#twin truthing myth debunked

[cup-noodle]

There’s no way ShivRome are twins actually. Shiv would’ve absorbed Roman in the womb first chance she got

[dragonomatopoeia]

Air's End-of-Year Youtube Video Rec-List Round-Up

In light of recent events and also because I wanted to, I have put together a rec list of various (mostly longform) videos that I've enjoyed this year. Not all of these videos were released this year, however-- I just happened to see them for the first time in 2023. For readability and quality of life purposes, I have put this list under a readmore and divided the videos up by category, then creator, which means that some youtube channels might appear in multiple categories

I reserve the right to edit this later as I remember more videos, but I feel comfortable publishing it as is, considering it has almost 100 videos on it at this point

Cooking

Get Curried Chili Garlic Rosemary Chicken Recipe | How to Make Chili Garlic Rosemary Chicken at Home | Prateek Anardana Chicken Recipe | Delicious Himachal Style Anardana Chicken Recipe at Home | Chef Prateek Old Delhi Style Tangdi Kebab | How to Make Indian Starter Tangdi Kebab Recipe | Chef Prateek Dhawan

How to Cook That The $10 Million dollar lie (Betty Crocker) Debunking the Pink Sauce Controversy | How To Cook That Ann Reardon Top 7 Best Easy Lemon Recipes 🍋 | How To Cook That Ann Reardon Toxic Foods promoted on TikTok! | How To Cook That Ann Reardon Why is Pyrex exploding? | How To Cook That Ann Reardon

Library of Congress' Youtube Channel El Camino del Mole a New Orleans El Camino del Pan a Baltimore

Immaculate Bites LEMON BUNDT CAKE FIRECRACKER SHRIMP

Simply Mamá Cooks 3 EASY Beef Pot Roast Recipes perfect for the cold weather EASY Chicken Tamales Recipe | How To Make Tamales Easy NO-KNEAD Soft Dinner Rolls + FLUFFY From Scratch Milk Rolls Recipe Zuppa Toscana Recipe EASY | Olive Garden Potato Sausage Soup Recipe

Fraud, Grifts, and Scams

FoldingIdeas Contrepreneurs: The Mikkelsen Twins The Future is a Dead Mall - Decentraland and the Metaverse In Search Of A Flat Earth This is Financial Advice

Maggie Mae Fish Is the "Off-Grid" Lifestyle a Lie??

Münecat I Debunked Every "Body Language Expert" on Youtube The Problem with Tony Robbins (Deep-Dive - Pt.1) The Problem with Tony Robbins (Deep-Dive - Pt. 2)

Super Eyepatch Wolf The Bizarre World of Fake Martial Arts The Bizarre World of Fake Psychics, Faith Healers, and Mediums Influencer Courses are Garbage: The Dark Side of Content Creation Tom Nicholas Griftonomics: Why Scams are Everywhere Now

We're In Hell A History of Spam on the Internet Hustling America: I Can't Believe This Show Is Real The Problem with Voluntourism WE Charity & the Nonprofit Industrial Complex

Gaming

Hbomberguy Halcyon Dreams: The Legacy of Dragon's Lair

Jacob Geller Games that Aren't Games How Can We Bear to Throw Anything Away?

Li Speaks An Exploration of the Avata Star Sue-niverse It's Time For You To Play Flash Games Again The Strange Case of Kissing and Flirting Games Untangling the Lore of Devilish Hairdresser

Mandaloregaming The Mystery of the Druids: A Bizarre Adventure Game

People Make Games The Games Industry Must Not Stay Silent on Palestine Investigation: Who’s Telling the Truth about Disco Elysium? Working at Valve: 'A Fearless Adventure' or 'Lord of the Flies'?

PowerPak Dead Space 3 Is Worse Than I Thought King's Quest - The First Adventure Game King's Quest 2 - A Bridge Too Far... MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod Squirrel Stapler is Absolutely Nuts Tunic is Deceptively Brilliant

Super Bunnyhop Perusing Pentiment's Boisterous Bibliography

History

BobbyBroccoli The image you can't submit to journals anymore

Cambrian Chronicles Wikipedia's King who Doesn't Exist

Defunctland Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History

Elliot Sang How Tea Became European McMindfulness: When Capitalism Goes Buddhist

Intelexual Media Creating The Conservative New Right In The 1970s A Buffet of Black Food History

Kaz Rowe A Deep Dive into the Deadly World of Victorian Patent Medicine Why Have So Many People Seen Ghost Ships? Why the Myth of the Library of Alexandria Is Wrong

Kendra Gaylord 500 years of dollhouses and what it meant to teach girls Alice Austen, the 1880s photographer: her house, her photos, her love life What happened to cheap food? Diners, Automats, and affordable eating

Nerdsync Bonkers origins of superhero memes The Scandalous REAL Origin of Superman's Lois Lane Superman's Uncomfortable History with Nuclear Weapons

Premodernist Advice for time traveling to medieval Europe

Stepback History How The Vietnam War Birthed a Generation of White Terrorists OK Fine I’ll Talk About Ancient Apocalypse

Tantacrul Notation Must Die: The Battle For How We Read Music

Film and Television

Be Kind Rewind How Breakfast at Tiffany's Turned into a Totally Different Movie | Adapting a Classic Casting the Women of Valley of the Dolls | PT 1 The Making of Valley of the Dolls | PT 2 How the "Old Ladies N' Hijinks" Subgenre Became a Thing How a "Sacrilegious" Film Changed Hollywood Forever... So I watched BLONDE... Why Tallulah Bankhead Never Became a Movie Star

Big Joel The Song That Broke West Side Story

Cherrybepsi Can We Kill the Final Girl Trope Already?

Hazel weird & kinda scary tokusatsu girls

Jane Mulcahy The Lunacy of Teen Wolf (Part 1) What is the 'psycho biddy' genre?

Maggie Mae Fish BLACK CHRISTMAS Before & After "Me Too" The War on "Woke" Hollywood: A History of Blacklists and Strikes Why is Clint Eastwood

Princess Weekes Black Trauma vs. Black Horror Why Are There So Many Confederate Vampires? Why Don't Worry Darling Doesn't Work ...

Shanspeare EUPHORIA: Sam Levinson’s Unfulfilled Fantasy The Girlboss-ification of the Horror Genre TikTok Femininity Coaching and Aestheticizing Racism

Science and Technology

BobbyBroccoli The $21,000,000,000 hole in Texas The man who faked human cloning How to catch a criminal cloner

Eastman Museum's Youtube Channel Photographic Processes Series

Technology Connections What's the deal with the popcorn button?

Practical Engineering How Flood Tunnels Work What's the Difference Between Paint and Coatings? Why Is Desalination So Difficult? Why Railroads Don't Need Expansion Joints

[blanketorghost]

Okay hi hello I have seen a sudden new influx in EAH fans (hiiiii welcome <3) and while I am very happy to see this little fandom still be more than three pieces of lint and a paperclip, I am here to give y'all a list of already DEBUNKED EAH myths that somehow always show up whenever this happens every 1/2 years:

"Apple White and Raven Queen are related."

They are not. In Chapter 2 Episode 11 "Blondie Branches Out" there's a throaway line explaining how the 'Prince Charming' role is distributed between multiple unrelated Charming families. There is also no mention in any of EAH media of Apple and Raven being related. The only related characters are:

Poppy and Holly O'Hair (Twins)

Giles & Milton Grimm (Siblings, Milton is the oldest)

Cerise Hood and Ramona Badwolf (Siblings, order not specified)

Daring, Dexter and Darling charming (Siblings, Daring is the oldest and Dexter and Darling are fraternal twins)

Briar Beauty and Rosabella Beauty (1st Cousins)

Gus and Helga Crumb (1st Cousins)

The Hood/Badwolf sisters, Sparrow Hood (Distant cousins)

In Apple White's 'Royally Ever After' diary, the retelling of the Snow White fairytale has Apple be Raven's personal assistant that later overthrows her rule, meaning familial relation and them sharing a royal bloodline is not a necessary part of the narrative.

"XYZ Background character is the descendant of ABC fairytale character."

Unless directly confirmed by a GURU media employee or mentioned in the show, none of the background characters have a direct counterpart.

Most of the most famous background characters are actually cameos/based off of animators (pictured below):

The fandom wiki is not a reliable source given the fact it has no edit protection and the moderators are no longer active.

Be carefulnot to confuse popular hedacanons or fan designs (more often than not fanart by red_red_heels, boots.caitlin and/or theprincessswan on instagram)

"XYZ's fairytale parent is dead."

Unless specifically stated, this is also not true. Certain stories have a loophole or workaround that prevent major character death. So far we have been given confirmation of:

Cinderella (Unknown loophole): shown to still be alive in 'Ashlynn Ella's Story'

The Swan Queen (Turned into a swan forever): It is not known wether or not Duchess' mom gave birth to her while she was still a human or if she was born from an egg. Raised by her grandmother. It is implied her curse is generational.

The Little Mermaid (Happy Ending): The first time this loophole is mentioned explicitly (Meeshell's diary). She was given a happy ending and lives under the sea, unlike the original HCA story. Story variation further explained in 'Fairy Tail Ending'.

The Big Bad Wolf (Unknown loophole): Self explanatory.

Baba Yaga (Possible Immortality?): Self explanatory.

The Candy Witch (Version recorded in the Storybook of Legends confirmed to be inaccurate): Explained in 'Kiss and Spell'.

"Descendants killed EAH."

Look, I am as much of a Descendants hater as the next guy, but the unfortunate truth is that EAH was never as successful as Mattel expected it to be. Their style was too 'childish and girly' for kids who were already into Monster High, and their themes were far too complex for younger kids to fully grasp. So their target audience was unfortunately not very interested. This is coming from someone who was around 11-12 when EAH came out. As an existing MH fan, I was turned off by it as at that time kids were entering their more 'edgy' phase and wasn't willing to give it a chance.

What dealt the killing blow was Mattel and Disney severing their contract over the Disney Princess doll line due to decreasing quality, and then after the release of descendants with Hasbro, one of Mattel's biggest competitors.

-

There's probably some other myths I missed, but these are the most common/widely believed ones. I'll maybe reblog/update later with more myths as I come across them.

