#those are like. people cards. someone who has ideas and communicates. someone who is hardworking etc etc

[hearty-an0n]

card spread for the game: page of swords, knight of pentacles, nine of cups (reversed)

[9800sblog]

Hii💐 since you are still open for questions about ateez I’m curious of what is seonghwa’s reputation. 👀

How is he known among kpop idol community?

seonghwa tarot reading

his reputation in the kpop industry

do I have his energy permission to do and share this reading? king of pentacles

answers for the current energy of 08/01/2024 15:08 GMT-3

such an interesting question, and seonghwa seemed interested in knowing the answer too kkkk

in general

9 of cups, the moon reversed, hanged man reversed, 7 of pentacles, king of swords, page of cups

the image is pretty simple and as expected, seonghwa is a hardworking man who deserves more than he gets but is content with what he has. seonghwa has a lot to show for, a guy with much passion, many talents/skills, and childish hobbies hehe. for those that have seen him outside of the stage, on lives, content, etc., seonghwa is seen as a cute guy who's able to attend to his inner child without looking weird. seonghwa is good at making the most out of bad situations, changing his or others' perceptions if there's such need. there's much respect towards him as an artist here, the king of swords being most relevant, he is very well recognized inside the industry as a complete worker. these cards show someone who is kind and pure, people's perception of him may have changed recently, making them think he is more down to earth, stuck in reality than they previously thought. much attention to his skills, a thoughtful dancer, a sweet voice and a strong rapper, a powerful presence in general that still transpires respect and fairness towards everyone, people aren't scared of taking to him (but that may have changed recently)

closer idols

3 of cups, high priestess reversed, death, 5 of swords

as I said, it seems a big change has recently changed the perception of most people towards seonghwa. this is a really nice person, someone who is easy to interact, easy to feel comfortable around, knows how to speak with all kinds of people, but mostly only to those he's already close to. he may be seen as someone that doesn't always trust his intuition, someone a bit scared of the unknown, and may not often speak to women, scared of getting into trouble. this is someone who avoids a few problems, and walks away at the sign of conflict, which can be seen as a good thing by some. however, this is still someone extremely thoughtful, appreciative of others and not afraid of change! it's quite complicated as there are many different opinions being heard, but seonghwa is seen as a guy who prefers to stir the pot when change is necessary, while avoiding fruitless conflicts. overall, he's seen as a friend, a trustworthy individual with whom you have to worry about absolutely nothing, matter of fact, if you don't wanna think when you're around him, he'd do that for you! he's seen as someone that knows how to pick his battles and friends and lives a happy and stable life. seonghwa may differ from your first impression of him, maybe when you think you know him, he surprises you, he's a bit weird and likes to make others uncomfortable for fun but the message that keeps coming through is that seonghwa is really just a great friend.

staff

8 of cups reversed, knight of cups, 6 of wands reversed, 2 of wands reversed

the 8 of cups reversed and 6 of wands reversed make me think he's mostly seen around other ateez members by these people, so they may think their idea of him is a bit limited. all in all, seonghwa may be a quiet guy around staff, mostly focused on his work and attentive to details. this is probably someone that follows traditional rules of respect and he may be seen as quite the hopeless romantic! as always, seonghwa is seen as a very cute guy by everyone, a pure heart and maybe a wanderer spirit who is limited by the real world. imaginative, creative, kind, helpful, proactive, focused and dedicated. they may see him as more of an introvert but think that's probably not how he is casually, that it's just not the appropriate time to focus on having fun.

female idols

10 of cups, 8 of wands, 8 of swords reversed, 6 of pentacles, the hierophant reversed

no surprises, seonghwa is seen as someone who isn't tied down by social limitations, he's incredibly confident in his inner self, he's done a lot of soul searching and knows what makes him feel happy and free. they think he knows well about how things are "supposed" to go, and he may even help others in doing so but it may not work for him, seonghwa may be seen as someone untraditional, not because he's unaware, he's just happy otherwise. this is a really smart person that knows how to hold a conversation and has many different facets, they know he can talk a lot about many different subjects, be really fun, but not have experienced it directly, as seongwa may be more professional when around the girls. they may fantasize about being in his life, either as a couple or best friends, they see him as a really good person in general, a walking green flag (IT SEEMS! I AM NOT CLAIMING ANY ABSOLUTE TRUTH), as seonghwa is not your typical type of guy, they may imagine that it would be fun to have him in their lives, I see many girls imagine being just friends with him and gossiping and stuff hahaha very nice vibes here 🤷‍♀️

male idols

ace of cups reversed, the world reversed, 10 of pentacles, knight of swords reversed, the tower

very different vibes jesus christ! some male idols really really like him, hold a lot of respect towards him and see him as someone that is very knowledgeable, respectful and can/will get very far in life. they may see him as someone more traditional and untraditional at the same time, who wants to do more, bring change into the world but is unfortunately limited by responsibilities and real life complications in general. seonghwa is a funny guy who likes to exaggerate for fun, may be dramatic, weird, messy, whatever, they think he is funny for that. I am getting very heavy energy here tho, obviously the cards are mostly reversed, these people's perception of seonghwa may be tainted by their own world views and weird interactions with him. seonghwa is seen as trouble by some of the guys, they don't think very nice things about him but they think he's well protected so they won't mess with him, but oh they wanna. it doesn't seem to be many people having this opinion tho, just the energy very strong. seonghwa may pull them off their high horses while they don't expect it cause he looks like such an easy-going, cute individual. in any and all cases, all of them see seonghwa has strong connections that will stay with him til the end of times, he can be quite impulsive which some like and some really don't. those that like him think he has some type of ancient knowledge (?), maybe passed down by generations. in general, male idols think ateez/kq environment is very tied together, people really see them as a family business.

[staplernpaper]

Criminal Minds Compatibility Reading

compatibility reading is for this event:

Jujutsu Kaisen & Criminal minds Compatibility Reading Event

All readings are for entertainment purposes only. Please do not obsess over the results of the reading as at the end of the day free will is a thing

Selamat Petang My Dear,

Hope everyone reading is having a good day. Please like and reblog this post cause I'd really like to know whether you guys enjoy this event. If any of you have any questions regarding any of my readings, you can always comment or send via ask.

Terima Kasih

Overall vibe: The hard works pays off

How is M.G relationship with Aaron Hotchner going to be like?

Card 1: Ace of cups- New beginnings, New Relationships, New Romance, Love, Happiness, Joy, Conception, Fertility, Pregnancy, Celebrations, Socialising

Card 2: 7 of Pentacles- Things coming to fruition, Hard work pays off, Rewards, Results, Manifestation of ideas, Cultivation, Growing, Gestation, Perseverance, Approaching, retirement

Card 3: 3 of Pentacles- Apprenticeship, Learning, Studying, Growing, Hardwork, Commitment, Goals, Collaboration, Dedication, Quality, Attention to detail, Tradesperson, Recognition

Card 4: 5 of Pentacles- Temporary financial hardship, Negative change, Feeling left out in the cold, Adversity, Struggle, Hardship, Homelessness, Poverty, Divorce, Breakup, Scandal

Card 5: King of Pentacles- Mature grounded male, Successful, Empire, Wealthy, Businessman, Bettering yourself, Stability, Faithful, Provider, Reaching goals, Dependable, Hard work will pay off

Interpretation:

The first card signifies a chance to start fresh. In the beginning, either you or Hotch may have gone through years of loneliness, emotional fatigue or something along those lines. However, with the start of this relationship, you two may be able to put those years of hardship aside. Which allows you two the ability to open yourself up to new opportunities for friendships, love and spiritual learning.

The second card more or less represents investment. Which suggest that both you and Aaron are willing to put in a lot of time, effort and work into this relationship. Similar to business investments we usually think of the long term benefits, so this couple will have expectations and hopes this relationship will be one that benefits them in the long run or that the relationship will be one that lasts for a long time.

The third card is about coming together in order to build something. For me what's interesting here is the card has three people, this may very well represent you, Aaron and maybe Jack. In order for this relationship to go smoothly, I think you guys will have to have a proper discussion not only amongst yourself but with Jack as well. Having his viewpoint will also help this relationship accomplish a stronger bond. Not only that, but I feel like with this relationship you two will learn a lot from each other. So you'll learn something from Aaron and Aaron will learn something from you.

More often than not, the fourth card is a bad omen. Usually, when we're talking in the context of a relationship, this card would mean break-up or separation. However, I felt like that wasn't the case in this scenario, so for clarification, I pulled out more cards. I asked if Card 4 meant you two will break up, I got Ace of wands (Black in colour) which means no. Since it is not separation, I think this couple will surely go through hard times such as someone feeling isolated or lonely. Either Hotch or you may have difficulty communicating honestly or creating an emotional connection, which creates a barrier between you two.

I think it may be M.G who will feel like they are being left out in the cold. Since the king of pentacles and M.G have the same sign, this card may represent them. (Quick disclaimer: Fret not if you ain't a dude, while the kings are associated with males, it can also represent females). I also believe that it may be M.G who works the hardest to contribute to this relationship. Other than this card representing M.G, I do think this card represents the relationship. The king of pentacles suggests that this couple's relationship will be stable and secure. These two will be very comfortable with each other, both emotionally and materially. It's important to note that they are able to achieve this due to the hard work in the past. If you look at the meanings of the other cards, hard work appears in most of them. Suggesting that hard work is very much present in this relationship.

Conclusion:

I think in the beginning, this couple would see this relationship as a new chance for love. Not only did this relationship give this couple an opportunity for romance but it also gave them the opportunity to form new friendships and learn spiritual teachings. By spending a lot of time with each other, you two will be picking up on their better habits or end up learning a thing or two from each other.

In this relationship different viewpoints matter, not only is the perspective of the couple taken into account but also Jack's opinion. Both M.G and Hotch will put a lot of effort, time and energy into this relationship, but I think it will be M.G who puts in a little more.

With so much hard work being put into this relationship it would be guaranteed that this relationship will be stable and one that lasts for years. After being together for many years and having a deep trust between each, they will become a source of security and comfort to you.

My one concern for this relationship is that there are feelings of loneliness present in the relationship. I think Hotch may have problems with communicating or forming an emotional connection. Thus, M.G may be the one feeling pushed aside.

[sorenskyhigh]

Heyyy! I saw you take requests! Imagine: werewolfves, vampires, winged humans and other fantasy/mythological creatures exist (Dungen&dragon races maybe?), What would your favorite Karasuno character(s) be? And, already a happy new year! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

Happy New Year!🎉🎆 I think I'm gonna do all of Karasuno bc they all deserve love and I just love all the Haikyuu characters!!!!! And thank you for putting in a request this is my first!!!!!! Wooohoo!!

Karasuno as D&D

(Or what I think they would be)

Daichi Sawamura

When I think of Daichi I think of a very stout, hardy person.

I know he's 176 or so cm but he's very built and in personality and physical build, sturdy

I also see him very hardworking

Daichi seems very dependable but in a chaotic way

Like he really wants to help but he also simultaneously has NO idea what he's doing

But also I can see him loving the world, people, and animals and nature

A protector but maybe a slight loner or the leader of a group, no inbetween

I honestly think he would be either a Dwarf (the only problem I have with this one is is that I don't view Daichi as a materialistic person like a Dwarf to want gold everything and whatnot) or a Firebolg

I feel either of these could fit him since they are very hardworking and sturdy people. But I lean toward firebolgs more since they are kinda calmer natural people if that makes sense??????

