re-visit it to buy my kettle and get some water. Such friendly staff and helpful. I cruised through the supermarket exploring the isles and came upon the fresh produce section, and very fresh indeed as in still alive fresh. After getting over the fact that I’m not in a pet-shop, I started feeling bad for the poor eels, tarpaulins, fish, salamanders, bound crabs and just kept walking to the canned section, safer! I had visions of me freeing them all and them running round the supermarket terrifying the local shoppers. Maybe next time.

What a selection of stuff, two floors of shopping. The water was next to the alcohol section, obviously. The alcohol was quite a selection on its own but very little South African wines available. Rupert and Rothschild was there at about R500 a bottle, but I’m sure we can get it cheaper somewhere else. I’ll keep looking. Some of them were over R1000 cheapest around R300. My Chinese red wine I bought on special for two in a little plastic carry bag was 69Y so about R140 for two bottles and not that bad, not good, but not bad. Beers are cheap about R14 for a long tom or a 500ml and a wide variety of imported beers. Mainly Dutch and German.

The week flew by and I was exhausted as I haven’t really had some time off and was still adjusting. First week and a half done and dusted. My legs started going back to normal and by the weekend I recognised myself. Also adjusted to the altitude and didn’t get out of breath so quickly after walking. Have I mentioned the path I walk down to the school on a daily basis. I did mention my pirate ship in the middle of nowhere. Love that thing. So as I leave my apartment, I walk 56 steps down to the door that goes down in to the car park and out the gate. The steps down into the car park to the gate at street level is 88. Then there are 60 steps next to the ship and we can add a further 30 taking a short cut to the school. So going to school is cool, all downhill, coming back that first day I nearly passed out at the ship! Then crawling and heaving the rest of the way uphill into the garage, like a wounded animal seeking refuge in it’s cave, only to traverse another 88 step up, by now sounding like a heaving comarades runner not making the 12 hour cut off when I get to the ground level of the apartments. The poor old men playing mah-jong under the little gazebo could probably hear me arising from the depths and stopped their game to watch me slowly make my way 10 steps to the door to the apartment section I live in, which thankfully was right next to the doorway down. Then after pretending to look for my keys while gaining my composure, I managed to get my breathing to a controllable panting-dog-on-a-hot-day speed. Nodding dignifiedly, I managed to open it and closed the door behind me, releasing some more pent up air to regain my composure before tackling my 4 floors of 56 steps to my front door. Finally nearly not seeing were the lock in the door is I manage to turn the key and fall into my flat. Closing the door an passing out on the couch. Here I lay recovering for a good 30min before finding the strength in my “where the hell did the spinning training go”-legs to get up and get to the kitchen to drink a litre of water. Needless to say that with that daily exercise and, on occasion since then, twice a day, I have regained my fitness and have now achieved a slight heavy breathing when unlocking my flat door. 204/34 steps one way. Amazing how your body just adapts. Yeah!! I had images of me finding a hole in the ship and like a stowaway, camping out there and pretending to live in my apartment.

Since then we had also explored some restaurants and hotpot places with similar setups to how I explained on my first hotpot encounter. They are all very similar with slight differences in meat and ingredients you could add. I found a little place with a friendly small young girl that tried to understand what I wanted and added me on wechat to be her friend. Jian. I call her Jane. She now knows my order but I had to put myself through moving down the menu list to find the one I could eat without losing control of my eyes and nose. I found it!!! 4th item down. I’m settling in quickly and even have a dog friend and her puppy that’s about her size already, at one of the restaurants I walk past on my route, so they see me twice. I stop to scratch them a bit as they lie in the sun in front of the restaurant, she recognises me now, probably because of the attention. They have mostly small dogs here, I suppose lap dog size. I have seen bigger but very seldom. Miss my dogs badly.

One of the days I met John, a south African geography teacher teaching here for a year to get some international experience, we got on like a house on fire, he’s sidekick was Alex, I started calling him Speedy because he was a small Mexican guy always on the go. Mad Mexican more like it. We soon got along and went out the one evening after class at the mall (TP Mall) which has 4 sections to it. You literally walk from one mall to the next, each section specialised in something like clothes, or homewares or food. We were in the food section with the KFC and the YH supermarket I visited before. Alex wanted to take us to the restaurant that you could cook your own meat and John wanted lots of meat, so after getting a bit lost but experiencing the different eating places in the mall we found it.Luckily Alex can speak Chinese and he ordered everything and organised everything.