[theeccentricraven]

For those who ask, "How do I come up with original ideas?" here's the scary truth, the half truth, and the 3 tips that will save you (plus seven bonus tips)💡

Whenever I see writers post on social media asking, "How do I come up with original ideas?" or "I want to write but my ideas aren't original. What do I do?" or "Is this idea original?" it feels strange. Throughout my lifespan, I've come up with hundreds of ideas I want to write someday, no joke. I've heard authors talk about the background of writing a story. Never did I nor the authors I admire ask, "Huh, is that an original idea?" When an idea comes to you, the passion can fill you so strongly that you feel you have to make it a reality. If you don't feel the passion for the idea or hesitate to write it, you might need to question why you are pursuing the idea n the first place. This is where I get to my first point on the scary truth behind writing.

The Scary Truth 

One of my favorite writers is Shannon Hale. Years ago, her website squeetus.com featured a page on how to be a writer. One section was called, "Why do you want to be a writer?" Her theory was that there's only one good reason to be a writer: "I have so many ideas that I have to write down and share." She believed that if one's motivation to be a writer is, "I like the idea of being a published writer" or "I see other people writing and it looks like a cool thing I'd like to do", then you're going to be disappointed and less likely to be successful. She makes a good point. Wanting to be a writer is like dreaming of being a Hollywood actor. It looks glamorous to walk among the stars, but you'd have to be willing to commit to acting lessons not to mention the dark side of Hollywood life. You would only become a Hollywood actor if it's your passion you can't live without. Every successful writer that I've seen has that need to write, willing to endure the long hours and stress that comes with writing. If that's not you, this might not be for you. 

Does that mean there's no hope for you and you should quit? Not necessarily. I can't tell you what's best for you. I can't tell you what your purpose is in life nor what your goals should be. Only you can tell yourself this. If you are saying, "But I really want to write! I am serious about being a writer and willing to commit! I just don't know what to do about my unoriginal idea!" My reply is, that's awesome. The good news is I have three tips to help you so that you'll come out of this knowing what to do. First, we debunk a myth, or dismantle a half truth.

The Half Truth

Whenever I see people post the question, "How do I come up with original ideas/I don't know if my idea is original" the most common response from other users is "There are no original ideas." This is a fair response. Is it true? I'm inclined to say…kind of? Or maybe I should say, "Yes, but no?" I think that attestation comes from looking only at the skeleton of a story, not the story as a whole. Some people say it as, "There are only seven stories". Maybe there's only seven themes or seven concepts or seven tropes. However, themes, concepts, and tropes alone are not stories. I describe it as how every human being looks different, twins and multiples aside. Humans come in many shapes, sizes, figures, heights, eye color, hair styles, shades of skin tone, etc., but underneath, our skeletons relatively look the same. Likewise, stories can be built on the same skeleton, but they are fleshed by different shapes, figures, and colors. I personally believe that there's an infinite amount of stories out there. Lots of stories have been told and there's still more to tell. 

The other issue I have with when people say, "There's no original stories," is you don't want to let that stop you from being original. Here are some examples.

When Brandon Sanderson created Mistborn,  he didn't think, "Because the story of the hero's journey has been told so many times in fantasy, it should be OK for me to make yet another high fantasy novel of the hero's journey."

When JK Rowling got the idea for Harry Potter, she didn't think, "Oh, there's already a book about a boy who goes to wizard school called A Wizard of Earthsea, so there's no point in me writing this." 

You’re not condemned to a certain type of story when you come up with an idea, which leads to my first point.

Make it original

Another reason I find it a curious question when people ask, "My idea is too clichéd, how do I come up with an original idea?" is that my knee jerk reaction is, “You know what's wrong with it. Why don't you make it original? Why don't you change it to get rid of the cliches and make it original?" Going back to Brandon Sanderson, he's described the idea process for Mistborn as beginning with the question, "What if the hero who was supposed to save the world failed and the dark lord won?" With a little time, he thought, "What if the only way the dark lord could be defeated was by a bunch of thieves running an Ocean's 11 like heist to rob the dark lord?" Many stories are the results of writers who wanted to defy genre and turn tropes and cliches on their head. When William Goldman wrote The Princess Bride, he defied the fairytale romance tropes by making the prince the bad guy and the pirate the good guy. When DreamWorks made Shrek, it defied every trope of the classic Disney fairytale features. When you've read or seen a lot, you know what's been done before and how you can be different. Examples of where this has been done badly include Disney's Dinosaur and The Force Awakens where lazy writing produced virtual plagiarism. Instead of recycling old ideas, you can throw out the rotted food to replace with fresh produce, which leads to my second tip.

2. Use an old idea with a fresh approach. 

As the saying goes, put old wine in new bottles. Harry Potter was not the first story about a child who goes to magic school, but JK Rowling took a fresh approach with her own unique setting and relatable characters. The Hunger Games was not the first story about a game where contestants kill each other, but its powerful female protagonist, gripping plot, intense action, and thought provoking questions made it feel unique. Bumblebee feels similar to the Iron Giant/ET: The Extraterrestrial, but audiences still loved it because it has a heart and charm that speaks for itself. There's always a way to take an idea that's been used before, clean it up, redress it, and present it fresh. Oftentimes, well written characters and plot twists are what give a story its own voice. This leads to my third tip.

3. Make the writing superb

Have you heard the story of how Jim Butcher created Codex Alera? Years ago, Jim was on a forum chatting with aspiring writers. One user made the statement that the writers who really succeeded were those with the great ideas. Jim said no, the ones who succeed are those good at writing, as a bad idea can still be turned to a well written story. The two argued back and forth, ending with Jim saying, "Tell me your worst idea and I'll make it into a story that will be awesome." The user replied, "I want you to write Pokémon meets the Lost Roman Legion." The result was Codex Alera, a highly rated book of clever plot twists and compelling characters. 

One of the problems with being worried about originality is that audiences aren't likely to say, "I loved that story because it's original." They're more likely to say, "I loved that story because the characters feel so real, the plot is exciting, it had me up late, and I was so touched in the end that I cried." This is what audiences want. They're not asking for originality, but a well written story. This is why it's often said that ideas are cheap.

Ironically, there's a juxtaposition where the idea is both the most important part of the story and the least important. You should write because you have an idea you're passionate about, yet the idea is insignificant compared to how good your writing needs to be. My personal opinion is you don't find the story. The story finds you. You bait yourself by diving into the world around you. I think in many ways, the question of how to find an original idea is similar to the story of how to deal with writer's block. As a bonus, I'm adding my seven tips on how to deal with writer's block to help you out of the finding an idea rut.

4. Read a good book you haven't read before. This will not only help you learn from the good writing but stimulate your mind.

5. Read a bad book and write down how you would rewrite the book. You're not only learning but stimulating your imagination. 

6. Think about a book/movie/TV show/video game/any story where you didn't like how it ended and come up with a better ending. Again, you learn from dissecting a story while getting your creative juices going.

7. Write down a few "what if" questions. Think of how to use answers in your current project or a new project.

8. Skip writing filler and jump to the good parts. (This is more writer’s block related, but can help you to let the idea evolve naturally to a story)

9. Take time to do other creative hobbies. Depending on what you like to do, you could knit, take photos, paint, draw, play the guitar, sculpt, etc. I don’t just write. I like to cook, bake, play the harp, and cross-stitch. As a writer, you are a creator. You get your mind brewing when you are creating, even if it’s not a story.

10. Go on a walk. Or do whatever allows you to think and reflect. Listen to music. Meditate. Whatever lets you take a break and let your thoughts wander freely. 

Secret 11th bonus tip….

11. Use writing prompts. I didn’t mention this as part of the official list because writing prompts aren’t my thing. However, if you don’t know where to start or feel lost, writing prompts can be helpful.

So there you have it. My only goal in writing this is to help whoever is reading this find their calling in life, whether as a writer or as something else. Only you can find your calling. I hope you find it and get out of what's holding you back. 

Photo is by Bram Naus on Unsplash

[rudhravenu26]

Common Myths and Misconceptions About IVF

Common Myths and Misconceptions About IVF

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a groundbreaking fertility treatment that has helped millions of couples worldwide achieve their dream of parenthood. Despite its widespread success, IVF is often surrounded by a cloud of myths and misconceptions that can create confusion and discourage people from seeking help. Understanding the truth behind these myths is essential for anyone considering fertility treatment.

Here’s a closer look at some of the most common misconceptions about IVF—and the facts that debunk them.

Myth 1: IVF Always Results in Twins or Triplets

Truth: While IVF used to have a higher chance of multiple pregnancies due to the transfer of multiple embryos, modern practices now focus on single embryo transfer to reduce risks. With improved techniques, doctors can achieve high success rates with just one healthy embryo, minimizing the chance of multiple births.

Myth 2: IVF Is Only for Women With Fertility Issues

For more info read the article: https://blogsgod.com/common-myths-and-misconceptions-about-ivf/

[webnews-24]

Debunking the Myths of IVF and Twin Pregnancies

[monriatitans]

Ta-Da! List: Friday, June 14th

The image was made in Canva; check it out at the [referral] link here!

I share my “Ta-Da! List” every day so everyone gets a daily update and I have a reminder of what I’ve accomplished.

To learn more about “Ta-Da! Lists”, and other ADHD life hacks, check out @adhdjesse’s book Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD.