Daichi by no means is a calm and just no worries kind of guy but, I feel like he does have a slow and steady wins the race

Daichi is wise and strong and could live a calm and natural life like a Firebolg

Living with the animals and helping them but also living with a tribe of his people

Koushi Sugawara

I look at Suga as a very loving person that in his own chaotic way tries to help everybody

A mom friend if you will

I also see him getting close with few people a being very ride or die

He also seems a bit like a home body, like he enjoys staying home and being comfortable

Thats why I chose either a Gnome or Hafling

Gnomes are of a tight knit community and are very enthusiastic about life. Learning and building what they can

Building things to help their community and ending the day with a well earned drink with friends and family

Haflings love home comforts

Sitting by the fire and reading a good book

Doing some gardening and whatnot

But some travel and learn and grow intellectually

I think either of these would suit Suga

I can't stop imagining him as a Gnome with little goggles as he works on something small and metal with gears or him sitting in little Hafling attire or some pjs by a fire with some mead in one hand and a good book in the other

Asahi Azumane

I view Asahi as one of my personal favorite tropes of really big and scary but actually a sweet, bumbling mess/really small and adorable but could actually tortures you in a million different ways

Asahi is such a gentle giant but can get serious when he needs to

I also see him as someone very natural and loves nature/animals

That's why I picked either Triton or Genasi (the only thing about Genasi is they're super confident and Asahi very much is not)

Triton are water folk and outsiders (people think Asahi is scary and unapproachable)

They also have good relations with giant seahorses, Hippocampi, and sea lions

Can you imagine Asahi riding a Hippocampus with his gorgeous hair flowing in the waves of the water 😳 muah *chefs kiss* majestic

Anyways 😆

I also see him as a Genasi because they're kinda mysterious people with such a strong connection to nature and elemental energies

But I think he would specifically be an Earth Genasi bc they don't tend to make rash and are superior in strength and solid power

Yū Nishinoya

The little adorable ball of thunderous chaos

Noya seems like someone who loves to cause chaos but NEVER hurt anyone

He wants to have a good time but most people can't quite handle his version of a good time

Thats why I chose Satyr for Noya

Satyrs have the loose construct of a civilization and the wild urges of animals and beasts

Noya is a very independent person but will stick to very particular people

Satyrs are similar

They also view everyone as either a body to dance with, poor soul the mess with, or a sober mind to get absolutely hammered with

Ryūnoske Tanaka

Ryū is just such an awesome character to me

He is the real ride or die never gonna give up on you kind of person

I am not throwing any hate onto the other second years IN THE SLIGHTEST but Ryū did stay the whole time

And yet he seems, to me, to constantly need to prove his self worth

This is why I think he would be either a Human or a Lizardman

Humans are a young race and feel like, in their short lives they need to prove themselves

This drive causes them to be adaptable innovators and pioneers

Bu~ut I also think he would be good among the Lizardfolk

They have their own set of personal rules that they live by that aren't exactly conventional to most other races

Also they can be very food driven who isn't tho

Chikara Ennoshita, Hisashi Kinnoshita, Kazuhito Narita

All three give off similar vibes to me (not just cause they're background characters)

All three feel pretty chill and laid back but like their hardworkers once they have the right motivation

The three of them seem passive as well

Doing what they're told without much question but also like severe outsiders (I know they close themselves off from the others on purpose a bit bc they left and feel guilty)

So I chose Changelings for these three

Changelings are generally harmless, passive beings without interest in other races political affairs

But bc of this most others find them not trustworthy

They kind of don't have their own culture and just slip into other societies

I feel like these three did this with the volleyball team bc they didn't show them ever having some kind grand dream or ambitions

They just kind of float along with certain people they're comfortable with

Tobio Kageyama

Kageyama is a very independent character at heart

It's not that he WANTS to be a lonely necessarily, I feel, but that he wants to prove himself so much and constantly that he pushes people away

Even after he learned about relying on people and what it means to be a team

He stills feels like he should be able to do it himself

I feel like there is an ever constant duality in him

That's why I think he'd be a Half Elf

Human/elf mixes never really belong anywhere bc they either age faster than there elven peers or watch as their human loved ones age and die off much faster than themselves

This is why Half elf/humans keep to themselves

But for Kageyama, I feel if he had never met Hinata, Daichi, Suga, Ryū, or any of them, he would've isolated himself on accident from everyone

Shoyo Hinata

Shoyo is very impulsive but does extremely well with others

He is definitely social and NEEDS to have other people to watch his back

He has shown to be aggressive and super competitive with other players

But he forms strong bonds with those he really cares about

I feel like he would be, specifically a Longtooth Shifter

These shifters specifically are aggressive towards others they are not close to

But are deeply invested in those they have chosen to share their time with

They also are Lupine/dog based beings

And Shoyo definitely has a very dog like personality

They also are more pack oriented than other shifters

They have teamwork and group fluidity

Kei Tsukishima

Tsukishima a very stereotypical character but written in THE BEST WAY

He's that stereotype of antagonist to ally or prude outcast to reliable friend

This was caused by the circumstances of him finding out the situation with his brother

So he decided that no one could be trusted with Yamaguchi as an exception

Elf or Tiefling, did you really expect anything else? 😜

Elven people are very reserved a set themselves apart most of the time from other races, generally thinking of them as inferior or untrustworthy to be around the knowledge Elven people possess

Like Tsukishima they think themselves above other beings with a few that choose to live with with humans

Tieflings are forced away from other races

Because of a past sin that has changed them to look slightly different from others, they are shunned

I relate what happened when Tieflings became a different bloodline of humans to what happened between Kei and his older brother Akiteru

Tsukishimas rejection of companionship is something he does himself, but it is a form of mistrust towards others to not lie to him like he once was

Both Elven and Tieflings are very intelligent in their own differing ways

Elven are very well read and prestigious

Tieflings are good at slight of hand and swindling others bc of the rough cards they've been dealt in life

Tadashi Yamaguchi

Tadashi is a very different person than from what people make him out to be

Everybody makes him out to be an uwu ooga booga baby child that needs protecting

But he's not

That's not to say he doesn't have a large, warm and welcoming heart but he's NOT weak by any means

He's strong and he eventually becomes independent from Tsukishima and doesn't have to be codependent

Tadashi Yamaguchi is an amazing hardworker that is learning about the world and is trying to better himself slowly day by day

But there is the soft, kind and helpful side of him that would just do anything for a struggling stranger

That's why I chose either a Tortle or Kobold

I see him being maybe a Tortles that lives a simple life filled with schedules and living a very ritualistic life

They live simply and are very personable beings

But there's also Kobolds who are dragon like creatures that are INWARDLY aggressive but are industrious beings

They hate larger beings as they're short but will show respect if need to but would show backhanded and passive aggressive ways to show their displeasure

They also don't like direct confrontation and would rather entrapt another creature or being than directly fight them

They are also cunning and have a knack for plan making with which they share through out their entire tribe

Kiyoko Shimizu

I see Kiyoko as a very dependable person but also very independent and very strong and strong willed

Basically a feminine icon, honestly

She can do just about everything but seemingly has her own agenda

You're very lucky if her agenda should happen to align with you and your goals because she is an indestructible force not to be dealt with lightly

And yet, she is above all else a women

Feminine, beautiful, and incredibly amazing (as all women are)

I chose Aasimar for Kiyoko

Aasimar are beings that are often descendants of celestial or higher beings

They generally hold good morals and are justice deliverers

They generally serve a guardians of law that strike at evil, lead by example, and dish out justice where it is needed

They are cautious of others and sometimes misunderstood as they did what they do what they believed to be right

Aasimars are also extremely empathetic and are often times hurt by the prejudice they suffer in early years as many don't like what they don't understand

Hitoka Yachi

Yachi IS NOT THE SOFT, DEFENSLESS, CRYBABY EVERYBODY MAKES HER OUT TO BE

Yachi is shy and nervous but that is only bc she was accidentally persuaded into an intimidating world of giants

And for a short and petite framed girlt hat is TERRIFYING at first

But Yachi stepped up to the plate and batted away everyone's shit expectations for her because she rose to become an amazing manager for the team

She became independent from her mother's harsh ideas of her and showed her how powerful she can be

She may be small but she is truly mighty

This is why I picked Centaurs for her

Centaurs are the swiftest out of the humanoids and build peaceful communities

They hunt what and where they wish, as they generally move after a few years in one place, move

They highly value personal choice and individuality among their tribes

They also love and worship nature, many wanting to devote themselves to a higher power and/or become druids

They generally bear no ill will towards anyone unless the opposers strike first

Thank you @popcorntime-doodles for giving me my first request I hope you like this and I hope I did a good job

Again this is just my opinion and how I see the characters and the many races of D&D

Also again I do request I have a character masterlist in my bio ❤

@multifandombrainrot @kneecapstealingalien @akabxne @jiheonity @weareallhumans123 @smallmangi @canadian-crow @just-jellyfish @immiamarais @i-need-coffee-now-pls @foreveryoung050 @kuroos-world @luminasapphire @silverfire6 @shadowsbutdead @ghostexhibit @simpfornishinoya @goshikisimp @anothershadeofpink @mestayanon @japoga

[genderqueer-rat]

Anti-capitalist protests are not gonna work. The tech and corporation giants are huge and they can monitor you if you ever expose their scandals or shady stuff they did! Stop tryna cancel them, just be more hardworking not lazy and hedonistic. Be earnest instead of tryna be social media famous and copycat skits, and you won't have to advocate for '''socialist wealth distribution''', stupidly huddled in your tent eating crappy canned goods and using the streets or park as your bathroom like mainland chinese while watching Kylie's latest glam haul vid, commie. Holding your measly unemployment cheque which screams "I am cucked to the government!", let alone get a whole mob to stop admiring mega corporations.

anon, what.....what the fuck does this mean? who are you? what do you stand for??????? what are you trying to get me to do and WHY???? was this meant for someone else? this ask is 10,000 shades of bizarrely wrong and character attacks against me that aren't even accurate??? if you're gonna attempt to hurt my feelings, at least make sure they have a nugget of truth to it. is this because I posted a PSA hoping it might help an unhoused individual in my area be vigilant and safe? I literally have no idea why I received this anon?????????

1) protesting and rioting has historically been the one thing that *has* worked.

2) tech/corporate giants track us literally everywhere anyway and exposing their crap is valuable to criticize them. also I've never exposed anything that a corporation has done but I admire those brave enough to do so.

3) what does hard work and hedonism have to do with "canceling" them? does anon think corporations will start treating people better if it just stops getting talked about?

4) I will never stop believing that the pursuit of pleasure, fulfillment and community is valuable. hedonism is usually used by religious individuals to describe the life of someone who gives themself permission to unabashedly be themself, especially queer individuals.

5) I have always tried my best to be earnest, and I've never attempted to become famous on social media. that sounds like the worst, frankly. what have I done, especially recently, to make someone think this? what skits have I copied....??????

6) what could attempting to gain social media fame have to do with advocating for the downfall of capitalism?

7) thankfully I am lucky enough to be able to afford housing and food that I myself have prepared. not everyone has that luxury and I don't think it's wrong to believe that they deserve better and advocate for them.

8) we got racism in here too! let's check that one off our hate crime bingo card.

9) I don't enjoy watching media produced by Kylie Jenner, nor media about her. please find other media to consume. I have some recommendations if you like.

10) it DOES suck that an unemployment check is "measly"! if we are forced to live under capitalism then we should at least be able to afford clean, sanitary, well-maintained housing (housing should be free, there is no scarcity) no matter our employment status! people deserve better for *being people*, not by virtue of "hard work" or following the puritan ideal. humans deserve leisure time! we deserve to be able to revel in the beauty of the world we live in and each other's company! we deserve to be well fed, well clothed, well housed no matter what.

11) if I've come across as someone who admires or advocates for admiring corporations I've done something horribly wrong.

[amyure]

Katsuragi Kazumi (桂木カヅミ)

An aloof girl, whose most notable features are her spectacles and the books she has around her, Kazumi seems unfriendly at first glance. Although calm, she is neither shy nor reserved. Kazumi states her opinions clearly and is strict with them, which strengthens her ‘unfriendly-seeming’ aura. Similar to Murasaki (whom she bonded with in her episode 2.5), Kazumi is individualistic and detached. She knows exactly what she wants, how to voice her opinions (even if it is against those of others’) and how to work towards her goals. Kazumi is eloquent but does not bother much with pep talks or pleasantries. She is very true to herself and does not bother bending herself for the sake of others. Her character episodes often focus on revealing more of her personality, rather than character growth per se (at least until her 3.5 episode).