You go and chose your own spices and veg (as usual) and then they bring the meat strips to the table. Lamb, chicken, beef and bacon. The centre of this table has a frying mechanism over which they place a wax paper nearly like your sandwich paper your mom used to wrap your sandwiches in. On top of this you place the meat and veggies. Very nice. Just before we arrived here Alex and John went to a bottle store that they know and bought some whiskey. Alex asked the waiter to keep the ice they also got in the freezer which they did with no issues or complaints. There is no corkage here and you can bring your own drinks and still smoke as well. After a while Alex had his speaker out and playing music and the next thing John asked if I had any South African music and just for him I surprised him with “Kaptein span die seile” he nearly cried! We played a few Afrikaans songs including Ou ry perd and Alex loved it. Hahahaha hope the rest of the people in the restaurant did as well. We sat there until they nearly closed. It was awesome. We became the 3 musketeers that evening.

They were talking about another friend Nadine (Dutch) that had left just before I arrived and how well we all would’ve gotten along. I then also realised that this is this life. Similar to Nigeria with the expat community, and I suppose Taiwan as well, different people arrive at different times and just as you get to know them and build relationships they leave. Alex might leave end September when his contract comes to an end and John finishes in Feb next year. It’s a sad reality and the life of contract teaching. The awesome part is that you meet people you might keep as friends your whole life.

I have been camping out in my lounge since I had my one evening on my rock hard bed and I must say, I have an awesome couch.

This area is noisy during the day with a school just below me, between me and the ship. Is has announcements every hour at a loudness I thought was meant for the town! With music in between to announce breaks from about 8am to about 8pm, after that it quietens down until about 10pm -11pm when it becomes very quiet. I leave all my windows open for fresh air to move through my flat, they have gauze shutters to keep out the bugs. I love this place. Living on raw oats, muesli, fresh fruit and milk breakfasts (Fruit varying from apples, bananas to watermelon all fresh from the little shops) and of course my condensed milk coffee in the morning.

Lunch times my R22 rand chow fan or R16 pork dumplings and then noodles, dried mushrooms, onions, strips of various meat, peas and lentils at night.

Drinking litres of water and my green tea at night. Needless to say I’ve lost about 5kgs already. The Asian way of eating definitely agrees with my system. Touch wood, I haven’t gotten sick once yet and have been taking all my vitamin c’s, omega’s and multivites that I did at home before coming.

I was exhausted by now and Monday was scheduled for teachers training till Wednesday, I volunteered to get it done now rather than later and they can give me the days off they want after that. It was great fun and I learnt a lot. All about lesson planning, about teaching different age groups and developmental stages of each age group. By Wednesday I was dead. I had to take a taxi there and back and it started to cost quite a bit. Around 40 -50Yuan one way. A few times the taxi’s picked up other people which made the journey longer and more expensive. The last one I had a fight with the driver as he did that and then still got lost on his way to drop me off. I eventually stopped him and said I’ll get out here, then he wanted me to pay the fair of over 80Y, which is R160 rand. I refused and tried to tell him he got lost, not my fault and besides I only had 50Y. I think he tried to tell me ‘but I asked you if I can pick up somebody else and you said ok’…hahaha shame, I just refused and paid him the 50Y and pretended I was still not at the right destination. Luckily we did end up around the ship. So it wasn’t that far home.

The last afternoon I went through early so that I could walk around Ole supermarket. I did before but never enough time to explore all it’s little treasures. We went down for lunch once in our training as the office is attached to the mall and I had an awesome lunch at a little place in their food court call the Gluttonous cat. Hahaha, I did have second thoughts visiting it with that name but the food looked delicious and I opted for a potato omelette type dish, very filling and quite cheap. I have a video file on my facebook page of how they made it in front of me on the hot plate. The bowl below is like pork crackling they also use it in my chow fan I love so much.

This supermarket is like our Woolworths in SA. A tad expensive but you get everything and more from everywhere. Not a huge place but exclusive. I just took photo’s of probably everything I was so excited. The one thing I did find here is their Sushi art. Beautifully packed Sushi and not to expensive either, cheaper than what we get back home and more.

I wonder if I would become what’s written on the labels if I ate these specific nuts. For that price I better!

They had a small café attached to the supermarket and I sat down to have a light lunch and coffee. The attendant was so friendly and she helped me get a special they had for a coffee and a hotdog looking roll. The coffee that arrived was so beautifully decorated and the roll was small but tasty.

Good value. She asked me whether it was ok to take a photo of me, I first thought she meant together, then I realised she meant her taking of me. I just smiled and said of course. She was so happy and appreciative. I should be taking of her with my coffee, she’s a master!

Some of the most beautiful shop faces I’ve seen in a while.

And so my first month came to an end. Only half a month but still it felt like I had a full month. Can’t wait for my three days off until Sunday, when I have my first demo’s. I’ll explain next time. Cheers for now, tsai-chen.

Guiyang gazette Vol 1 -Aug 2017 14th Aug 2017 And so a new chapter in my life unfolds, this time at a bit of a later stage in my life, more towards the middle I’d say.

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