Abbreviations

- O&T: Opinions & Truth Blog - WGS: The Weekend Game Show - ASO: Artist Shout-Out - IG: Instagram - BMAC: Buy Me a Coffee - TDL: Ta-Da! List

Ta-Da! List

✧ June 13th: - on the office setup: Social Media: linked the O&T IG to the O&T Pinterest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ throughout the day: - kept emails manageable - loaded the dishwasher - filled out today’s TDL - used Patreon rewards to make desktop wallpapers for PERSONAL use ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ on the bedroom setup: - Movies: watched “The Nightmare Before Christmas” - WGS Ko-fi: removed the old IG link from the “About” section and replaced it with O&T’s - O&T: shared today’s TDL to various social media ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ on the office setup: - Gaming: played “Final Fantasy XIV” - YouTube: watched and/or listened to: 1. Jim Sterling (The Jimquisition)’s videos “Naughty Microsoft Bought Smelly Bethesda”, “Allegations, Exploitation, And The CEO Who Dreamed Of A Porsche”, “Who Gets The Right To Live Stream Games?”, “Konami’s Silent Hill 2 Bloober Reel”, “Silent Hill: Ascension Is F*cking Disgusting”, “How An Ex-Bayonetta Actor Torpedoed Her Reputation In Record Time”, “Stray Souls: A Bad Game Made By Bad People”, “Vexed Generation”, “Microsoft Bought Activision And That’s Terrible”, “Golden Axed: Prototypes & Parasites”, “Why It’s Morally Okay To Pirate All Of Sony’s Games”, “That Time Warner Bros. Beat Up A Queer Character For Pride”, and “The Most Important Starfield Video Ever” 2. Lindsey Stirling’s videos “Survive (feat. Walk Off The Earth) [Official Music Video]”, “Lindsey Stirling — Evil Twin (Official Music Video)”, and “Inner Gold (feat. Royal & the Serpent) [Official Music Video]” 3. ContraPoints’ videos “‘Transtrenders’”, “Tiffany Tumbles”, “The Aesthetic”, “Decrypting the Alt-Right: How to Recognize a F@scist”, “What’s Wrong with Capitalism (Part 1)”/”(Part 2)”, and “Cringe” 4. Robert Reich’s video “Do the Rich Work Harder than Everyone Else? I 10 Economic Myths Debunked #3” 5. Prophet of Zod’s video “Christians Can’t Explain Away Bible Contradictions” 6. Philosophy Tube’s videos “Intro to Anarchy: Power & Violence” and “White Supremacist Propaganda Vs Truth” 7. Kupo’s short “It’s YOUR life, No one elses!” - WGS: prepared the ASO for tomorrow, June 15th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ chores and miscellaneous: - Food: had coffee and water for breakfast; finished the leftover Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders Salad and hamburgers for lunch; had leftover Chunky Cheeseburger Soup for dinner - Chores: checked the mail; took out the trash

—

Well, these are all the updates I had for today! Thank you for reading!

May every decision you make be *in the spirit of fairness* and may the rest of your day *NOT go to $#!7*!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Watch MonriaTitans on Twitch, YouTube, and Rumble! For more about MonriaTitans, click here!

[healthbeautytips121]

The Last Exercise Column You Ever Need to Read

The Impact of Exercise on Health: Debunking Myths and Embracing Simplicity

For years, the fitness narrative has been shaped by extensive studies, such as the long-term research on twins in Finland. While these studies provide valuable insights into lifestyle choices, the complexity of their findings often leads to confusion. One notable study suggested that exercise might not significantly impact lifespan when controlling for various factors, even hinting at potential negative effects on "biological aging."

In the final installment of Good Fit, Slate's exercise series, we reflect on our approach. While the fitness world is abuzz with continuous updates, we chose not to chase exercise trends, acknowledging the potential for more confusion than clarity. Instead, we focused on timeless principles that endure despite the evolving fitness landscape.

The Key Takeaways from Good Fit's Fitness Journey:

Go Slow:

Embrace the value of slow workouts to allow recovery and enjoy the experience.

Don't rush the learning process; failure and perseverance in new exercises can be profoundly beneficial.

Minimalism Works:

Contrary to the trend of expensive exercise machines, the essence of a good workout doesn't require significant investments.

Simplify your approach—going outside and moving can be as effective as high-end equipment.

Experts Are Human Too:

Recognize that fitness instructors, while experts, carry their biases and perspectives.

Instructors may unknowingly project their insecurities onto clients; understanding this human aspect enhances the fitness journey.

Adaptability is Key:

Accept that schedules and bodies change over time, requiring a flexible approach to fitness.

Experiment with different routines based on life stages and evolving needs.

Know When to Stop:

Acknowledge that exercise is just one element of overall health, and excessive exercise can lead to harm.

Listen to your body, understand limitations, and avoid pushing beyond reasonable boundaries.

In conclusion, the Finnish twin study, while intriguing, doesn't negate the fundamental truth: exercise is inherently beneficial. The core message remains—exercise regularly and discover what works for you. Good Fit's journey underscores the importance of simplicity, adaptability, and a holistic approach to fitness. As we conclude this series, remember that the essence of a healthy lifestyle is not found in constant updates but in timeless, foundational principal

[benefits1986]

The Fault in Our Starts

Let's kinda dig up more Zodiac-slanted shizzumz and do some auditing, shall we?

Slept better but again, woke up at around 4 AM. As I was scheduling a meeting next week, I realized that there are two holidays. WHOA. Biking szn na talaga ito, again. YAS.

So, Zodiacs. Let me be clear that this is but a curation of my lived truths as we try to debunk the myths that go with it. Mother dragon gauged all XX and XY based on their signs and birth years. This workflow covers all people I interact with. Friends, family, and ahem, landi tribe. She truly believes that there's bearing in these even when she is a Marian and a devout Catholic. Must be because my godparents are 99% Fil-Chi, but heck, she didn't have a single lucky charm except me, her baby donut. CHZ.

This is the first time that I'm counting whether or not I've dated all the Zodiacs, so I'm not so sure how this will pan out. To add some twist, I'd also try recalling their birth order. Not sure though if I can actually retrieve them from my defunct memory bank. Let's go. Baka may tama na naman mother dragon ko sa deep-ish dive na 'to.

Aquarius. Damn. We're actually starting strong. Only child. Silent but selos levels 10000000000. Creative-ish and thinks too deeply. Will make the effort to be with you wherever and whenever you go. Kaya kang hanapin sa Raon-Quiapo 'pag ayaw mong sagutin phone mo. Borderline stalking which appeared sweet at first, but, fuck. I cannot. Holds back feelings a lot, but had many outbursts, especially when selos levels hit home.

Pisces. Ohhh. This one's interesting. Apart from checking the spelling right now, this one's really devoted. As a Water sign, the emotions are intense; but I guess, more than the zodiac, it's because of being a middle child. We actually started with small talks, that escalated real quick to deep and dark and delulu conversations. Probably, one of the most dedicated ones; but blinded dedication is crazy. How crazy? Willing to wait even when all signs say unavailable.

Aries. OWEEEM. Middle child ulit. UGH. Very, very strong personality and dominant... but hey, it's me! The chaos, the ego battles, the non-stop banters. Magaling mamikon. Once the ego is tamed and vanquished, this Aries will be loyal but will appear distant. Badly put, ayaw umamin ng tama at mali niya. Will show you grand gestures but without the words to back it up. One of the most intense and life-changing encounters I've had, because Aries people are not backing down when they say that they are dead serious. Note: Mom said, Aries is my most ugh ka-sign. :D But hey, dad ko is an Aries. Hahahahaha. Just saying.

Taurus. The zodiac I am staying away from. Hear me out, first. My twin Taurus towers are my strongest and most meaningful connections in my entire herstory. LOL. And, look where it got me... they died too early. I always feel bullied ng Bulls, as in. :( Why so? Give na give na give na give na dinaig pa pagiging self-giving ko.

One of the most graphic date-hiritan-habulan in my book is with Taurus. Bunso, so pabebe matic naman na. Taurus e. Kinda like Aries but in terms of hambog, mas less ng slight. Won't keep up with BS. Won't mince words. Won't back down. Aggressive but with preno and buga na laging pang-gulat. But, very, very, very devoted and has a really, really kind heart and strong spirit. Ilalapag lahat sa harap mo. Ikaw na lang bahala paano mo i-take. Misjudged malimit kasi parang walang pake, pero meron, meron, meron. Also, this Taurus is sakitin kaya no choice but to be maselan. Dahil yata sa Taurus na 'to na 'di nag-reveal ng birthday niya until sa kalagitnaan na ng kaganapan, stress levels 10000000000. I even asked kung talaga bang birthday niya is ____ a few times. Then, ekis na agad. Sorry na kasi. Tinanong pa ako kung anong problema, sabi ko fuck off. Never again. Made up elaborate excuses, too, kasi maka-debate, akala mo Miting de Avance. Hayup.

Note: While I steer clear of Taurus, 2023 has been a Taurus town in my book. FUCK. So 'pag may birthday greetings ako ng Taurus szn, I freeze and retreat, a lot. TBT, though, Taurus may be one of my most intentional signs to date. FML. So, iwas-Taurus szn continues. Hahahahaha.

Gemini. Wala akong matandaan. Sorry. Baka walang nag-stick. Hahahahaha.

Cancer. HAHAHAHHAHAHA. Bunso. May pattern ang sign na 'to. Falls in love easily and gets bored a lot. Shemay. Emotions are spot on. Akala mo may Netflix series kang aabangan. Stubborn and will try their best to win you harapan most of the time. Sentimental, homebody and romantic. Very easy to please. UGH. Very interesting din kasi Cancerians are deeply rooted sa family but appears to be lone wolves. Delulu levels 10000000000. Gusto ka ng patirahin agad-agad sa bahay awardee kahit saglit pa lang kayo magkakakilala.

Note: This is the reason why I CTRL + ALT + DEL my feelings and feeling ko talaga Aries-Taurus with sprinkles of Cancer akong nilalang. Ayokong maging tulad ng mga 'to 'pag tanda ko. LOLOLOLOLL.

Leo. Quick one lang 'to kasi cutie kagulo szn, so parang not counted. Bunso, if I remember it right. Hahahahahaha. Though date is full of adventures and misadventures. Ma-ego ang Leo, 'yun lang.

Virgo. SHET na malagkit 'to. Panganay. Vindictive levels 100000. Too traditional that's too boring for me, pero naman, 'wag ka, when no one's around, wagas maging aggressive. Obsession levels 1000000. Buntot levels 100000000000. UGH. Sensitive but will appear independent and unbothered. Likes overhearing conversations online and offline, a lot. So kung gusto mo 'yung "you and me and only us against the world" partner, baka pang-Virgo ka. Try mo.

Libra. Pang-balance talaga. Only child. Hmmm. Another interesting one kasi super calculated ang risk ng Libra na 'to. Kung baga, gusto niya sigurado. Walang mintis. Too peaceful borderline timid but there'd be times na the scales are off. And when that happens, lagot. LOL. Silent snob geek. Pero, what I like best is we had the craziest laughs and I was able to cry din naman because Libra is a good listener. Less doer lang o baka siya lang 'yun as a sedated soul.