Character

Bookworm

Easily Kazumi’s strongest character point is her love for books. Not only does she read a lot of books, she even wrote one (which was so good that Musubi and Rona got hooked immediately). Kazumi is confident that she can find a book for anyone that they would love. She would also do anything to get her hands on a book that she wants (or one by an author she likes). She would even work part-time if needed, just to earn money for books. Kazumi has great respect for books, learning about many things from them and trusting them for references (such as during an episode event when she was looking up what to do when it came to an agency).

Serious and aloof

Kazumi is almost always serious, speaking in a low, calm voice. Rarely joking, and only chuckling when amused, almost nothing breaks her calm and steady composure. This makes Kazumi seem intimidating to the younger members of Nanastar, and even to people like Rona and Musubi. She can be playful, but in a calm and reserved way where she at most teases others lightly. However, to get to this side of her, people must first get past her rather dismissive way of speaking. This is why it seems only people like Miu or Murasaki, who have good interpersonal skills and can see beyond Kazumi’s cold exterior, can see her more playful side.

Resilient and hardworking

Once she sets her mind to something, Kazumi would do anything to achieve it, even if it doesn’t seem to suit her image or personality. Working at a bar doesn’t fit her image (and Murasaki expressed doubts about it), but Kazumi proved that she could, and very well at that. She also does not limit herself to her own opinions when it comes to self-improvement. Kazumi takes on others’ opinions and tries them out (even strange ones, like watching a kids’ show to improve her acting skills). She does not hesitate to break her image, and does not even bother about being humiliated if she thinks it is necessary (which has shocked the other Nanastar girls before).

Objective

Much like Murasaki, Kazumi is objective when it comes to herself and others. If she is wrong, she would acknowledge it, and at the same time will also point it out if others are wrong. Her straightforward nature and lack of beating around the bush often makes her seem harsh. Yet, this same ‘harsh’ nature is also directed towards herself, which is one reason why Kazumi is able to self-evaluate and improve herself.

Confident

If anything, Kazumi is very confident. Sure of herself and knowing exactly what to do in most situations, Kazumi is very assertive with all her decisions. Properly taking every step required to achieve something, and even beyond, Kazumi rarely shows an anxious or worried expression. It seems like she is the type to try and try, not even thinking about the possibility of failure.

Character Development

From her 1.5 to 3.5 episodes, Kazumi’s character is revealed more than it is developed. In her 1.5, it is revealed that not only does Kazumi love reading books, she also wrote some. At first it seemed like she was very annoyed at the idea of anyone else reading her works, but she seemed to be genuinely glad that someone else (Musubi and Rona) had enjoyed reading them. In her 2.5, it was shown how, unlike first impressions of her, Kazumi is actually very eloquent, able to gracefully reject someone’s flirtatious advances. She also formed some kind of camaraderie with Murasaki, who felt that they actually click with each other in terms of personality. In her 3.5, it is shown how Kazumi knows that some things are better learned by doing and not via reading books; also, she learns that the feeling of ‘wanting to make someone else happy’ is what makes her work enjoyable. She also appears to be very fond of Nanastar, commentating numerous times how it was a ‘comfortable place’ to be in.

Relationships

Echizen Murasaki (越前ムラサキ)

Having the same kind of strong, yet playful, personality as Murasaki, they both had some opinion and thoughts about each other before realizing that they are more than what they appear to be. They have a mutual respect with each other, and judging from some of their cards, they may have had more bonding time outside of when Kazumi was working in Murasaki’s bar.

Aihara Miu (逢原ミウ)

Miu’s easygoing nature seems to complement Kazumi very well. Usually, Miu would be the one chatting while Kazumi listens and reads beside her. It seems they enjoy each other’s company and are able to communicate well. Miu’s comfortable relationship with Kazumi is shown in Ferb’s 2.5 episode, as well as in some episode events.

Tendouji Musubi (天堂寺ムスビ)

Musubi respects Kazumi and really looks up to her ability to write novels, although she was at first very cautious around Kazumi so as to not offend her.

Tsunomori Rona (角森ロナ)

Rona was initially put off by Kazumi’s straightforward manner of speech, having a bad impression of, and being scared, of her. However, after reading her novel Rona had great respect for Kazumi and was eager to read the next.

Ootori Chacha (鳳チャチャ)

Kazumi apparently frequents Chacha’s store, which led to them knowing each other. Chacha also appears to know Kazumi’s favorite author.

Trivia

Kazumi often takes her glasses for her model work. [glass-less Kazumi is 10/10...]

Not only does she do modelling, Kazumi takes on acting roles as well.

[nookishposts]

Keepers

I decided many years ago not to have children. I love kids and love spending time with other people’s kids. Children’s choirs with those reedy innocent voices never fail to move me to tears. I was a summer camp theatre arts teacher for a number of years, and I am often the first one to get down on the rug with a wee one learning to crawl. The smell of baby, especially a sleepy one nestled against my chest is the breath of heaven. My choice has nothing to do with kids themselves and everything to do with me. I come from a swamp of family health issues: cancer, heart disease, diabetes and far too many incidents of serious mental illness resulting in a lot of suicides. I felt neither prepared nor compelled to parent , especially given the possible inheritances, and because I had so much growing up of my own to do. At 58, I have no regrets about this. My sister also chose not to have kids for her own reasons. So, effectively our parents contributions to the gene pool will die when we do. If I have any regret at all it’s that my Mum didn’t get the pleasure of grand-parenting, but thankfully she fully supports our choices. I have friends and acquaintances in this world who are absolutely awesome parents, raising kids who will definitely make this world a better one. I am delighted to support those efforts in any way they ask.

Part of the mid-life reflection involves considering legacy; I think some of us will admit to wondering what effect our lives have had, if any at all. Will we be remembered or will our brief tenure on the planet quickly disappear into the ether? We are just minute pinpricks on the greater pointillist picture of Time anyway, so what does it matter?

What got me thinking about this was the process of packing to sell a house, stuff in storage for 3 months and then unpacking it at our final destination. We had done what we thought was a major purge before squirrelling things away, but as we unpacked I found myself thinking : why the heck did I keep this? We all seem to retain some momentos of special times in our lives and that’s understandable, but I came across an awful lot of boxes that had not been opened since we moved to Winnipeg in 2009...for 10 years they’ve just been hauled around next to the necessities of pots and pans and winter boots. Why keep them at all? Watching a bit of Marie Kondo with My Beloved, didn’t help, in fact I found her downright annoying which is not usually like me at all. I guess it felt like she challenged things I wasn’t ready to face.

Some of those boxes I know for sure I will never let go of; the one with the Fair Isle sweater my Grandma made for me, my Grandpa’s service medals, and the first piece of jewelry gifted by a family friend when I was born (Does anybody even remember Sarah Coventry bracelets?)

There are boxes pertaining to my former schools and places of work and trips I’ve enjoyed, volunteers gigs that were impactful, bits of inherited china that I don’t imagine I will ever use: I can admire fine bone china tea cups and saucers, but since I have muscley massage and gardening paws (whereas my sister’s hands are slender and delicate despite being hardworking ) I tend to drop things. My klutziness is legendary. Every one who knows me has a story of how graceless they’ve seen me be. Not everyone you know can achieve a paper cut on their tongue licking a Christmas Card envelope. But I digress.

It is dawning on me that in a way, those boxes validate the person I was becoming. High school year books are full of sentimental awe and angst; look at those hairstyles and remember how we were sure we were “all that” and then some. Achingly fond memories of dances and all night conversations, cheering from the stands wearing school colours with great sense of belonging, the first terrifying day of Grade Nine weighed against walking across the graduation stage such a few years later. Same with college and university; who was that passionate being with boundless energy for learning,who slipped so easily and with such ferocious idealism into 30 years of feminist marches and human rights campaigns? What happened to that young woman who in spite of hating airplanes flew by herself all the way to Australia and back looking to answer some big questions? Or the crazy theater student who performed street mime and Shakespeare, dressing from the second-hand store in androgynous suits  carrying a guitar everywhere, hitch-hiking between small -town pubs. Or the one who took a summer to hike the entirety of the Bruce Trail from end to end. It turns out she’s in boxes among the t-shirts and the handbills and the polaroid photos. She in the boxes from the YWCA as Aquatic Director, WUM as a Housing Counsellor, Gomorrah’s as a bookstore employee, The AIDS Network as Director of Volunteers. And in the endless boxes of books; about massage and gardening, and eco-living, and spirituality and cooking and favourite novels by authors whose stories generated both laughter and sense.

But what do I do with it all?

My Beloved and I were laying in bed recently, chatting sleepily as we recounted our day. One of the questions I keep hearing lately in social media is : “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”  Both of us admitted that we would take only what could fit in a knapsack and travel the World. Which, given that we have spent 11 years looking for the right place to settle down, and have finally found it, is deeply ironic. 

I could not fit all of those boxes into my knapsack. The weight of it would crush me. So why, as an armchair traveller am I holding on to them now? I am not a hoarder by a long stretch. But I suspect I have to a need to prove to myself the existence of my being. People with children see themselves looking back at them through the eyes and hair and mannerisms of their offspring, even those not biologically born to them. Grandchildren increase that evidence exponentially and carry the torch forward casting their light into those generations to come. No boxes required. Perpetuating existence proves itself. The stories will survive.

My task now is to decide if I need to hold onto momentos that prove the moments that made me. When I managed a thrift store, I used to wonder at the treasures that came through the doors when somebody decided to clean out an attic. Wartime photos, first edition books, delicate china and silver engraved with initials, diaries, wedding dresses, inscribed jewelry....the sale of those special pieces helped keep the doors of a food bank open and the kids after school programs running, but sometimes it felt sad to me to be putting a thrift store price on something that had once been so precious to someone else. We are collectors, but we inevitably outgrow those collections and the kids and grandkids may not see the same value in what we’ve saved as we did when we carefully boxed things away. 

Nobody else is going to want keepsakes from my schools, my travels and my jobs, and they are of no practical use to me now except perhaps as kindling for a bonfire on a starry night. Better they be incinerated in a communal act of warmth and light, perhaps with storytelling, than go into a landfill. There are family heirlooms I will eventually find other homes for among my cousins and their kids I suppose, as they aren’t really wholly mine to dispose of.There are lots of other things that will never mean anything to anybody but me. And as long as I can remember to tell the stories, I suppose those will pack nicely into the knapsack as I travel into this next phase of life as a self-sustaining steward of the Planet. When I can no longer remember the stories, the reminders won’t matter anymore anyway. Best they be dispersed now to do whatever good they might for someone else. Or is that an excuse to just hand off the responsibility? I’m not completely sure. 

I am too old to really need the proof that I have lived, and there’s a lot of living yet to do. The accumulation of non-practical stuff needs to stop, and space for new experience needs to be cleared. The garage attached to our home has been converted into a very large workshop space, insulated and heated, with windows and outlets everywhere. The previous owner had amazing tools in there and created amazing things. But we have filled it with boxes. There are 3 giant Tupperware bins of music CDs alone. At least 6 of books. We have more duplicates of tools than we know what to do with. More artwork than we have wall space for. Camping gear that may have reached redundancy now that we live surrounded by woods and 3 minutes from a lake. Things don’t define a person, they never have. But I lulled myself into thinking I needed validation through proof. I have no children or grandchildren to inherit the proof of anything. My ancestors stories will continue through the rest of the family and I can help by  being one of the ones committed to writing them down.  Electronic storage takes up way less space and is more accessible than a box in an attic. It’s an easier inheritance to manage.

Of course there will be those things I will choose to keep simply because they please me. I’ve a collection of small indigenous carvings of animal spirits that give me great joy to handle. I still have my massage table because I can still do that work if called upon. I will likely get rid of most of the linens that supported it as a business, maybe  see if a young masseuse might like some of the books and tools to help set up their own practice. Inevitably, certain things will end up in the bins of a thrift store. The workroom will get emptied and become once more a place of creation; shelves for things we’ve grown and preserved in our gardens, space for my Beloved to set up her loom and spinning wheel. A corner for my desk and a designated spot to see if I can put my money where my mouth is as a writer, to finish a novel and assemble a collection of musings. There needs to be space for Marie Kondo’s idea of “sparking joy” to come from within and take form. Who knows how much travelling we will do, and the various forms that might take. We’ve spent 11 years coming to this place with a very specific way of living in mind and the incredible joy in being here will carry us forward. Joy need not be a collection of inheritances or things amassed; I think I have decided joy can be an acronym for Just Open Yourself. It will not matter if I existed after I am gone, only that I lived in a way that honours the opportunities while I am here now. Those boxes are filled with reminders of amazing past moments, but I hope I am the distillation of those formative gifts, including all of the people and places that challenged me to shed one more layer of shell in order to grow. There is nothing to prove. There’s only what the sum of yesterday can offer today, and if I’m lucky, a series of tomorrows. It all fits in a knapsack.

[braskhermansen3-blog]

ideal wooden anniversary gifts 2019

1. Personalized whiskey barrel

This small oak clip or barrel is not only a new tribute to some couple which like whiskey, yet the idea also gives the character a good peak, just such as the full-size brothers and sisters found in a professional brewery. It is small proportions increase aging, which means the fact that the recipient's collection of light wine will reach a top ten times speed. Oak is a recognized unadulterated spirit because it imparts a sense involving minds through three primary compounds: lignin, vanilla plus vanillin flavors, lactones, garnir, coconut notes, plus tannins, which add diminuendo plus a spicy taste. Just before using for the first and foremost time, be sure in order to get rid of the barrel with regard to approximately for five days, as referred to inside accompanying guidelines. Switch the particular bucket and tastes the content any week. When they reach the ideal oak shape, enjoy a glass right from the touch �� handcrafted by a mate of Manassas, Florida. Age 21 or older. a couple of. Neighbors woods Map Coasters City toast

Through the arena where a person met your girlfriend to help your favorite puddle, this unique coaster celebrates the local community of the town. Graphic developer Aymie Spitzer uses the passion regarding typography and antique atlases to guide the 4 parts associated with each area with each tool coaster. She completed a painting tool coaster with typically the identify and date involving the town, creating a good perfect metropolis within Cedar. This fascinating deal is some sort of home for being commemorated, a new treadmill or a favorite corner involving the country. Designed in Brooklyn. Made in Florida. 3. Recycled wood recipe rack

Simply food preparation your grandmother's famous plata sauce can take you back to the particular Friday afternoon in the perfumed kitchen. Stacy Borocz is really a beautiful recipe stand with regard to someone to prepare yourself your family's most favorite and new products. Very low rich history. This kind of bold design is designed through industrial galvanized metal outlining, crafted from tough recycled wood panels, in addition to is harvested via good old European buildings. Herbal beeswax and mineral essential oil completes add a touch involving appeal to the one of a kind solid wood grain, while sufficient shelves allow you to support cookbooks, iPad or even grandma's handwritten tested recipes. They are made in Hungary. 4. Tree ring pencil

This one-of-a-kind dog pen is definitely wrapped in centuries-old environmentally friendly wood and ornamented by ancient trees, celebrating the years at the rear of your current text. Cut down via trees as part involving a woodland restoration task; the hardwood shell uncovers the life on the shrub through a closely coiled ring. You are developing when a yr forms the new ring around typically the grain. There are a couple of critical dates engraved in the pen that allow a person to review important activities in your life: marital relationship, labor and birth, graduation.

Each tree has a good historical past of more than 100 many years; they will be a new important representative and cherished symbol in your living or provide distinctive journal for the people you love. Harvesting these small-diameter forest helps secure the additional significant, more mature trees in addition to the future of the historical forests to which they are supposed to be. Handmade by way of Dave Guess in Missoula, Montana. Possesses a robust permanent magnetic limit that connects into the leading when closed and the particular bottom when opened �� wooden display box using an performer card. Due to the guide nature connected with this project, each is one of a kind and will vary. five. Wooden Heart Guitar Decide on These heart-shaped guitar choices are made of beautiful wood and are designed to get players who choose precise tip (tip "jazz" tip) but also need good grip. They have the double dimple that sets the flash and place on the different aspect of the first finger - this design stops the paddle from revolving and destroying the following note. Padauk is smooth mahogany that offers comfortable tones. African is a good tough wood that gives bright, clean sounds of which put brightness to most electric guitars. Made in India. 6th. Professional Dice The scorpion provides recently been around intended for thousands of years, nevertheless artist William Mank in spite of everything finds a new way in order to re-think the familiar numbering blocks. His ingenious design and style indicates the face value of each side, like 1 to 6 distinct shades of wood, made regarding walnut, walnut and cherry wood wood. When not really involved in backgammon, Bunco, Farkle, Yahtzee, Craps or perhaps Pig games, these beautiful pieces can be displayed to be able to game lovers, woodworking lovers and any wonderful items for those who enjoy decorative objects. 7. One Bee Hive From a good hundred acres of wood to a feed pack mascot, the kick will be about bees. However, often the little-known pollinators like this Builder Bee are alone high flyers, and the plants that can be pollinated are 100 times more prevalent than the average bee workers. Welcome friendly, hardworking pollinators such as Builder and Slice Leaf Bees to communicate with this particular house. Made from sustainable-purchased FSC-certified wood, the stacked ��floor�� has openings the fact that attract individual bees like masons, which provide soil ��mortar�� for their properties. Unscrew the bottom mentorship nut to clean or check the floor individually (you actually won't disturb typically the locals in late fall or perhaps winter). This bespoke flat provides the ideal property for typically the protection of buzzers in addition to beekeeping toddlers. Stay in a new bright place southeast to capture this morning sun. Includes filled instructions. It is made by the particular beekeeper and even protectionist Norman Sellers within the UK. 8. Homemade Pucket Seeing two content old people playing regular game tables on typically the roadways of a minor town within the south associated with France, Brian Harvey made the decision to create his or her type of this enjoyable, fast-moving game. Two online players, each and every with eight ice handbags, frantically flicked from the opening up in the company of the board. Slide your work through the particular door as swiftly as possible and take action promptly to bounce any kind of part of your opponent back to you. The first player to help clear typically the board members wins! Each heirloom-quality video game is hand woven from sheesham wooden handcrafted by Native indian fair buy and sell practice carpenters. 9. Anatomy Give your current favorite medical pupil, anatomist or maybe science enthusiast a compelling gift. Each one stable pine wall can be embellished with brain, coronary heart, in addition to chest anatomically hand-carved, showcasing rich natural teak glaze to create a exciting two-tone. Handcrafted by Dave Marcoullier in San Francisco. 10. Wooden Labyrinth Online game All over history, mazes have got usually also been used since a good sort of meditation, together with their twisted paths permit ideas to think concerning higher things freely. Even so, this particular labyrinth is a lot more likely to increase your blood pressure. wood anniversary gifts will be a challenging challenge wherever you can guide several stainless-steel balls through a new circular keep track of. This highway is hard, nevertheless when you get all six pieces into the core hoop, you will locate great inner total satisfaction. That game is a good gorgeous complement to any workplace or work surface, handcrafted by Indian builders, using sustainable harvested Sheesham timber, mahogany known for their fragile texture. These artisans, who also usually have not any education or maybe health-related problems, can use their own hobby to find a new way out of low income �� stated in Of india. 11. Hand of Juggernaut Jewelry Stand Yogi thinks that Gyan mudra, the thumb and forefinger touch, creates peace, relaxed and spiritual progress. This necklaces frame is thoroughly engraved with Sheesham wooden to inspire your dressing up table or shelf and it is the embodiment of this specific precious jewelry frame. It can be a great place for you to relax for your favored jewels, but it furthermore assists to hire poor artisans in India. After you set a pendant as well as band on stylish design and style, an individual may set a positive motives, whether it's aiding a fewer privileged man or setting up a more conscious purchase choice. It will be the perfect combination regarding purpose, craft, and commitment. Handmade in India. Simply click to view the blue pinus radiata cone necklace and aquamarine branch ring displayed on the stand up. Visit the particular blog to learn even more about these kinds of handcrafted functions and how each of our partners have changed the particular lifestyles of the artisan community.

[reagen-reads]

Top 5 Fav. Bookish Shops!

Top 5 Favorite Bookish Shops

          Hey Hi Hello friends, it’s me again. Long time no see, it’s been almost a month since I last typed out a blog post. I’ve said it once before, and I��ll say it again, Uni is an all-consuming maw – devouring any and every chance of actual freedom. Which is why I decided to take a small break for ME-time, I’ll do my homework later! Today I’m bringing you guys a post that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time. Over the past few months, I’ve found myself collecting more and more bookish pins, goodies, bookmarks, accessories, and well.. books. I have OwlCrate to thank for bringing a couple of these shops to my attention, and working with them all has been such a delight. In no particular order, I to present to you all, my top 5 favorite bookish shops! As I say in all of my unboxing videos, let’s get crackin’

          Now if you guys know me at all this should not come as a surprise, as I’m always chatting with this little group of people, we have the ever creative and unique – Raquel’s “The Melting Library.” First, if you have never heard of TML, then you haven’t really been paying attention to mot posts or stories. Raquel – aka the Scent Sorceress – crafts the most wonderful Soy Candles a bibliophile could ask for! I’m a HUGE candle freak, I would even go as far as to say Candle Dragon – as my collection has grown to the size of Smaug’s treasure hoard. For the past few months, I have had the amazing opportunity to be one of Raquel’s Reps for TML. Over this time, my collection has grown from a Niffler’s secret stash to a Dragon’s hoard. Raquel is without equal when it comes to her bookish scents and candles, if ever I have a custom candle idea, she always knows which scents will pair best. She is constantly inspiring us with her label designs, and she genuinely cares about the input and suggestions made to her. She even includes little quotes inside each and every jar, taking the time to make every step of the process magical. As difficult as it may be, If I had to pick my favorite scents, they would be Night Bazaar, Welcome to Hogwarts, Kowalski’s Bakery (sampler), and Pippin’s Pint! Be sure to check out her shop, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. 

Link to Raquel’s shop: https://themeltinglibrarystore.com/

          Moving right along, I have another inspiring woman to gush about. A woman that I have had the opportunity to work with, and though our time together has been brief, I already know that she has a customer for life. Benita – the original creator of BookBeau. Benita taught herself the craft that has taken the book world by storm, out of necessity. Like most of us, she brought a book with her everywhere she went, and unfortunately along the way she found that books need protection from the elements! Our precious paperbacks need armor! That’s when Benita taught herself how to sew, and created the first BookBeau! Talk about a woman who knows what she wants, and works for it! BookBeaus are a bookish accessory, NAY necessity that I use on the daily. I’m always on the go, whether it’s my commute to Uni, traveling to far off lands, or just on my way to work – having a Beau to protect my precious paperbacks is essential! Each Beau is made purely out of love, from one bibliophile to the next! I will always support those who have made something out of necessity, who strive for success. Benita just wants you to use the Beau, and love it. Pretty easy to support somethin’ like this huh?

Link to Benita’s Etsy Page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BOOKBEAU

          Next we have another shop that I have always been interested in, but only recently became obsessed with – Obvious State.  Obvious State is a studio based out of NYC, crafting literary treasures for book-lovers all over the world! From bookmarks, to mugs, to calendars, prints, tote-bags, notebooks and more – each piece is dripping with beauty and literary aesthetic. Recently, I received a calendar from OS and I have already been asked by many friends and family members where I bought it. From there, I purchased three of their Greeting Cards – specifically their “Fair,” “Pathless,” and “Silver” designs – for a few of my friends on Bookstagram. They arrived in no time flat! Honestly, I was so surprised and overjoyed at the short amount of time that it took for me to receive them! Overcome by their beauty, it was tough to send them on their way, but a handwritten card from a friend is something too magical to keep to yourself. As of this past week, I have already ordered another Greeting Card, and their “Bloom” Bookmark Set. Each member of the team over at OS is so incredibly talented, and their customer service is always on point. I highly recommend that you check out what they’ve got going on, check out some of the amazing projects they’re a part of too!