Scorpio. Sizzling. Feeling only child. HAHAHAHAHHAHA. Sexual tension is off the roof. And they're not afraid to showcase their goodies even when they're fully clothed. Ganun. Very sentimental and 'yung pagka-deep, madalas 'di ko maarok. Too indie also. LOL. Craves and carves their own space as they wait for the deadly sting.

Sagittarius. I think wala pa rin kasi feeling ko lang naman, kawawa sila since same lang Xmas gift and birthday gift nila. LUH. Anong connect?

So, buti naman, hindi tayo naka-12 out 12 for today's kagulo sa utak session. Reading the stuff above, pare-pareho lang din kasi mga tao. I argue with mom a lot na, kesa i-box 'yung mga tao based sa sign nila, bakit ba hindi na lang maging fair game for all? Lahat naman kasi talaga may flags -red, beige and green, right? Also, as a Cancer myself, while I may have qualities of the Crab, it does not mean that I am all that. Nature versus nurture pa rin talaga. And, I think, zodiac dating is but a grand alibi. Mala-Fallacy of Love. LOL. Hala.

Habol muna sa mga trabahong bahay na tambak because I'm nursing a broken nail na sumagad sa laman nung kuko ko. Pointer finger pa 'to. :( Plus work and hustles weekend because it's a long weekend. I will try my best to down so much work para sa Japan trip kong may 1% chances of winning and winging it. Pampagana forda bonus and bills and bahay in 2024. Plus, really, really excited sa mga kaganapans and at the same time, may halong takot of the unknown as a people watcher. Sigh. Though I'm not part of alignments na pangmalakasan. Start up girl ako, kaya I'm but trying my best to make the most out of what's on my plate as I try to break down silos kahit sobrang daling maging aggressive-aggressive mode because, the silos are thin and shaking. 'Yung pitikin ko lang, giba na; but, iba na ako ngayon. Hahahahahaha. 'Wag lang sa core values ko. Ako lang naman 'yun. Sa tingin ko lang sa takbo ng mga ganaps. PS1: I was backreading posts and my oh my, I realized na this thought fart corner has been evolving. Mas maganda structure ko the past years to be honest. BUT, I do this style because I'd like to keep up with slang and para ma-practice ako mainam for work and life after work. ALSO, mas wala na akong subtext ngayon compared noon na hindi ko na rin malaman kung ano 'yung imagined and ano 'yung reality. Mas buo na rin ako ngayon. Mas hindi takot kahit takot much pa rin. SKL. Bye for now.

[coteriesrp]

Tracing their lineage from the Egyptian would-be god of deception and chaos, the clan formerly known as the FOLLOWERS OF SET has a reputation as motley as their history. As much cult as clan, most of the Ministry adheres to a uniquely disruptive system of beliefs, fighting a war of morality and ideas against the legacy of Ra and the One God. Known and abhorred as tricksters, enticers, and outright liars, the clan has had a history of playing all sides in conflicts of the great sects. Their entry to the Camarilla rejected, many have joined the Anarch Movement and are now arming their twin weapons of temptation and subversion to bring spiritual liberation to all descendants of Caine.

Vampires of the Ministry typically Embrace from the ranks of the irreligious, the heretical, and the corrupt. Criminals are common targets, as are con-artists, stage fraudsters and self-help gurus. Likewise, the clan approaches those who seek to destroy or subvert religion. Proselytising atheists, iconoclasts, professors and students of philosophy, and historians who seek truth behind myth are all desired by the Ministry. The clan are drawn to those who know their way around human desires and falsehoods. The Ministry does not seek to corrupt them – this is a common misnomer – but they do seek out those who know how to handle debasement, fraud, and erosion of blind belief.

As they’re inducted into the vampiric condition (or often before), clan recruits are brought into the cult of Set. To the Ministry, the clan and their secret belief are intimately entwined, though their faith takes many forms. Equal part religion and memetic instrument, it can insert itself into any creed, organised or personal, and bring it down from within. Usually taking the shape of a subtle alternative to, or outright heresy against, its parent belief system, its ultimate purpose is to erode whatever faith it clings to, liberating (as the Ministry tells it) the believer from their former chains. It is no coincidence that the rise of the Cainite Heresy follow the growing Ministry presence in vampire domains. Many of the clan keep vast libraries of philosophical and theological tracts for this very purpose, in some cases making it a nightly occupation to hunt for ancient writings and artefacts to bring home to the cult. Others take a more improvisational route, seeking out to liberate subjects,  vampires and mortals alike, on a more personal level, not limited to the breaking of strictly religious convictions. Many months can be sunk into simply observing their mark, in order to deduce exactly what forbidden vices will yield the greatest temptation.

In vampire domains, the Ministry comfortably serves two purposes. On one hand they are suppliers unafraid to dirty their hands with drugs, vessels, and anything else on the desperate side of the tracks. On the other, they are the spiritual core of many coteries. This dichotomy does not pass the Ministry by. They dance with the devil and preach spiritual purity. Though some licks consider them hypocrites for this mixed message, the Ministers claim the role of martyrs: They fraternise with sin so others need not. In this way, they retain plausible deniability. Most vampire accept this explanation, as the Ministers’ usefulness outweigh most lingering suspicions.

THE MINISTRY BANE is that their Blood abhors the light. When exposed to direct illumination – whether natural or artificial – members of the clan recoil.

ministry archetypes.

FAITH HEALER

This Minister has always found it easiest to heal people through the power of words and faith. As a mortal, they were an evangelist, therapist, or homeopath convincing others with their kindness and strength of conviction that all ills can be believed away. As one of the Damned, they aren’t too different. Now, the sin they preach against is the Beast instead of simple mortal urges. This kind of Minister acts as the spiritual guide for other members of their coterie.

LIFETIME FRAUD

The Ministry prizes its frauds, con artists, and charlatans, both as the front of house for the clan and for their aptitude for relieving other vampires of burdensome guilt and deviancies. As a mortal this Minister likely had a fake name, a job for which they weren’t qualified, and told more lies to their partner than truths. A��real enigma who found it easy to move from city to city with just a suitcase in hand.

CONSPIRACY DEBUNKER

Considering they are the Clan of Lies, the Ministry has an unkind opinion of others who would deceive the masses. This Minister was dedicated to removing the veil from over the eyes of the people by debunking fake mediums, blowing holes in conspiracy theories, or using reason to combat the logical fallacies of religion. The Ministry values such a lick for their perception, and prizes them highly when they buy the clan line.

MOUTH OF THE GODS

This Minister was able to hear the voice of God before the Embrace. Ardent in their belief and skilled in channelling visions into action, they succeeded in life, raising a family, running a business, and were well-regarded throughout their hometown. Now Embraced, the voice of God has multiplied. Maybe it’s schizophrenia, maybe it’s the Beast and the Blood, perhaps it’s Sutekh and his family; this vampire believes all of them can be heard.

ENTREPRENEURIAL ARCHAEOLOGIST

Genuine archaeologists seldom get much money out of their profession. This Minister was once one, or at least an amateur enthusiast, and stumbled upon a trove of history they kept for themselves, leading their future sire to their doorstep. While they still pursue their passion for archaeology to keep up a legitimate front, many pieces go missing for study, trade with other enthusiasts, or just to be added to their personal collection.

[sushmitamukherjee]

Common Myths about IVF Treatment Debunked

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technology that has been used to help couples conceive since 1978. In recent years, it has become a popular option for families looking to start or expand their family. However, there are still many misconceptions and myths surrounding IVF treatment in Indore that can lead people to make decisions based on misinformation rather than facts.

One of the most common myths about IVF is that it’s only available for women over 40 or those who have had difficulty conceiving naturally in the past. While older women may benefit from using IVF due to age-related infertility issues, this isn't always the case; younger couples also use this method of conception if they're having trouble getting pregnant naturally as well as single parents and same-sex couples who want children of their own but cannot do so without medical assistance.

Another myth about IVF is that it's extremely expensive and not covered by insurance plans—but this isn't true either! Many insurance companies cover at least some portion of fertility treatments like IUI (intrauterine insemination) or even full cycles of IVF depending on your policy, making them more affordable than ever before! Additionally, there are financing options available through clinics that can help you pay for your treatment over time if necessary too!  

A third myth regarding fertility treatments such as IUI and especially with regards to successful outcomes after undergoing these procedures states “The younger you are when doing them, the better” – again, this could not be further from the truth. Age does play a role in success rates however other factors such as general health & lifestyle choices should also be taken into consideration during the decision-making process. It's important not just focus solely on one aspect when considering any kind of procedure!

Finally, another misconception around going through an IVF cycle involves multiple births - while twins & triplets occur more frequently with IVF patients due to high-quality embryos being implanted simultaneously; there is no guarantee that will happen every time - clinicians work hard to ensure each embryo transferred its best chance survival thus reducing chances multiples occurring overall!  

Overall understanding what is involved in undergoing IVF important factor to consider prior to committing yourself process – whether it's cost coverage concerns or questions related to success rate knowing facts first-hand is key to ensuring informed decisions are made throughout the entire journey towards parenthood!

[oneneasgodess-blog]

About to give up?