Link to Obvious State: https://obviousstate.com/

          How do I begin this next introduction? This chick and I go waaaaaay back. I’m talking ‘baby Bookstagrammer Reagen’ back. A lady that I have literally scheduled a future kiki with – in full on Victorian attire, wigs, tea and all. Someone you may have heard of: Mrs. Evie Seo! Also known as EvieBookish on Instagram. Aside from being a full-time, wonderful Mother, Evie runs a successful blog and Society6/Redbubble store. She is so super hardworking, and despite everything that’s thrown at her (haters, etc.) she still continues to inspire us! All of her designs are so unique, colorful, and warm. I may or may not have a plethora of throw pillows and I’m definitely the go-to-guy when it comes to bookish mugs, solely because of Evie. I think I’m starting to see a trend here, successful women who know what they want, and take it! HELL. TO. THE. YES!

Link to Evie’s Society6: https://society6.com/evieseo

          Last but certainly not least, is a subscription box that I have always admired – Anissa’s very own: FairyLoot! When I heard the words YA+Fantasy+Monthly Box – I lost it. Being a huge reader of fantasy myself, the idea of a monthly subscription box curated around a book of this genre, packed with goodies, blew my mind! Certainly the box alone drew me in, but then I learned that on top of managing everything that goes along with a monthly bookish subscription box company, Anissa is also pursuing her Masters Degree! And here I thought that finding time to read after my part-time job and three classes at Uni this semester was difficult! Yikes. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE FAIRYCHAT’S organized over Twitter? I could gush about these Boxes all day, and about how magical they are. If you have been in the market for a bookish subscription box, that values communication with its subscribers and provides top quality goods, look no further! There are so many ways to start your FL journey, whether it’s a single Box purchase, or a 3-6 month subscription, FL’s got you covered. Here’s the link to all things FairyLoot and how to get started: http://www.fairyloot.com/

 The overarching theme, I’ve discovered in this post is the power of Women! Inspiring, hard-working, diverse, successful women! 2017 is FEMALE & DIVERSE, and I am here for it.

 -      Reagen

[alamante]

Nothing shows the desperate state of Zimbabwe’s economy more than the severe shortage of cash.

Banks limit how much cash can be taken out and the black market has become the main source of money for many people.

Card payments can be made, but there are extra charges and not every shop or vendor accepts cards. A mobile phone money system called EcoCash can also be used, but once again this costs more than using cash.

Zimbabweans are hoping that things will improve after elections next week. This is the first vote since Robert Mugabe was forced to resign as president last November, after 37 years in power.

Four people in the capital, Harare, have been telling me how they survive day-to-day. Two of them asked to remain anonymous.

Nurse, aged 38:

I’ve been working in the health profession as a nurse for nine years. We are greatly underpaid. I get $300 (£230) a month, and what makes it worse is that with the money situation in Zimbabwe you can’t even access your salary when you need it – it’s like working for nothing.

Image caption People have to queue to get their money out of their bank accounts

I have opened accounts with two banks, one has a weekly withdrawal limit of $20, the other of $40. The idea is that I use both banks at once to try and access the money I need for the week. It means spending hours in bank queues, but there’s no guarantee I’ll get money.

Cash crisis

Stems back to rampant inflation, which killed off the old Zimbabwean dollar in 2009

The US dollar and South African rand became the main currencies in daily use

In order to stop US dollar notes leaving the country, leading to the cash shortage, local “bond notes” were introduced in 2016

Bond notes were intended to replace dollar notes

They were meant to be pegged to the US dollar but $1 usually exchanges for between 1.20 and 1.50 bond notes

Because of a fear of inflation people do not like to hang on to bond notes for long – and prefer US dollars or EcoCash, a mobile phone payment system

Banks now only issue businesses with US dollars

10 numbers that tell the story of Zimbabwe

I am spending more time looking for cash at the moment than at work and it is affecting my job.

Sometimes I can’t buy food for the house because I can’t get hard cash. In those cases I have to go and negotiate with the street money changers and I lose even more money there.

I am forced to buy food in the supermarket where I can use my card but it’s pricier than if I were buying from a vendor so that means less groceries in the basket and less food for my family.

I don’t know if things will ever change but I know there’s something wrong with being a hardworking professional and not being able to even get my salary. It’s not fair and it’s all I ever think about. I feel cheated.

Money changer, aged 25:

I’ve been working in car sales for a few years but the prices aren’t certain there and sometimes the market is slow and that’s what got me into money-changing. Here on the streets there is always money to be made.

Image caption Money changers have plenty of cash, but charge a commission

People think money-changing is a lawless business, but it actually has a lot of unofficial rules.

We make our money from commission. There’s a lot of competition and everyone wants to get a good deal.

Fifth Street is one of our main areas – it’s more than a kilometre long. People come from all over come to see us – there’s a big demand. Just on this street, there could be up to $1m between all of us.

Social media has been effective in helping us establish our own community. We’ve created groups on WhatsApp and Facebook where we know what the official rates for different currencies are then we work out what rates we are going to use on that day.

More on post-Mugabe Zimbabwe:

The police give us problems. They sometimes come and tell us what we’re doing is not allowed, and they threaten to shut us down. But everyone has a price in Zimbabwe and you can buy your way out trouble.

The reality is that everyone is desperate for money, even the police and we are able to help with that.

Image caption The money changers also deal in mobile EcoCash

There’s no limit to how much money I can get for a client, unlike the banks who will say you can only access $200 per month and also don’t issue dollars to private citizens unless under special circumstances.

In a good month I can make up to $400 extra money [on top of my sales job]. One of the reasons we are here is the bond notes. After the economy crashed many people here don’t trust the banks.

Some of our clients are high-profile people, they come in their big cars and we do the deals inside the cars, worth thousands of dollars.

Between ourselves as money changers we also lend each other money if you have to process a big deal. It takes connections to live like this. Surviving in Zimbabwe is about a daily hustle.

I know this business won’t be around forever. For tomorrow’s sake, things need to change – I have younger siblings and I want them to live a differently to how we’re having to live

Street vendor, Barbara Choto, 35:

I am from a village called Domboshava. I travel 20km (12 miles) everyday to come and sell vegetables in Harare. This has been my only source of income for six years now.

Image caption Barbara Choto can only buy from her supplier if she gets hard cash from her customers

It’s not the life I wanted for myself but there are no jobs in Zimbabwe so you take what you can get.

As prices keep on going up, I’ve been making less money than I used to. In the past in a good month I could make up to $150. Now most months I make just $75.

Many people don’t have hard cash and so many vendors like myself have had to start using EcoCash, but EcoCash takes a portion from every transaction.

Many of my clients prefer to use EcoCash, which I am happy to accept because it at least means I can buy food for my children.

The difficultly with this is that my supplier only accepts cash, so I can’t order stock unless some of my clients use cash. If not I’m forced to go to the black market and exchange some of my EcoCash money for hard money such as bond notes or dollars.

The money trading on the streets is unreliable and if you’re someone like me who makes little money, the additional costs matter. Sometimes you can only get half the value of the money you put in.

I have five children to feed and I’m a single mother. Three of my children are still in school so most of the money I make goes towards them, I need them to get a good education so they’re not forced to spend their days here in the street like their mother.

Job seeker, Mathias Mpangi, 32:

I have never had a job in my life and it’s not because of not trying. Unemployment is high even for young people who are well educated. How much more for us?

I didn’t get an opportunity to further my studies to university because I come from a poor family. I had to leave school and am willing to do any job – I survive by whatever little I get from occasional manual work.

Image caption Mathias Mpangi is constantly checking his phone looking out for any job openings

I never know how much cash I will be able to get a day, if any. Every day for me is about survival, most days are difficult.

I am hoping that after the election big businesses will come back so Zimbabwe can get back on the right track.

The system has been broken for many years.

I know people who left Zimbabwe after losing their jobs as teachers and went and worked as gardeners in neighbouring countries so they can take care of their families.

When times get really bad for me, it’s tempting to leave but I want things to change here so I’m not forced to ever separate from my children.

My babies are five years old and three years old. I would love to own my own business one day, to become someone they can be proud of.

I know over the last few months people have been talking about a new Zimbabwe but I haven’t seen this new Zimbabwe. Life has been the same for me.

Growing up I never imagined that I would be unemployed at 32.

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[how2to18]

WE ARE ALL, to one degree or another, both products and prisoners of our backgrounds. Through an exploration of modern-day human trafficking, A. M. Bakalar’s unflinching yet ultimately compassionate second novel, Children of Our Age, confronts the physical and emotional carnage that results from an inability to relinquish the chains of the past.

Bakalar precedes the novel with an excerpt from Polish Nobel laureate Wisława Szymborska’s poem “Children of Our Age,” from which the book draws its title:

Whether you like it or not Your genes have a political past Your skin, a political cast Your eyes, a political slant.

In the early 1980s, when martial law was declared in Poland, Szymborska, known for her increasingly overt criticisms of the government, was forced into hiding for almost a decade, printing her works in various underground publications under a pseudonym. This rebellious, risk-taking stance is something of a tradition for Polish writers.

Bakalar’s first novel, Madame Mephisto (2012), told from the perspective of a female Polish drug lord operating in London, is also quite critical of Polish culture and politics. In interviews, the author has discussed the hate messages she received from her countrymen after Madame Mephisto was published. She was attacked for displaying a complete lack of patriotism in her fiction; that the novel is no less critical of Britain is a point often lost on Bakalar’s fellow Poles.

One can only imagine, then, what the increasingly authoritarian Polish government under the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, and its supporters, would make of Bakalar’s latest novel. Human trafficking in general has become the subject of much media interest of late, but it is a very recent, ugly permutation of the phenomenon — Polish expats trafficking other Poles into the United Kingdom for benefits fraud — that forms the narrative fulcrum about which Bakalar’s cast of characters revolves.

The book opens with a shocking incident perpetrated by brothers and thugs-at-arms Damian and Igor, who work as enforcers for criminal mastermind Karol. Soon after, we meet Karol’s wife, the hard-nosed entrepreneur Milena, as well as pious Angelika, her bumbling husband Mateusz, and their increasingly distant daughter, Karolina, and a host of lesser players within a tightly knit community of Polish expats. Thus the stage is set, and the story rockets along in classic thriller style as we watch the seemingly disparate lives of Bakalar’s immigrants connect and, in some cases, self-destruct with the terrifying inexorability of ships caught in the maw of a giant whirlpool.

Bakalar does not shy away from describing the horrors endured by the trafficked Poles, whether it’s Karol’s cool, clinical voice detailing how he tricks them into relinquishing their passports, bank cards, and, eventually, their dignity, or the heartbreaking physical descriptions of the men forced to work from sunup to sundown gathering mollusks for paychecks that never materialize, their “hands like leather, swollen with fractured nails and grimed dirt, the coarse skin broken in places, raw with pain; painfully damaged by the mixture of biting seawater, gale and sharp shells.” The world the author depicts is a singular example of human brutality. Separated from their families and the only home they know, unfamiliar with local customs, unable to speak the local language and made into slaves by their unscrupulous supposed benefactor, the immigrants are strangers in a land that is not only foreign to them, but also relentlessly hostile.

One of the key elements of the novel’s structure is Bakalar’s choice regarding point of view. The easy — and perhaps lazier — option would have been to tell the story strictly from the victim’s standpoint, thus garnering instant sympathy from the reader. Instead, the author gives us a firsthand look into the minds of the perpetrators of evil, a decision that proves as mesmerizing as it is uncomfortable. One of the strengths of the writing is that even the most repugnant members of Bakalar’s cast become somewhat sympathetic; their histories and innermost desires are so well laid out that we feel a sense of kinship with them, simply because we understand their motivations. None of them were born evil. Years of pattern-building, of being defined by their relationships to one another, shaped who they are. We are forced to recognize that they are as trapped in their roles by other people’s assessments of their worth and temperaments as they are by their own.

This is particularly evident in the co-dependent relationship between Damian and his younger brother, the dangerously unstable Igor. Their shared history fosters a strong bond, but that connection hampers as much as it protects them. They cannot transform until they escape each other’s gazes. And indeed, it is only through a chance meeting and subsequent unlikely friendship with someone who has no preconceived ideas about Igor that he manages to break free from Damian and make the choice to “recover what was left of himself, lose the fury that had been devouring his mind from within.”

Adapt or die is a recurrent theme in the narrative. Only the players who manage to divest themselves of established notions about their relationships are able to escape and claim some kind of happiness. Those who cannot are doomed. On a broader level, this reflects the age-old struggle of the immigrant. Survival depends on the ability to change, to fit the mores and lifestyle of the adopted country.

This struggle for survival can prove quite desperate. Throughout the novel, Bakalar uses her characters to make shrewd psychological observations about the inventive ways in which people manipulate others to establish dominance and elevate their own status. There are no selfless angels here; everyone has something to hide, and everyone is able to justify inhumane behavior. A prime example of this is Karol, who desires “power, unlimited control — some extraordinary version of himself.” Toward that end, he has become the greatest of con men, so attuned to human sensibilities that he always has the right lie at hand when he needs it, and so convinced of his own superiority that he feels no guilt whatsoever as he condemns his fellow countrymen to desperate lives of poverty and forced labor.

Their faith in him only confirms his disdain: “If people were stupid enough to believe his lies, Karol believed they deserved to suffer the consequences.” This concept of just deserts — as the manically cheerful Angelika states, “Good things come to good people” — reverberates throughout the story. All the characters cling to their notions of themselves as good, honest, hardworking people. It’s their protection, an amulet meant to shield them from the dark forces in life. As the narrative progresses and their worlds come apart, they are caught completely off guard by the apparent unfairness of their predicaments, unable to make sense of why disaster has disrupted their lives.

And yet, amid all the splashy double-dealing and self-involved machinations, a quieter thread emerges, an examination of how people, particularly those who are marginalized or who behave in ways that put them beyond the protections of normal society, express love. Bakalar’s damaged and often damaging characters still find ways to affirm their affection for one another, though at first this might not be immediately obvious. For one, it’s the gift of silence; for another, it’s the gift of listening; for still another, the gift of remembering, even when that act brings personal pain. Material presents and commodities are exchanged as well, but it’s the small, unadorned offerings of the soul that have the greatest impact on relationships and the story’s outcome.

From time to time, the pace of the novel suffers a few lulls, brief moments where it can’t quite decide whether it’s a thriller or a rumination on human nature. But this is a minor quibble. Children of Our Age is an ambitious work of great scope and power. While the book’s arresting subject matter makes it very much a story of today, the narrative transcends its era. The book is a searing exploration of the ways in which people value and degrade one another, and of how moments of impulse and whim, rather than carefully reasoned action, can change the course of our lives.

¤

Mary Rodgers is a writer, actor, and musician who splits her time between the United States and the United Kingdom.

The post The Chains of the Past: On A. M. Bakalar’s “Children of Our Age” appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

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[jangiljang]

everybody talks

A: I need help. b: what kind of help? Are you lost? c: lost your mind? d: you got into an accident and you can't move.... e: you can't walk F: Or you can't stand or someone broke your heart and you're into a depression and you want to end your life right now? A: guys.... g: what happened to you?! you're blind, or you can't speak or... A: Guys....!!! I'm still typing and i can't even complete a message. B-g: ok. I'm sorry. I'm just worried and.... A: stop typing. B-g: ok. Where are you right now? Who are you with? A: i need money. b-g: that's it?! A: well, yeah. And i need it now. Can you lend me some.... b: hey wait, my mom's here and i will accompany her to her doctor. Bye. c: and i'm working into something today's the deadline so i'm busy. D: me too, my son's awake and i am going to prepare his food. Laters.. e: my food delivery's here. Tell me the details later. Ok, bye. F: i'm busy. A (i need money, i need food, i need clothes, i need... why? yes i am lost, i can't walk or even stand and i can't move. Why so pathetic? I want that food delivered to my house but i don't have a house.) Two days ago, my (ehem) friend went to a party, a house party and she doesn't even have an idea whose house party is happening that night. She got drank, she's so happy and and dancing and singing the whole night. And when she got home, all of her clothes and stuffs are in the storage room, her room was locked and there's a "DON'T ENTER" sign in the doorknob. Her credit cards are confiscated, she can't contact her parents, her siblings were both offline and obviously her parents told them not to communicate with her until she agrees to finish her study abroad. My friend is lonely that day, she can't decide and can't think of plans of what to do. Her parents are both into food ventures and they want her to study in France to pursue her career as a patissier because her father is a sushi master, her mother is a food technician, her older brother is a business management graduate/personal chef in Bangkok, her sister is a nutritionist/pediatrician, while her- my friend wants to create her own band, own a recording studio, travel abroad, climb the highest mountains, and just eat. So simple but complicated. Sometimes she's intrigued why do others doesn't complaining if their parents are deciding for their future or why do others dream even if their dreams are so common- they want to be rich. Her family is rich, they have the world, but my friend doesn't like the fact that they have to befriend the same people with the same thinking,same lifestyle and trying to surpass the achievements their 'friends' are experiencing. She's so hopeless, i mean my friend. She has the world but she's avoiding it, she's wasting her precious time playing, spending her whole day into arcades, partying every night and now she is broke. She is now homeless, friendless, loveless. She now has to provide for her own needs, she has her freedom and she has to work. What kind of work? She can sing but where? there are lots of pubs out there and she have to rely on her own. Wish her goodluck. Hehe. 1st pub A: hi! i saw your signage and you need a acoustic singer.... S: no, we already hired someone and he is now in his second set. A: but i saw you need.... S: we are now in need of a bouncer, and i don't think you can handle the 12-4 midnight situations because you are too small and you look fragile. A: ok. Thank you for the insults. You're such a big help to my future career, sir. 2Nd pub: a: hi good evening, i heard you're hiring musicians and i want to give it a chance. S: we already hired a band. You can pass as a waitress i'll talk to the manager and... a: no need sir, my friend is calling and she is asking if i can apply as a vocalist in her restaurant. Thank u sir. 3Rd pub or coffee shop?!: praying, hoping and there she is now hungry. How can she face the manager or even have the strength to work if she's lack of sleep, hungry and bitter. She saw her friends inside a coffee shop and having their sweet time talking about nothing, well she has to know what or who they are talking about (hoping it's not my pathetic friend). She's wearing clothes that is not so her- a yellow-colored dress inside the denim jacket she 'borrowed' in a internet shop she slept last night and a pink sneakers. Her friends won't notice that it's her, they won't even bother steal a glance on people like her- those simple and ordinary people. Friends talking. B: did you saw her last post on messenger? i need help. She's such a crybaby. C: no boyfriend, no parents to provide, no one to run to. D: a penniless and a crybaby. E: but i pity her, she just have to agree to her parents' orders and her bright future is waiting for her but she walked away. F: it is her parents' decision because they know what is right for her. A: what is friend/s? If you're penniless, you're nothing, you'll end up having tea time to people whom you don't have an idea why they are befriending you, it is i need you, you need me thing. Who is pathetic between the two of you? CSW: may i have your order, miss? A: staring to her friends- still busy having a non-sense conversation to each other. CSW: miss are you going to order or just wasting my time standing here and asking for your order? A: now i got their attention, thanks to you miss coffee shop waitress. Nice meeting you miss Z. And their glances to each other, they recognized me! I mean my friend- but i have to pretend that I'm not their friend. So my friend asked for a pen and a paper and asked if miss z is is need of a part-timer. She is now a mute person, ladies and gents. B: are you sure it's not her? C: i'm 100% sure, she won't wear a dress unless she really needs to wear one, right? d: and that lady is wearing a make-up. E: and that is a lady, our friend is a girl, not a lady. f: just laughing. Miss z got the message, thanks to her being a smart one. CSW: one coffee latte and a slice of red velvet with cream cheese on top. Yes, that is what i need right now, i don't eat those thank you very much miss. b-f: that is not her. Feel relieved? me too. Now i realized lots of things. I think i might appreciate the coffee and the cake i've been eating right now. B: so let's go? my date is on his way in our meeting place. C: you have a date?! Who? what kind of car he is driving? d: the latest model or just came from a junkshop? Laughs. B: a politician. A bachelor, and handsome. E: rate him from 1-10. f: is he corrupt or a good-natured politician? B: the most eligible politician, ok. C-e: oh my god!!!! why didn't you tell us?! F: can we just let it slide? they are both in the getting-to-know-each-other stage. b: so, let's go? FINALLY. They disappear from my friends' sight. Thank you! Miss Z: can you please clean up table no. 23? It is still noon and the day's just starting, we still have lots of work to do. Whoa! i am applying as a musician here, and you want me to clean up the mess... or the table my friends used?! Yuck! but in the end, i put those trash in the tray, wiped the table, and mop the floor. Easy work. NOT. I wiped, put the trash in the bin, mop the floor, asked for the orders which i don't even know or how to spell their orders. Repeat. Miss Z is in the cash register. And it is my second week as a coffee shop assistant. I now have a little knowledge in coffee. Yes! Miss Z taught me a lot, and she adopted me she's living in her parents' house alone because her parents are now living in Osaka, she's an only child and the coffee shop is the only business that her family is running and she's the fourth generation. It's really my friends' story and pov, and the next chapters the my friend thing will become me, i or my. I just want to take my time here, as a coffeeshop girl, as what Miss Z's boyfriend call me every time he visits her and asks for a cup of cappuccino. He always teases me just like the usual older brother, how I miss my brother and my sister. Maybe i'll send them a text message later. I am not using my phone for the past weeks, i don't want to be seen or my parents will take me back home once they saw me wiping the tables or making coffee of ordinary people. That is how they treat other people, sometimes i'm wondering if the people in their circle thinks and acts the same, as if they were the only ones who are hardworking, using their mind, body and soul for planning for their future, the only people who are working their asses off for their children to have a good future, a comfortable life and mock other people's lives because they are not working hard that's why they are poor, or too lazy to work and be useful to their community. What the heck?! They are not in their shoes, and sometimes i hope that i am not their daughter, just a simple person chasing her dreams whether it's too small or too big-whatever. And the door opens, the customer is one of my friends (?) with his partner, and I know her- the curly, blonde and tallest girl in our senior year. Of all the coffee shops, why here?! Miss Z noticed that I am hesitating, but I have to do my job here, and it's my pleasure to serve them and give them a hug- yuck, eeww. CBTG: So what we have here, it's the prodigal daughter. Nice to see you again. Flashing her toothpaste tv ad smile at me. Me: can i take your order please? In a polite way, and pretending not to hear her whatever. CBTG: pretending not to hear what i have said earlier, honey? Is she not busy? Me: what's your order, sir? CBTG: you're a bit rude, where's your manager? my friend is now starting to astound, as if he's also thinking that I am his friend but still giving a doubt if i was his friend. Miss Z came to rescue, my tutor and life saviour. MZ: is my sister giving you a headache, miss? Friend: actually we are in a hurry and we'll come again next time. We're sorry for the trouble we've caused you, and your (a short pause, still having a doubt if we MZ and I are sisters) and your sister, not letting CBTG to say a word and just gving my friend a warning stare. Whew! a headache, yes all of them are giving me headaches. From the elders to the youngest. MZ: i don't know what you've been through, i am not asking about your family background, i just used my instincts and i know you're not that type who will ruin someone's trust. So let me hear your story. It's a long day for us but i admit i'm curious and excited about you because you don't even know how to do the laundry. So the story went on and somehow i feel a bit lightened, and i can laugh at my stupidity. As days passes by, there are a few customers whom i know and maybe they are having thoughts that the girl in the coffee shop and the prodigal daughter they know are the same but not making it a big ish, or they are giving updates to my parents which i don't want to know. While working in MZ's as a part time coffee shop assistant, i am studying how to blog about foods. Did i say food? Yeah, i am trying out foods near the vicinity and asking for some perks as a food blogger. And at weekends i am teaching the kids in our neighborhood. Their parents allowed their kids' education to me? Yes. Yes. My parents won't be proud if they knew that this special girl here (cough, cough,cough) is now teaching kids besides playing hide and seek sing songs for them with them, teaching them just like a volunteer. You want me to add some romance in my story? Life will be boring if there's no sparks, butterflies in the stomach and electricity, right? And I met this not-so-cool, not-so-handsome and a bit cute guy while asking for a part-time position in a convenience store three blocks away from MZ's place. I was asked if I have an experienced working in a convenience store and I said no so he said he will hire me if I can handle the first three hours in his store. I assisted lots of customers in the first hour, clean-up the next and made an inventory in the last hour. And i got another part-time job. He asked me if I am using my salary to my college and i said no. A bit disappointed, he asked about my family and I said I have a sister, our parents living in Osaka, I did not tell him about the coffee shop, me as a tutor/nanny, and where is MZ's place. I won't tell everything to someone I barely knew. I have been betrayed, backfighted and mocked a lot of times and I don't want that to happen. I won't trust anyone besides MZ. MCSO: Here's your salary for your first three hours, you'll work here every tuesday and thursday at 9-12, bring your own food and don't come late. Yeah, IKR. Me: yes, sir. So see you on thursday. Bye. MCSO: it's lunch time, do you want to try our bento meals? you said your parents are in Osaka, right? So i bet you are familiar with bentos? Me: I'm in a hurry sir, but I think I want to try Japanese food for a change. And if you will allow me to make a review on your bento in my blog. MCSO: oh sure, not a problem to me. I mean, my store will have a free ad on your blog. Me: but there are only a few who are visiting my blog, and I'm just starting so I haven't have lots of foods and restaurants that i have been visited and made a review. MCSO is a nice person, we tried  Grilled Chicken and Barley Salad bento, Veggie Bento, Sweet Potato Burger Bento while having light conversations, small talk and not about our personal lives. He asked for a picture but i declined because I don't want to complicate things, I'm not there to find a lover or to meet the man of my dreams. It's Christmas so there are lots of people who are in need of hot drinks so me, MZ and her boyfriend are too busy taking orders, preparing drinks and all. I think I saw MCSO inside the shop but I'm too occupied by the people coming in and out of the shop. The parents of the kids I've been teaching gathered in a table while their kids are in a small table enjoying their hot choco and vanilla cupcakes. Then i saw five men in black suit outside, then my brother coming in beside him is my father. OMG! not now ,please? I saw MZ in the cash register, her partner is accommodating the other customers and all I can think that moment was to run away, not to be noticed by my brother and my father. MCSO waived his hand at me while I'm trying to escape, they saw me! both of them! If only looks can kill, MCSO will be the first case in the world that have been killed just by my stare! F: Lady, stop! in his authoritative tone that made everyone in the shop to stop whatever they are doing and set their eyes on me. Kill me now.. this is so embarrassing. Let me die. NOW. F: you think we don't know your whereabouts? let's go home. B: dad, it's Christmas let her spend her time with her friends. Let's wait for tomorrow. F: no. This is the right time. Let's go home. I can't wait for another minute here. I can't waste my time here with these people. Me: why? what kind of people are they for you? puppets, subordinate? That is the reason why I didn't agree with you by dictating my future, my life. All of the people inside were all shocked, they were all stunned by what my dad said. Me: it is you who let me go, like a strayed cat waiting to be adopted. And now you want me back? how could you?! I don't care if what I am doing is embarrassing or will make my family in a entertainment scene waiting for the director's order while wiping my tears. My brother is now asking for MZ's permission for them to take me home, apologizing for the ruckus that we have made. So we went home without talking to each other. And I studied abroad. To fulfill my parent's request taking what MZ taught me in my luggage. Two years has passed, I went back to MZ, coffeeshop closed. Why? Where did she go? Visited MCSO's convenience store, store closed for renovation. So where is he? I need to see them before I accept the job offer for me in France. I did not drop a line to everyone even to my family, wanting to give them a surprise but I went back home alone. Where is everybody? What is happening? She checked the calendar on her phone and today is just an ordinary day for her, to them. Aren't they excited to see me? Don't they missed me? They didn't even asked me when will I get back home. Lots of negative thoughts are running on my mind. What if my dad tripped while jogging? or my mom went to grocery but she was stucked in a traffic, or whatever. Someone tapped her shoulder, and she saw MZ. Why is she here? MZ: welcome back! I missed you. Me: I missed you so much MZ. What are you, I mean why are you... MZ: you're not dropping us a line, you are always offline so we guessed that you're on your way home. MCSO: I'm on my way here from my store when I saw you, I thought you're going to cry when you saw my store's closed so I followed you here while sending everyone a message. Surprised? Me: where's mom? are my sibs are here? MZ: we are all here, honey. We missed you so so much. Me: and I missed you all guys. So we gathered in our garden, ate our brunch while having a light, warm and lots of laugh conversation. Three weeks has passed, it's my time to go back to another reality, to chase my dreams- I'm still not giving up on my action-packed dream except for fulfilling my singing career. I mean I can still use that but not as a profession. I still want to climb the mountains all over the world, travel abroad but I have to face reality for now. Those dreams can wait, I have to prepare for it so I accepted the job in France, my parents are still together planning for their next honeymoon, my sibs are now managing our restaurant, MZ and MCSO are engaged, I did not even bother to reconcile with my friends back there- there's no friendship between us anyway so no reason to reconcile or drop them a line. New chapter, New life, Old place but nice. Fresh air, nice people and a new day with new experiences.