Feeling all twinned-out? A Twin Flame stage nobody ever talks about because it’s just not all peace, love & light Let’s take a stole down the dark side of the Twin Flame journey So last week I got a donation from a Soul brother who reads my articles and told me he likes my brutally honest, no bullsh*t approach to the Twin Flame concept rather than sugarcoating all the hard work it really involves with self. If you have read my stuff, you know there are no magic pills and that I believe this journey is much more about becoming who you are meant to be than getting hooked up with your twin. I also believe that when you have become who you are meant to be, that the relationship with the twin and everybody else will be so MUCH better – because you have completely transformed yourself. We are all caterpillars coming into this journey, meant to become the most breathtaking beautiful butterflies…   My blog fan totally challenged me (in a good way) by saying that a lot of twin flame teachings are just romantic spiritual porn, but not mine. Which basically gives me a new level to live up to, because I want to be that person that debunks all those Twin Flame myths, broaches all the Twin Flame taboos and gets as many people as possible unstuck in their journeys. I want to get you from crawling over the ground to soaring through the sky!   Not because I am a rebel at heart, but because this is my soul mission to cut through the crap of all the BS that does not get you where you need to be on your amazing magic filled adventure with your beloved – aka your Twin Flame journey. In the end only ONE thing interests me and that is bringing up the truth, because it is the truth that sets us free. Romantic spiritual porn is awesome to drift off on in illusion, but drifting off in illusions only creates delays, more suffering and extended timelines – i.e. they are a f*cking waste of valuable time that you could otherwise be investing in creating Heaven on Earth because that is our joint mission as Twin Flames. So guys and gals get ready for another truth bomb. Because this week I am venturing on the dark side of the Twin Flame journey which is tricky to do because we are going to discuss all those low vibe energies that aren’t fun at all – but we are going to address them in an ultra high vibed way. So you can release them, instead of stay stuck in them or repressing them because you are afraid that allowing them to be felt is gonna jinx your life and your union. It’s really not just all peace, love & light We live in a world of contrasts, our 3rd dimensional physical experience is one of duality. It’s not the ultimate truth we know that, but it is part of the living here on planet Earth experience. Many people new to spirituality and the Law of Attraction fear lower vibrational energies because they think experiencing them will only attract more sh*t in there lives. It doesn’t work like that. When you suppress negative emotions (pretend they aren’t there by sweeping them under the rug) they don’t actually go anywhere. In fact they become much more dangerous than allowing yourself to experience them, would ever be. This is because they are now subconsciously doing the very thing you feared, attracting more of the same matching vibrational frequency crap into your physical life experience. Anything you resist, persists – that is just how this Universe works.   So if you resist feeling so called negative emotions, than you are in fact locking them into your physical experience in a much deeper way, than if you would have allowed yourself to feel the emotion and let it move out of your vibrational system. If you fear that feeling your negative emotions is going to bring you out of alignment to union with your Twin Flame, repressing your so called negative emotions (pretending they aren’t there) WILL actually derail your energies because repressed emotions get stuck in your energy field which structurally lowers your vibrational frequency. This does not happen when you allow yourself to feel them and allow them to move out of your system. Your frequency might drop temporarily, but it will climb quickly after that. Plus if the negative experience NOW is linked to any past experience (even previous lifetimes is possible) that you still carried repressed emotions around, you would actually be able to raise your frequency higher than before because you just allowed yourself to let go of some old emotional gunk and sludge that was weighing down your vibrational field. In my online program the Align to Your Divine Plan Twin Flame Mastery Program I teach that you should look at emotions like taking a dump. When you have taken a sh*t on the toilet, you don’t turn around and make up all kinds of stories about your bodily waste. You are glad it’s out and you flush it away. Yet when it comes to emotions, we DO want to create all these stories around them, hold on to them, nurture them and so on. When basically all you have to do is just have yourself and emotional crap and flush it out. Most people either vomit their negative emotions on the other, which is a big no-no because the other is not responsible for how you feel – you are responsible for your own feelings. If they don’t vomit their emotions outwards, they either fester in them or keep them fuming inside (yeah I mean all you twin bashers – well actually you fester and puke) or the third option they stuff them way deep down so one day it will all erupt. These are all unhealthy ways to deal with all these tough, hard to handle and uncomfortable emotions. The real spiritual approach to emotions is just to allow them to be felt and breathe through it.   Then instead of wiping your tooshie, you smudge yourself and your surroundings and put your feet in a warm Epsom salt foot bath to help you fully release all the vibrational residue of the experienced emotion…. and you are good to go. It is that easy. You don’t have to hold on to the emotion. You don’t need to rehash it. You especially don’t need to deny it. You don’t need to analyze it or understand it. Just allow yourself to let that sh*t go. So now that you have given yourself permission to have negative emotions, let’s look at how they can be triggered on your Twin Flame journey. Let’s be honest your Divine counterpart is being a total pain in the *ss sometimes Let’s just get real with each other here for a minute, some parts of this journey totally s*ck! This is the kind of crap you have to deal with: Ghosting – not responding Benching – keeping you warm for later Rejection – taking back their love etc Abandonment – pulling you close and then running away No commitment – I love you, I want to be with you but, da-da-da-da…. Wishy-washiness – first they are hot then they’re cold No integrity – actions and words don’t match New or existing girlfriends or wives (guys you can turn this around – gays make it work for you ) Not being able to move on, because you never got closure and the list goes on and on….. All this stuff hurts like hell. Let’s not kid ourselves here. It not only brings up grieve, it also brings up anger because anger is a natural part of any grieving process and feeling as if you have lost your Twin Flame is often more painful than losing a loved one to death. It rips your heart out, pulverizes it and spits out the pieces. It’s brutal, unlike any loss or pain you have ever felt before. Yes, separation is an illusion but the experience sure feels painfully real.   Let’s not pretend it’s not. Sure, in the end we need to suck it up – but it is in the feeling of the intense depth of our pain that we actually push through and get to the other side of the transformation. Adversity is the biggest catalyst of change How much we would like to think that we can learn as much from getting our way and the love & light bit, it actually doesn’t work like that. The biggest catalyst for change is adversity. It’s when things don’t go as we planned and we don’t get what we want that we get forced out of our comfort-zones and THAT is where not only the magic happens, but the inner transformation. Last week I was watching another loop movie with my youngest son. If you don’t know what a loop day is, it’s based on the movie Groundhog day with Bill Murray in which he is forced to relive the same day over and over again until he ‘get’s it right‘. The overall theme in loop movies is that, you can’t get out of the loop until you have transformed whatever the loop was set up to transform, without knowing the plan in advance – you have to figure it out by trial and error. The movie we watched was a modern version of this. A college student wakes up in a dorm room on the day of her birthday over and over again, to figure out who kills her that day. The girl starts out as a spoiled brat that is not very nice to anyone basically. As the story progresses and we have watched her loop in waking up, trying to find her killer and then getting slaughtered every night – we see that she is wearing this b*tchy mask in order not to feel the pain of her mother’s early death a couple of years before. As the movie unfolds and she comes closer and closer to unmasking her killer she in facts heals deeper and deeper inside which makes her want to become a much better person. She makes a 180 degree turnaround in character, when she allows herself to deal with the traumatic effects of losing her mother at a young age and stops trying to avoid the pain it caused her. Watching this movie made me realize we are all ego brats when we start out on this Twin Flame journey, no matter how much spiritual or healing work you have done before you met your twin – you have a WHOLE transformation process ahead of you still. Yet it is the above mentioned crappy behavior of your twin, that will be the catalyst of this inner transformation together with the looping effect of not being able to move on from this person. In the end the suffering is so great that YOU MAKE IT STOP and when walking away is not an option, you are left no choice but to find what DOES work. As Twin Flames we are in exactly such a looping experience, until we figure out how to break the loop. Just like any character in a loop movie, we try the easy way out first. Then we try our old ways. When that doesn’t work we get frustrated and that frustration opens us up to trying new ways or actually our old ways not working leaves us no choice, but to try something new and that is the point of transformation that the loop was setup to create. To move you out of your old ways (3D) into a new way of being (seeing/feeling/doing) – the new 5th dimensional vibrational frequency of creating Heaven on Earth.   You can’t get there without experiencing the frustration of the old ways not working anymore – it’s impossible because these frequencies are mutually exclusive. You are meant to manifest 5D in your 3D physical experience, but you can’t access 5D if you stay stuck in old paradigm 3D thinking which is fear based and views the world from the ego perception of separation from the whole and source. The Twin Flame loop is set up to make this specific transformation from 3D to 5D – as a PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE not just some spiritual notion somewhere up there. 5D is not up there, it is a dimensional frequency that needs to be anchored in your daily life. Spirit has only one way to get you there and that is to not leave you any other option – but to move out of the old and into the new. If you got the guy or girl of your dreams immediately, there would be no incentive to do anything any other way because doing things the way you have always done them, got you what you wanted. It is in NOT immediately getting what you want, that you get stretched from who you were to begin with and who you wanted to become in this lifetime. How to break the loop?! You might think that loving your twin unconditionally is ALWAYS feeling love and saying yes, but unconditional love is also loving someone enough to not put up with their sh*t. It’s being able to see them for who they really are – the good, the bad and the ugly and inspiring them to live up to the highest expression of themselves. Way too many Divine Feminines use unconditional love as an excuse to become their Twin Flames doormat when loving unconditionally should also be directed at the self. You cannot love yourself unconditionally and at the same time be your twin’s doormat, you can’t love yourself and abandon your own truth and desires to meet the needs and wants of someone else. Unconditional love has to go both to yourself and the twin, because otherwise it’s not unconditional it’s codependent love – meaning you bending over backwards to deserve/earn/keep the love of another. Read this blog here about the new love templates Twin Flames are bringing into the world. In the whole analogy of shifting from old to new ways, codependent love is certainly old ways and masking codependent love by thinking you are loving unconditionally only keeps you looping because you aren’t shifting. Not only that, your twin’s obnoxious behavior will continue because he (Divine masculine) can’t shift if you don’t. If you keep accepting bad behavior from your twin because you love them ‘unconditionally‘ you are doing yourself and them a disfavor. Say your twin is married and keeps coming around to you for sex, just because that person is your Twin Flame does not change the fact that you are having an affair with a married person. But above all this is not a way to get this person to commit to you, if this person really wants to be with you sex is not going to be the decisive factor. Yet making them feel what their life will be like without you in it, is sheer manipulation. Standing up for yourself has to be authentic, not a way to get what you want because in a loop scenario you can’t manipulate your way out of the loop effect.   The shift has to be real and genuine to break the loop. In the case of Twin Flames, what binds most twins in the looping effect is the fear that if they let their twin go – they will lose them forever. Fear of loss is at THE ROOT of codependency (read this powerful article on how codependency shows up in the Twin Flame connection) and it is this fear that makes way too many Divine Feminines shy away from speaking their truth, standing in their power and becoming who they are meant to be – because they subconsciously fear that choosing for themselves will cost them their connection with their twin. They don’t realize that this is the transformation the loop was set up to make. You becoming who YOU are meant to be, fully and unapologetically. If this person truly is your Twin Flame, he/she will revel in the sight of you expressing your highest version of yourself. If they split because of it, good riddens – you don’t need anyone in your life holding you down or small. Remember you aren’t meant to be a caterpillar you are meant to soar the skies. Key symptoms of feeling all twinned-out It’s when you realize that you can’t force yourself out of the loop. You can’t manipulate your way out of it and that you have exhausted yourself trying all the old ways that did not work, that you get to a point of desperation and despair and this happens at various times of the journey – when just before a massive shift you in fact feel all twinned-out. You just don’t care as much anymore. You don’t feel your twin as much anymore. Your telepathy disappeared maybe. You don’t think about your twin as much or any other shift in your connection that may make you wonder – Do I still love this person as much? Is this really my Twin Flame? Or everything feels lost and over, is this really the end? Of course if you get entangled and stuck in negative emotions then you have a problem. If this is the case for you now, write yourself an email as if it is directed to the Universe and ask your Divine guidance team to show you the truth of the situation you are angry about and what you need to know. This will open up the way to see what is happening in your physical experience from the highest perspective, which will help you to understand and forgive if necessary. There are many moments on this journey that doubt or negative feelings creep in, yet there also seems to be a taboo on expressing them because well then this person must not be your Twin Flame and sure this can apply to some cases. There are certainly people out there mistaking very toxic and abusive relationships for Twin Flame connections, but to think that this journey is all peace, love & light is an illusion. Anything that forces you out of your comfort zone is going to bring up a variety in emotions and not ALL of these emotions are going to be 100% positive – that is the reality of life.   It is actually a very positive sign if you are starting to feel all twinned-out because it means your are coming more into balance. It also means you are close to an important pivot point of either coming into physical union with your twin or finally being able to move on with your life. A prerequisite for it truly being twinned-out and not just sick and tired of (read impatient with) the journey, is that you have made the inner transformation, which I talk about here in this article on inner union. Many people freak out when they start to feel more neutral or maybe even somewhat negative toward the twin – afraid it means all is lost perhaps. I wrote this article to help you understand that there is nothing to fear if you are experiencing this, because as you can read in the descriptions below ALL of this is helping you come into a deeper alignment with your deepest heart’s desire. Here are some signs that you are starting to feel twinned-out: No. #1 You are done obsessing over your twin You don’t miss your twin, think about them 24/7 anymore or hope they will come back. This is because you have healed the voids in yourself that you were trying to fill externally. You are meeting your own needs now and therefor don’t NEED the other in the way you felt you needed them before. No. #2 You lost interest in the Twin Flame subject You don’t want to read anymore information about Twin Flames, watch YouTube reads or be part of Twin Flame groups. You just lost interest in the subject and are focused on other things in your life. You are no longer waiting for your twin to come back, instead you are creating the life you love and want to live. No. #3 You are ready to drop the Twin Flame label You stop identifying with the Twin Flame label, meaning seeing yourself as a Twin Flame or the other as a twin. Maybe the whole Twin Flame concept is bullsh*t anyway? Letting go of the Twin Flame label helps you open up to the truth of the connection. It’s a sign that you are ready to face the truth, you have overcome your fear of loss on all levels. Because if this person truly is your Twin Flame, the connection can’t ever be lost anyway. No. #4 You see your twin for who they really are – a mere mortal You see your twin for who they really are and for the first time dare to get honest about if this other person even fits into your life at the moment. Do you really want to be together with this person, as they are now? You may even think your twin is a total bleep-bleep and that’s okay. Most Twin Flames start off their journey thinking their Divine counterpart is a demigod, but no one can stay on such a high pedestal and you certainly can’t be together with someone you have placed high above yourself. Because by putting them on a pedestal, you have placed them out of your league. So seeing your twin for the imperfect human being they are is actually a massive step forward to getting into an actual physical relationship with them. It means that you can see the real person instead of the romantic fantasies you were projecting on them. No. #5 You are no longer over-focused on union You are not obsessing or focused on union. You are fine one way or the other. Actually the more neutral you become about being in a relationship with your twin, the more you become a vibrational match to it. Wanting something TOO much actually demagnetizes you. My favorite Florence Scovel Shinn quote is: Your ship come in over a “don’t care” sea. When you can be happy with or without your heart’s desire, it will suddenly appear.   Florence teaches that there is an occult law of indifference. “None of these things move me.” “None of these things disturb me” we might say in modern language. When you can no longer be disturbed, all disturbance will disappear from the external. No. #6 You may even feel disconnected from your twin When you don’t feel the immense pull or feel your twin period, this is not a bad thing. It may feel like you are fully disconnected energetically – the connection feels as dead as a door nail. Though it may feel alarming, the disconnect allows you both to fully focus on what is going on for YOU in this moment, which would not be possible if you still felt super close and connected to your twin. Remember on this journey the souls use both closeness and distance to facilitate the inner transformation it has come to create. No. #7 You have let go of fixed timelines You may have lost faith in all the signs and synchs you have gotten or you still acknowledge them but don’t take them to mean that physical union is going to happen tomorrow or super soon. You realize that the signs and synchs are confirmation from your Divine guidance team that you are on the right path and heading in the right direction and that physical union is not the goal of this journey, it’s a byproduct. Of course before you get to this point you first had to loose faith, which when you do makes you think all these signs and synch are only just f*cking with your head. This leads to feeling misled by the Divine, which of course feels very scary and sh*tty. Faith however doesn’t mean getting what you want, the way you wanted it. It means trusting despite outer experiences that the Universe always has your back and is helping you come into vibrational alignment with your deepest heart’s desire. It asks you to understand that the seemingly irritating delays, are in fact the very thing that are aligning you deeper and deeper to the very thing you have asked for. Provided you don’t give up, because you didn’t get YOUR WAY. No. #8 You stepped into your power and found your self worth You have developed healthy boundaries and self worth which makes you not put up with any of your twin’s crap anymore. When you have truly overcome your codependency and the underlying fear of loss, you have no issues standing up to your twin or anyone else. This again has to be authentic and not just a way to get the other back, your problems in your Twin Flame connection are vibrational in nature therefore you cannot fake it. If your so called healthy boundaries are coming from ego, they aren’t in fact healthy boundaries they are merely masked attempts to force the other person to give you what you want. When you truly step into your power you could care less about what the other person does or doesn’t do because you know they aren’t the source of love in your life, YOU are. As you are no longer seeking fulfillment outside of you or fearing to lose something outside of you that you falsely believe you need – you no longer need to wear masks or please others. Instead you give yourself permission to become the REAL you – not the you you think you need to be to others to get what you want or feel you need. No. #9 You realized you can’t screw up your union anyway  Many Divine Feminines fear screwing up their union one way or another and it’s all just fears in your heads ladies, figments of your imagination. Remember EVERYTHING your twin triggers inside of you is meant to help you purge old emotions and heal on the deepest level. Also the very negative feelings are part of this clean up. Since November 2017 my twin and I have worked through betrayal issues and deep core wounding that I didn’t even know was tucked away in the far depths of my subconscious. In this period I have been pissed as h*ll with him and I have made him well aware of it. He knows how angry I have been and has just endured and supported my rage being unleashed. Of course throughout this process I have remained respectful to him, but I have really spoken my truth. He knows what I am upset about and why. This is what has been going on on a 3D level. So I was just in Ibiza for my very first Gangsta Goddesses retreat and we went up to Es Vedra where I did a meditation to ground my light body on one of the most magnetic spots worldwide next to the North Pole and the Bermuda Triangle. My twin has showed up in my dreams off and on but for the rest our communication has consisted of me speaking my truth and him patiently reading it. On that rock in front of Es Vedra – I am doing this meditation and out of nowhere I feel my twin’s energy coming in full force into my heart and grounding the light body with me on that spot. I have no idea what it means, but what I do know is that our higher selves laugh at our 3D tiffs and troubles. They have their own agenda and are implementing that whether we cooperate or not. I mean I have been angry with him for months and I have either not spoken to him or when I opened my mouth gave him truth bombs that he is still trying to digest and he shows up energetically anyway. I have not been easy on him at all, yet his higher self is not bothered one bit by my 3D behavior. The same can be said for me, I have been pissed with him for some time and have certainly not been his most adoring fan like I have been in the past. There was no reason for me to think of him or to want to feel him grounding my/our light body together. I am perfectly capable of grounding my own, thanks. I certainly didn’t invite him to come and honestly I am not impressed with his current 3D behavior as well, so there was no longing inside of me to have him show up in this way energetically. It happened nonetheless and it made me realize once again, you can’t screw things up with your twin – provided they are really your Twin Flame. Since I have let go of the twin label for myself in my own process, the Universe has been staking up the confirmation in all different ways. I see it and acknowledge it, but stay in a state of indifference as much as possible. I’ll tell you why. Recently I went to Mother Meera where I also met up with the lovely Ana Souto from the Bloom From Within Project. I had been thinking about the guy (twin) while driving to the event. I had thought about everything that had happened in our lives since we met. Sometimes you have these thoughts that just come with ultra awareness and this happened to me as I walked in the door. I remembered how much I had wanted to marry this man and have his baby. A desire we had both strongly felt and I thought of how different things had unfolded for us and that he was even married to someone else now. At that moment I felt such gratitude and acceptance for where I am now and that what I had gotten from this journey has been so much more valuable, then being married to him and having his child would have been if I had gotten it at that time. I love babies and children, but the bliss of having a child with the man you love is nothing compared to the bliss of truly coming home to yourself. Not to mention the fact that cleaning up all the core wounding like I have is going to make any future relationship with him or someone else so much better because I am no longer coming to a relationship with a beggars cup, begging to be loved. I am coming with a cup flowing over with love for myself and the other. If this is where this journey has already brought me now, in a space of being – far beyond what I had envisioned for myself, then I am in awe of where I will be once my higher self has brought me where it wants me to be in this lifetime. This realization alone helped me to surrender even deeper to the Divine Plan my soul scripted for me, because it has proven to me without a shadow of a doubt that it’s plan for me is much more magical and majestic than anything I can come up with in the limited 3D version of myself. I pray this article serves you and helps you further along on your journey. Donations are very thankfully received. If you wish to make a donation of any amount, you can do so here. Wishing you magic and miracles on this amazing adventure with your beloved. If this article resonates with you please share it abundantly. Thank you.         Twin Flame reunion energy is flooding in, are you ready to reunite with your twin? 11 Twin Flame side effects that hardly anyone ever talks about, in this way … Astrology and Twin Souls, here is how the planets are influencing your Twin Flame journey in… 7 reasons to stop dating and become exclusive with your Twin Flame (even when you are not together) 50 shades of silence on the Twin Flame journey, the real reason why the Divine Masculine… Help! My Twin Flame is in a romantic relationship with someone else – does this mean…