[xtramanfundraising]

Ten Unique Fundraising Ideas

Hand Delivered Gifts It’s simple, really: asking for donations in exchange for hand-delivering gifts around the neighborhood. Whether it’s hand-crafted cards or special bouquets or handmade lanyards, this is a great way for you to reach out to friends and family and show them how dedicated and hardworking you are—and will be—when it comes to the cause. This would be perfect for any special occasion, but you should pick a day with importance to you and your cause. You can ask your donors to post about your gift, about you, and about your campaign on all their social media. You can even make up a particular hashtag to help them spread the word!

Chore Raffle Everyone has some kind of special skills, whether it’s the super speed of all those school track meets, your law degree, or your own small business. Why not ask a friend to pair up with you on a campaign and raffle off some chores? Whether it’s mowing lawns, assembling furniture, or even helping someone figure out the new iPhone update, you’ve likely got skills that people would gladly donate money for.

Make a Birthday Wish You know how great it feels to have all those birthday wishes come in on Facebook every year? Make it more meaningful by asking your friends to donate to your GoFundMe campaign. You can ask your friends to make donations in the same amount of your new age: $30 if you’re turning 30, for instance. Take advantage of all the birthday goodwill and cheer by encouraging donations and shares—it’s sure to be a birthday wish you’ll remember.

Email Newsletter There are plenty of free email marketing services these days. Why not take advantage and set up a weekly newsletter just for your cause? You can include upbeat stories of how your cause is making a different, quotes from people you’ve helped out, and profiles of your best volunteers or donors. Just make sure to put your GoFundMe campaign front and center in each newsletter! The more fun and engaging your newsletter is, the more likely your donors will be to forward it to their friends.

Host a Brunch Invite people over for a really nice, fancy brunch. The price of admission? A donation to your GoFundMe campaign. Make it worth your donors’ while by making it as glamorous as possible while keeping it under budget. Dress up in fancy clothes, put up some homemade decorations, and bond with your friends and family over eggs and maybe a little bubbly, if that’s your thing. Don’t forget to post pictures online with your own special campaign hashtag to keep the campaign momentum going even after the event. You could even share a video of the brunch and give special shout-outs to your donors.

Holiday Potluck Pick a special day for a potluck dinner. Use your GoFundMe fundraising campaign to organize what dishes people will bring to the potluck. Sell tickets for the potluck through your campaign, so that people who don’t or can’t make food can still join. A potluck is a great opportunity to chat about the food with whoever made it—and if you’re lucky, maybe they’ll share their family recipes.

Flea Market Organize a flea market where your friends and family donate clothing, kitchen gear, and other gently worn items. Sell tickets through the campaign for a specific day, and put out lemonade and cookies for people to munch on while buying up your old ski jackets and boxing gloves. Make sure you get the word out to your larger community—there are always folks looking for a great bargain and a great cause.

After Hours Art Day Rent out a community building for an evening. Sell tickets for a still life painting class through your GoFundMe campaign. Grab some paper, paints, and brushes, and let people’s creativity go wild. Encourage people to post their artwork on social media while linking to your GoFundMe campaign. This will encourage their friends and family to try it out as well. Bonus: ask people to bring interesting objects specifically for the still life portraits.

Holiday Scavenger Hunt Everyone loves a good Easter egg hunt, so why not expand on that? Create a themed scavenger hunt for a holiday and have people donate to participate. Maybe that means doing good deeds around the neighborhood, or making up custom clues for your donors to solve. Up the ante by posting about your search on social media and sharing your adventures under a hashtag so other donors can follow you on your journey (even as they compete!). This is also a great chance to make teams and meet people in your communities that you might not know well.

Walk-A-Thon Walk-a-thons are tried and true fundraisers, so why not take the idea and make it your own? You can do a custom walk-a-thon just for your GoFundMe campaign by encouraging people to donate based on their FitBit or iPhone steps for a week. This means they can post about their steps daily on social media—nothing like some friendly competition to boost donations! Even giving at a ratio of $15 for 15,000 steps will make a huge difference if it’s every day for a week. Think of something special to do for your top stepper to recognize their contributions.

See the original article here

[jamiekturner]

Books For Graphic Designers To Read in 2017

Graphic designers come in all shapes and sizes and vary from amateur to professional statuses.

Whether a Photoshop novice or an experienced calligraphy genius, there is always something to be learned in the world of graphic design. The beauty of this art comes from its constant learning process.

No matter who’s doing the research, a graphic designer will surely find nothing but extended information on which to build a more impressive portfolio, or to find out how other designers are using certain design styles.

If someone is new to the world of design, they may wonder where to obtain all of the information to get them started. Or perhaps you’re an experienced designer and would like to enrich your knowledge resume. Where do you find it?

Sure, an online blogger’s opinion can be incredibly helpful, as is the website created for this specific field. We still find it most engaging to open a book. There’s something to be said about the good old-fashioned snail read as there seems to be more thorough research throughout.

Below is a list of books for graphic designers that have been dubbed must reads in the design world.

How to be a Graphic Designer, without Losing Your Soul

Graphic designers constantly complain that there is no career manual to guide them through the profession. Design consultant and writer Adrian Shaughnessy draws on a wealth of experience to provide just such a handbook.

Aimed at the independent-minded, it addresses the concerns of young designers who want to earn a living by doing expressive and meaningful work and avoid becoming a hired drone working on soulless projects. It offers straight-talking advice on how to establish your design career and suggestions – that you won’t have been taught at college – for running a successful business.

This revised, extended edition includes all-new chapters covering professional skills, the creative process, and global trends, including green issues, ethics and the rise of digital culture.

Making and Breaking the Grid

For designers working in every medium, layout is arguable the most basic and most important element. Effective layout is essential to communication and enables the end user to not only be drawn in with an innovative design but to digest information easily.

Making and Breaking the Grid is a comprehensive layout design workshop that assumes that to effectively break the rules of grid-based design one must first understand those rules and see them applied to real-world projects

The Elements of Graphic Design

This very popular design book has been wholly revised and expanded to feature a new dimension of inspiring and counterintuitive ideas to thinking about graphic design relationships.

The Elements of Graphic Design, Second Edition is now in full color in a larger, 8 x 10-inch trim size, and contains 40 percent more content and over 750 images to enhance and better clarify the concepts in this thought-provoking resource.

The Ultimate Guide to Creative Cloud

Want to supercharge your creative workflow? Want all your apps to work in sync? Want to easily publish to multiple platforms and devices at the same time without any hassle? We thought so.

In this book – The Ultimate Guide to Creative Cloud – you’ll discover how to use the power of Adobe Creative Cloud to work faster, smarter and deliver your projects faster and in more style.

Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team

Whether your goal is to express a new brand or to revitalize an existing one, here is a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity. From research and analysis through brand strategy, design development through application design, and identity standards through launch and governance, Designing Brand Identity is an essential reference for the entire process.