[lejacquelope]

Read this and see to destroy Toxic Masculinity Theory right at its roots.

Toxic Masculinity theory fails on its first premise: masculinity. Masculinity is a construct. It is nothing more than a set of stereotypes associated with males, usually negative ones like domestic violence, rape and harassment. In an age where femininity is recognized as something to be defined by the individual, feminists are eager to define masculinity for men, and assign it all the worst contexts. 

Full stop. The entire toxic masculinity narrative gets beheaded by that fact alone.

But the toxic masculinity narrative fails in countless other ways, too. For instance

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Toxic_masculinity

"The pervasive idea of male-female interactions as competition, not cooperation" is listed as one example of toxic masculinity. Feminists fail spectacularly here in that male-female interactions are competitive across almost the entirety of the animal kingdom, and have been competitive since humans came down from grace or trees (depending on your theory of our origin), long before Patriarchy ever happened.

"The expectation that Real Men are strong, and that showing emotion is incompatible with being strong." - again, failure to understand the nature of animals and animal sexual reproduction. Very few animal species decline to dispose of weak males. 

"the idea that a Real Man cannot be a victim of abuse"

https://jezebel.com/294383/have-you-ever-beat-up-a-boyfriend-cause-uh-we-have

https://www.xojane.com/issues/domestic-violence-shelters-for-men

Are Jezebel or XoJane in any way an icon of Toxic Masculinity? Nope, they are feminist websites. And they mock or outright dismiss male victims of abuse.

"The myth that men are not interested in parenting" - apparently they've never heard of Caroline Norton and the "Tender Years" doctrine... ironically: Caroline Norton's complaint was women were losing custody to fathers as a result of divorce. Fathers who, feminists charge, have now, somehow, been "told by men" that they're not interested in parenting.

https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Tender+Years+Doctrine

These are all myths that power the Toxic Masculinity narrative, myths that are easily debunked by reality, often by feminists' own words and behavior.

But there are many other failings of Toxic Masculinity Theory to address.

Toxic Masculinity theory denies the existence of Toxic Femininity.

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Toxic_femininity

(Let us clarify here: Toxic Masculinity and Toxic Femininity are equally bogus concepts, but where one is asserted to exist, the other must also necessarily exist.)

For instance feminism says that women who abuse children, for instance, are not an example of "toxic femininity", they're somehow just trying to participate in supporting "the patriarchal structure". This ignores the fact that child abuse and murder by males and females alike happen throughout the animal kingdom and among male and female humans even before Patriarchy ever happened - namely, long before the Dawn of Agriculture.

Here's a fact that bears repeating, and that feminists try to downplay: females also commit heinous crimes. When a woman commits rape, domestic violence or harassment against a man, even murder, feminists don't attribute this to toxic anything. Women committing crimes against men are "one bad apple" (see the Geek Feminism Wikia above) rather than an example of "toxic femininity".

Women cheering domestic violence against men 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUna51rI_eQ

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=2741047

is entirely ignored or downplayed by feminism, and certainly not referred to as toxic femininity. There is no guilt by group association at all that is leveled at women who openly cheer women's abuse of men.

The reality is, neither Toxic Masculinity nor Toxic Femininity exist. Masculinity is no more toxic than femininity.

But it gets worse. Women who are victims of violence by other women get no sympathy, either. This is a big problem for women victims because when females are interacting with females: 

1. Females constitute the majority of cyberbullies, their victims mainly being other females.

http://www.guardchild.com/cyber-bullying-statistics/

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/female-bullying.html

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2010/09/02/girls-cyberbully-more-than-boys/

2. Rape is reported in at least one out of three lesbian relationships:

http://pandys.org/articles/lesbiandomesticviolence.html

https://www.autostraddle.com/when-women-rape-everything-were-not-talking-about-185931/

(According to the CDC, 43 percent of lesbians have experienced rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner compared to 35 percent of heterosexual women)

http://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a19495/women-raped-by-women/

3. Domestic violence between women partners is also proportionally high:

https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/11/myths-ipv-lesbian-relationships/

https://mainweb-v.musc.edu/vawprevention/lesbianrx/factsheet.shtml

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/a37015/intimate-partner-violence-in-lesbian-relationships/

Many articles that talk about lesbian partner violence state that it's hard for women to seek help when they're a victim of this. This is because of toxic masculinity theory: feminism has framed domestic violence and harassment as a male thing, using the toxic masculinity narrative. Feminism is completely lost when trying to address women-on-women violence, which in the context of relationships happens more, proportionally speaking, than male-on-female violence. As a result there is no significant campaign to save women from violent women partners. Of course the feminist-dominated mainstream media will not speak of it at all. Again, toxic masculinity has nothing to do with this, nor does patriarchy, when feminists themselves are exerting such little effort to raise public awareness of women who are violent toward each other. There are no marches about it, no ribbons, no protests. Why? Because that would interrupt the toxic masculinity narrative, that would lead people to start wondering, is femininity any less toxic than masculinity? Feminists can't have that kind of discussion catching fire.

Toxic masculinity also does not explain the rise in crimes by women - something England has talked about, but not America:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/6402187/Violent-crime-by-women-on-the-increase.html

http://www.podology.org.uk/#/increasing-female-crime/4556339412

But there is something that does explain it: the pressures of life are weighing down on women more than ever before, making things more equal. And as a result women are losing their gourd the same way that men are, but to lesser numbers. As the society-wide "women are wonderful" effect wears off and women are treated the same way as men, their crimes will increase: which is not to say women are awful - far from it, it is to say women and men are pretty much the same. Under the same pressures they will behave the same way.

Going back to Patriarchy, we can see how equally corrupt women are to men if we look at Patriarchy's mirror twin: Matriarchy. Ancient matriarchal societies were notorious for paternity fraud. It was so rampant that no one really even cared who a child's father was, because no one even knew. This is part of why those societies collapsed.

But a few have persisted.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6-modern-societies-where-women-literally-rule

http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/05/where-women-rule-the-world-matriarchal-communities-from-albania-to-china-3525234/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/11065364/Inside-the-Brazilian-all-woman-village-desperate-for-men.html

Here are some common things you'll find in modern existing matriarchies:

1. Women own property, not men.

2. Children are known by their mother's lineage, not the father's.

3. Women decide who holds power.

4. The Chinese Mosuo have no word for "father" or "husband" and women take as many lovers as they want.

5. Pornography is on the verge of being banned in Iceland, where feminism prevails.

6. The presence of men is forbidden entirely in Alapine, Alabama and in Noiva do Cordeiro, Brazil, although the latter has begun to invite men due to the burning desire for sexual companionship. (Proof that misandry hurts women, just as misogyny hurts men.)

7. Men cannot vote in the matriarchal society of Meghalaya, India, nor can they own property.

Sound familiar? Yup, this sounds just like the male power system in its most stereotypical form, aka Patriarchy, but for women, so it's a Matriarchy.

The root argument of toxic masculinity is that sexism is based on male power structures. Benevolent sexism, another bogus narrative, also supposedly springs from this.

The obvious truth is obvious: women can and do form female power structures just as men do, and when it happens, they are just as sexist, and sometimes outright exclusionary, even if women do it more rarely because men simply leave such societies to die. The difference is that women in these matriarchal societies are not in any way looking to change, much less give up their institutionalized advantages. The Patriarchy, on the other hand, put itself out of its sad misery by giving women the right to vote (something that the knuckle-dragging neo Patriarchs of the Trump movement want to revoke).

De facto temporary matriarchies, such as all-female workplaces, can be quite harmful to women. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2012/04/30/why-women-are-the-worst-kind-of-bullies/

Of course, feminists delude themselves that this wouldn't happen if, outside of these all-female bubbles, there wasn't a male-dominated power structure to be dragged in and blamed for these women's woes.

It never occurs to feminists that they were actually right when they said women are equal to men in character (and all other things). Humans will always act poorly around each other. The truth is men and women are both vulnerable to forming gender-based power structures (due to tribalism) which are equally sexist and corrupt. And feminism doesn't have an answer or a narrative for that.

The narrative, however is simple: our problem is not Toxic Masculinity or Toxic Femininity, but rather Toxic Humanity.

[atonjoneslove]

IVF MYTHS AND FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

A lot of people will tell you tales about IVF but don’t believe them all. Having a baby is a lot harder for some people and after trying naturally for a while, they decide it’s time to reach out and get proper help. Hi-Tech IVF Treatment is a great resource for many couples out there that are trying to conceive. IVF is not something that happens magically overnight. It takes a while for a woman to get pregnant through IVF and choosing the best IVF specialist is important as well. Read on as we debunk the most common myths about IVF and break down the facts for you.

Myth: IVF Cost - It is too expensive

Fact: IVF treatment in India is far more affordable than most other countries

With the rising infertility problems due to various reasons, there is a need for affordable IVF treatment. The IVF cost in India is affordable and economical. And as per the recent data, the IVF success rate in India is one of the best in the world, thanks to the experience of the specialists and the availability of the latest technology. Though there is no credible cumulative data available to exactly represent the success rates of IVF in India across different hospitals and clinics, it is believed to be somewhere around 60 – 70% while the global average is 40 – 50%.

Myth: Kids born from IVF are different

Fact: Every kid is unique irrespective of the way they are conceived

This holds no truth. People come up with the weirdest myths, don’t you think? A child's personality is unique and inborn, and the method of conception will not influence it in any way. The only difference that lies between the two is the way they are conceived. Rest, they are no different. In fact, IVF babies are just as healthy and adorable as other babies!

Myth: IVF means you will have multiple births

Fact: IVF doesn’t automatically guarantee twins or triplets

IFV only increases a person's chance of becoming pregnant with a fertilized egg. So don’t fall into this myth that you will end up having a lot of kids in one go when you have IVF done to help you get pregnant. The chance of having twins or triplets is higher than average but a majority of women who go through IVF treatment have a single child.

Myth: Age doesn’t matter

Fact: Your biological clock does tick

Fertility decreases steeply after the age of 37. All women, healthy or not, lose 10,000 eggs every month since birth and slow down at puberty to 1,000 per month until they run out of eggs, which we define as menopause.

Myth: IVF treatments go against nature

Fact: IVF is a boon for childless couples looking to become parents

Being able to give birth is the most natural thing in the world. Fertility treatments are there just to help someone who is not able to conceive by bypassing all the barriers causing this difficulty and let nature do the rest.