Enriched by new case studies showcasing successful world-class brands from Herman Miller and General Electric to the Obama ’08 election campaign, this Third Edition offers new insights into emerging trends such as sustainability and social networks.

Graphic Design Manual

This newly revised book was first published in 1965. Elements of image and form are analysed and examined with regard to their inherent laws. The lessons of methodical design are used today in computer monitor design as well.

The desktop publishing technique requires very clear conceptual and methodical working processes. This book, which is divided into computer-system-friendly sections, will thus serve this new circle of users as a valuable introduction.

Type, Volume 1: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles

This book offers a novel overview of typeface design, exploring the most beautiful and remarkable examples of font catalogs from the history of publishing, with a special emphasis on the period from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, when color catalogs were at their height.

Taken from a Dutch collection, this exuberant selection traverses the evolution of the printed letter in all its various incarnations via exquisitely designed catalogs displaying not only type specimens in roman, italic, bold, semi-bold, narrow, and broad, but also characters, borders, ornaments, initial letters and decorations as well as often spectacular examples of the use of the letters.

Designing For Social Change: Strategies for Community-Based Graphic Design

Some call it design for the greater good. Others call it social design. Whatever you call it, it’s clear that an altruistic impulse is on the rise in the design community.

The latest addition to the Design Briefs series, Designing for Social Change, is a compact, hands-on primer for graphic designers who want to use their unique problem-solving skills to help others.

Author Andrew Shea presents ten proven strategies for working effectively with community organizations. These strategies can frame the design challenge and create a checklist to keep a project on track.

Thinking with Type

The organization of letters on a blank sheet — or screen — is the most basic challenge facing anyone who practices design. What type of font to use? How big? How should those letters, words, and paragraphs be aligned, spaced, ordered, shaped, and otherwise manipulated?

In this groundbreaking new primer, leading design educator and historian Ellen Lupton provides clear and concise guidance for anyone learning or brushing up on their typographic skills.

Graphic Design Thinking

Creativity is more than an inborn talent; it is a hard-earned skill, and like any other skill, it improves with practice.

Graphic Design Thinking: How to Define Problems, Get Ideas, and Create Form explores a variety of informal techniques ranging from quick, seat-of-the-pants approaches to more formal research methods for stimulating fresh thinking, and ultimately arriving at compelling and viable solutions.

In the style with which author Ellen has come to been known hands-on, up-close approach to instructional design writing brainstorming techniques are grouped around the three basic phases of the design process: defining the problem, inventing ideas, and creating form. Creative research methods include focus groups, interviewing, brand mapping, and co-design.

Stationery Design Now

Whether you’re starting your own business or simply trying to stay in business, three paper-based items are absolutely crucial to your company: letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. These items, along with your logo, are the pillars of a well-defined corporate identity.

Though seemingly ephemeral, the subliminal communications value of elegant stationery cannot be overestimated. The best stationery works hard for you, front-loading your corporate or freelance image, and conveying your company values in the most tangible way.

The Portfolio Handbook

Portfolios are a bitch to make. Thats why we wanted to help. It’s been a while since we were sophomores, but we never forgot the emotional roller coaster of trying to get our first job (we still go through it).

Looking back, we wish we would have known what we know now. This book is for you: a collection of our knowledge passed down to you in the hopes that you become better designers, better professionals, and better people.

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

A delightfully inquisitive tour that explores the rich history and the subtle powers of fonts.

Fonts surround us every day, on street signs and buildings, on movie posters and books, and on just about every product that we buy. But where do fonts come from and why do we need so many?

Who is behind the businesslike subtlety of Times New Roman, the cool detachment of Arial, or the maddening lightness of Comic Sans (and the movement to ban it)? Simon Garfield embarks on a mission to answer these questions and more, and reveal what may be the very best and worst fonts in the world.

Package Design Workbook

This comprehensive guide provides designers with a thoughtful packaging primer that covers the challenges of designing packaging for a competitive market in a very hardworking and relevant way.

Package Design Workbook addresses all aspects of the creative process including choosing a package format, colors and materials, final finishes, and special considerations such as awkward objects and unique display considerations.

This book breaks down the process of design in a much more comprehensive way than most books on the subject, which just analyze the final designs.

The Art of Color

In this book, the world’s foremost color theorist examines two different approaches to understanding the art of color. Subjective feelings and objective color principles are described in detail and clarified by color reproductions.

The Elements of Typographic Style

Renowned typographer and poet Robert Bringhurst brings clarity to the art of typography with this masterful style guide. Combining practical, theoretical, and historical, this book is a must for graphic artists, editors, or anyone working with the printed page using digital or traditional methods.

Having established itself as a standard in its field The Elements of Typographic Style is house manual at most American university presses, a standard university text, and a reference work in studios of designers around the world. It has been translated into italian and greek, and dutch.

Brand Identity Essentials

This book is the fourth book in the Essential series following Layout Essentials, Typography Essentials, and Packaging Essentials.

It outlines and demonstrates basic logo and branding design guidelines and rules through 100 principles including the elements of a successful graphic identity, identity programs and brand identity, and all the various strategies and elements involved.

Designing Brand Identity

From research and analysis through brand strategy, design development through application design, and identity standards through launch and governance, Designing Brand Identity, Fourth Edition offers brand managers, marketers, and designers a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity

from Web Development & Designing http://www.designyourway.net/blog/resources/books-to-read-for-an-aspiring-graphic-designer/

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This post is part of Blogging Abroad’s 2017 New Years Blog Challenge, week two: The Danger of a Single Story.

Hello reader,

Adichie shares ‘the danger of a single story’, warning that if we only hear a single story about a person, country or issue, we risk great misunderstanding. She says:

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”

Today I’m responding to the blog prompt: the danger of a Single Story. If you are unaware of this idea, here is a link to the TedTalk video.This video will help you to understand The Danger of the Single Story and I hope it will help you to understand my response.

Okay, without further ado.

I have encountered quite a few single stories here in Moldova, and some of them I fight everyday. I’m going to share 5 single stories that I have encountered over this last year.

Moldova is a third-world country

When I began my research into the Peace Corps, the overall idea that I gleaned from these stories was that I would be living and working in one of the poorest countries in the world. The number one image that comes to mind when thinking of the Peace Corps is of a young woman (or young man) working in Africa. So I researched Moldova and found that it was the poorest nation in Europe, and the pictures showed little villages with people riding around with a horse and cart.

But when I came to Moldova, I was surprised to find a bustling Capital city in Chisinau. I was surprised to find out that there different public transportation systems, that while maybe not as accomplished as some American cities, was better than the public transportation system found in Ft. Wayne Indiana.

While the country remains poor, and not every house has an indoor toilet (a thought that still turns me into a squeamish little girl, determined to hold her bladder for the weekend) the country is industrialized. Moldova has faster internet than found in the US, and room for entrepreneurs. The people here are not starving, but they are hardworking. They are a multilingual community that acts more like a small village or family than we could ever imagine in the United States.

2. The rich American.

An example of this single story comes from a few weeks before Christmas, when I was asked for 35,000 lei. You aren’t reading that wrong, thirty-five thousand. When I tried to explain that I didn’t have that kind of money, the person just told me that it was less than 2,000 USD (which I still didn’t have). I finally got out of the situation by pointing out that I didn’t have that much money in country, and my American card did not work here in Moldova (both true). It has left me feeling awkward, and more like an ATM than a help to my community.

As many Americans (and probably all peace corps volunteers) can relate, many of my host community members see me as a rich, and likely weird, American. I joined the Peace Corps right after college (boarding an airplane less than a month after graduation), meaning that I didn’t have a career to give me lavish amounts of money (and the teacher’s salary I’ll go home to is no where near lavish), plus I’m using the Peace Corps as a way to pay down the amount of debt that a bachelor’s degree has left me in. All in all, even back in the states I was living below the poverty line.

Nevertheless, many host country nationalists don’t consider this. They show me how much a USD is worth here in Moldova (generally around 20 MLD to 1 USD), and talk about the difference in salaries in the US versus Moldova. I get it, but living and working in Moldova means I’m not making that money. Instead I’m living on a Peace Corps stipend, which has evaporated by the end of every month I’ve been here.

I wear dirty and rundown clothes, walk to school, I don’t buy things like coffee everyday, and I’m rarely out on vacation. Not exactly the story of the rich American these people were expecting.

3. The north is full of superstitions

I heard this idea secondhand from another volunteer, and I had heard similar murmurs while in the Capital. This is the single story that the people in the Northern part (especially the far north where I live) are much more superstitious, and religious, than those found in the center and south. This single story was brought to my attention when someone said they were sorry when they heard I was moving to the north of the country. Why? Because (according to them) the Moldovans in the north are more superstitious about and are far more religious.

So, I went north expecting to go to church every Sunday, all the windows to always be closed, no cold water, not being aloud to sit at the corners of tables, etc. What I found out is that my host family and community is no more (or less) religious and traditional than any other village in Moldova. I live in a village, and just like in any small town in America, this means that life comes at a slower pace, and it is more conservative than you would find in most cities, just from lack of diversity.

When I found a weird quirk about the soap disappearing out of the bathroom and winding up in odd places in the house, people told me it was more than likely a superstition. However, when I paid attention to some of my family members, I realized that they were just using that bar of soap to scrub some things clean, and leaving the soap where they left off. This story isn’t as interesting as some of the ideas thrown my way (one person suggested that it could be my host family trying to ward off evil spirits).

In fact, my host family and host community in large has seemed exactly on point, or even a little progressive, compared to some of the stories I hear from other volunteers. When I get sick, my host family asks if I need to go see the doctor, they give me my space, and (I’m sure to my mother’s dissatisfaction) they let me sleep in on Sundays, not caring that I’m not joining them for church. The north is the same as anywhere else I’ve visited.

4. America is an amazing land of wealth and opportunity

While this may be true to many, and something that Americans would love to point out as being true, it is a single story. Not everywhere in the US is prospering, and not everything the country does is ‘amazing.’

This last semester I told a couple stories to my students that they just couldn’t believe. The first being that there were Native Americans in the US, but few survive today due to the massive genocide of their people and culture by white American expansion. My students (and the teachers) all looked at me liked I had grown a second head when I shared this information. Their text books don’t talk about the native Americans, so I took it upon myself to tell them about some of them. I shared about the people that used to live in Indiana where I’m from, and the only thing that remains of them is the name of some parks.

The second thing I shared, was a book of poetry written by one of my professors. The poems are about growing up in Gary, Indiana. And if you don’t know Gary, it’s not exactly booming. No, the city looks like a ghost town, a falling apart, and incredibly impoverished city. After reading some of the poems, my students said they didn’t think these were about The United States. They seemed depressing, and too dark to be written about the US. When I first shared these stories, I didn’t think anything of them. These ideas were things that I learned in high school and college. So I’m hoping to share more of these stories with my students soon, so they can see more of the US than what is in the movies.

5. Peace Corps volunteers are young outgoing people who want to change the world.

While I am young and I do want to change the world. I know that this is a single story of a peace corps volunteer. I know volunteers in their 50s and 60s, who are just as hungry to make a difference as I am, and they are honest to god inspirations. They are role models of how I would love to see my life. Do amazing things throughout my prime, and volunteer abroad as my retirement. What could be better?

Along with us not all being a certain age demographic, we are also different genders, races, religions, orientations, political views, etc. We come from all over the world (there are a lot of American immigrants in the Peace Corps, which is super cool!). I think that the Peace Corps is as diverse as the US. I am not necessarily an extrovert, so I know that even the personalities of volunteers are different. Each and every person in my cohort is different from the next person. No fill-in the blank form for a volunteer.

  End thoughts:

These are just some of the single stories that I have come across. I try to show myself and my country in a fuller light everyday to my community, and every blog post is my way of sharing new stories about Moldova with the world. I want to make all of these single stories into a more diverse understanding of the people around the world.

  Until next time,

Angela

Expanding the View This post is part of Blogging Abroad's 2017 New Years Blog Challenge, week two: The Danger of a Single Story.