Myth: IVF doesn’t work for obese people

Fact: Women get pregnant through IVF and deliver a baby despite their weight

It is a big myth that IVF only works for people who have a healthy body shape and BMI. Women, irrespective of their weight, stand a chance to get pregnant. Although unhealthy body charts may lower egg count in some women, there is no denying that IVF is prejudiced against obese women.

Myth: IVF raises the risk of cancer

Fact: IVF does not raise cancer risk

One of the biggest misconceptions about IVF treatments is that it potentially increases the risk of women developing breast and ovarian cancer since women are injected with "extra" hormones. Again, this is absolutely false and has been proven by science.

If you’re worried about fertility or have questions about IVF facts that we haven’t addressed above, you can always contact us.

[jessicakehoe]

Wonder Women: 4 Canadians Changing the Face of Health & Beauty

They move us. They shake us. They make us laugh. They make us think. In addition to our October cover star Annie Murphy, we’re highlighting the Canadian women—across fashion, culture, beauty and more—who are impressing us the most right now.

MIMI CHOI, MAKEUP ARTIST

Everything can feel like an illusion on Instagram, and the looks that Mimi Choi creates are exactly that. Using her own face and body as a canvas, the Vancouver-based makeup artist has gone viral on the platform for her mind-bending portraits that fall somewhere between surrealism and special effects. Her work has not only racked up more than a million followers (as well as complimentary DMs from Marc Jacobs) but also landed her partnerships with cosmetics brands like M.A.C and Make Up For Ever, redefined Instagram makeup and inspired a new genre of face painting. It’s a surprising turn of events for Choi, who only a few years back was working at a Montessori preschool teaching mathematics and making crafts out of pencil shavings and toilet paper rolls while doing bridal makeup on weekends. Much like Isamaya Ffrench, an artist Choi admires who started her makeup artistry training painting faces at children’s birthday parties, Choi developed an interest in a career outside the classroom through her work with young students. “I realized that I really enjoy teaching art and discovered my creativity,” she says. At 28, she quit her job and enrolled in makeup school. Illusion makeup wasn’t part of the curriculum, says Choi, so she started experimenting with the technique on the side. One night, inspired by a motion-photography image she’d seen that captured a person running, she painted several blurry eyes on her face. “I remember posting it and then going to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I was like ‘Holy cow!’” During the night, she’d acquired thousands of likes and followers, and within weeks, artists from all over the world started recreating what she had done.

Since then, Choi has dabbled in a range of different looks inspired by everything from food (sushi and spaghetti and meatballs) to nature (ocean waves and pandas). But the majority of her work skews creepy, mined from the terrifying visions she has during spells of sleep paralysis, which she has suffered from since childhood. And she still does wedding makeup from time to time. “Bridal makeup is kind of an illusion, too,” she says. “You’re tweaking the person’s natural beauty and revealing a different layer of themselves.”

Each image Choi paints on her skin is a culmination of as many as eight hours of brush wielding and painstaking makeup application as she sits inches from her mirror, fuelled by green tea and chocolate. “I don’t need to take breaks, and I don’t talk,” she says. That’s one of the reasons Choi finds being the subject easier than working with one—she worries about the well-being of whomever is occupying her makeup chair. But the time commitment and stamina required to sit still for long stretches wasn’t an issue for Ezra Miller, whose face Choi transformed for this year’s Met Gala.

Choi’s list of go-to products is surprisingly lean (unlike makeup artist Pat McGrath’s; she totes up to 75 bags during fashion week). “When people see my kit, they say ‘That’s it?’” Choi isn’t precious about her art either: Once she has snapped a masterpiece, she washes it right off. Except for that time when she was in New York and decided to walk to pick up takeout after a long day of shooting. “The restaurant was five minutes away, but it took me an hour to get there because everyone was stopping me and asking if they could touch my face.” —Sarah Daniel

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You can do nothing for me but work on yourself. I can do nothing for you but work on myself.

A post shared by ＭＩＭＩ ＣＨＯＩ (@mimles) on Sep 25, 2019 at 7:17am PDT

DR. JEN GUNTER, OBSTETRICIAN AND GYNECOLOGIST

You may think that calling out a $250-million wellness empire headed by Gwyneth Paltrow on its wild claims is a straight-up power move. However, Dr. Jen Gunter is simply on a mission to shed light on the pervasive myths and misinformation (both online and off) surrounding women’s health.

The Winnipeg-born, San Francisco-based obstetrician and gynecologist, who has specialized in vulvar and vaginal diseases for nearly three decades, never intended on making a living by debunking pseudo-science and sensational health claims touted by celebs. That is, until she gave birth prematurely to her twin sons. Like anyone with access to a computer, Gunter sought to educate herself by searching for information online only to be faced with pages upon pages of false claims and methods not backed up by science. “I started to think, ‘If there’s that much misinformation about prematurity, then what the hell are MY patients reading about women’s health?’” she says over the phone.

Fondly referred to as Twitter’s resident gynecologist, Gunter highlights the truths about women’s health not only on the social media platform but also on her blog and in two columns (weekly and monthly) that she pens for The New York Times. She recently released her first book, The Vagina Bible, which provides fact-checked and medically backed information on anything and everything you need to know about women’s health. “There is so much patriarchal messaging in everything surrounding the ‘dirty’ aspect of women’s bodies,” says Gunter. “And that’s because telling women they are dirty is profitable.” Needless to say, Gunter touches on the harms of douches and wipes, the purpose of having hair down there and more.

As for her other projects, Gunter is writing a book on menopause and currently stars in her very own CBC show called Jensplaining, which focuses on debunking common myths and issues (“like your life is over when you hit menopause or the fact that people can’t even say the word ‘period’”). As the old phrase states, knowledge is power, and Gunter is making it her life’s work to ensure that women are armed with facts in order to regain power over the choices they make about their bodies. —D’Loraine Miranda

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My latest for @nytimes While PCOS is associated with infertility, there are many medical reasons why it matters outside of fertility. Follow the link above to read more.

A post shared by Jen Gunter (@drjengunter) on Oct 5, 2019 at 2:08pm PDT

ROSE-MARIE SWIFT, FOUNDER OF RMS BEAUTY

Severe health challenges led Rose-Marie Swift to discover that the toxic chemicals and heavy metals in her system were also in the beauty products she used. So the West Vancouver native created an organic colour-cosmetics line that is now sold worldwide.

What did you recently learn that had a powerful effect on your life? “Knowledge is power, but there is knowledge outside of education and experience, and that is listening to your intuition. I intuitively knew answers, but I ignored them and made mistakes that I regretted. Now, I actually listen to my intuition, which has had a major impact on my life. I totally trust it now.”

Do you believe in the power of admitting a mistake? “I am the first one to admit when I have made a mistake. Ego and stubbornness are a turnoff, and they get you nowhere.”

How do you use your power for good? “As a makeup artist in the industry for over 36 years, I learned through experience that power­ful elements are available via Mother Nature and that the knowledge of their power was not being truly recognized by today’s beauty industry. I used that knowledge and passion for health as well as the planet to create my brand. I strongly believe that every woman should have access to clean beauty so she never has to compromise her health.”

Your brand is turning 10 this year and has been a pioneer in clean beauty. What was the biggest challenge you faced? “Every aspect of creating my brand was a challenge, but the hardest one was changing the mindset of people regarding the questionable/debatable ingredients [used] in the cosmetics industry and breaking through the ‘all cosmetics are safe for you’ programming.” —Lesa Hannah

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and they said it couldn’t be done. developed by an industry icon, the first make-up brand to put skin first. whoever said natural color cosmetics couldn't be high-performance, luxurious or seductive? clean since 2009. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ tap to hear more of our story from founder rose-marie swift. ☝️🔈 #rms10years

A post shared by rms beauty • organic beauty (@rmsbeauty) on Jul 30, 2019 at 7:33am PDT

DR. DONNA MAY KIMMALIARDJUK, CARDIAC SURGEON

Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk is from Chesterfield Inlet, a Nunavut community of about 400. Worried about the resources allocated to education in the North, her parents moved the family to Ottawa. Kimmaliardjuk became Canada’s first Inuk cardiac surgeon. “It’s important for Indigenous Canadians and non-Indigenous Canadians to see Indigenous folks achieving remarkable things and in positions of leadership,” she said after winning an Indspire Youth Award for motivating the next generation. —Lindsay Cooper

I’m really honoured to have been included in this project. If there’s a girl who wants to a surgeon too, she can. Video: Breaking Barriers: Canada’s first Inuk cardiac surgeon gets to the heart of the matter /via @globeandmail https://t.co/UZLktAwyRy

— Donna May Kimmaliardjuk (@DKimmaliardjuk) September 3, 2019

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5 Myths (and 5 Truths) About Selling Your Home

Everyone has advice about the real estate market, but not all of that unsolicited information is true. So when it comes time to list your home, you'll need to separate fact from fiction.

Below we’ve identified the top five real estate myths - and debunked them so you can hop on the fast track to selling your property.

1. I need to redo my kitchen and bathroom before selling

Truth: While kitchens and bathrooms can increase the value of a home, you won't get a large return on investment if you do a major renovation just before selling.

Minor renovations, on the other hand, may help you sell your home for a higher price. New countertops or new appliances may be just the kind of bait you need to reel in a buyer. Check out comparable listings in your neighborhood, and see what work you need to do to compete in the market.

2. My home’s exterior isn't as important as the interior

Truth: Home buyers often make snap judgments based simply on a home's exterior, so curb appeal is very important.

"A lot of buyers search online or drive by properties before they even enlist my services," says Bic DeCaro, a real estate agent at Westgate Realty Group in Falls Church, Virginia. "If the yard is cluttered or the driveway is all broken up, there's a chance they won't ever enter the house - they'll just keep driving."

The good news is that it doesn't cost a bundle to improve your home's exterior. Start by cutting the grass, trimming the hedges and clearing away any clutter. Then, for less than $50, you could put up new house numbers, paint the front door, plant some flowers or install a new, more stylish porch light.

3. If my house is clean, I don't need to stage it

Truth: Tidy is a good first step, but professional home stagers have raised the bar. Tossing dirty laundry in the closet and sweeping the front steps just aren’t enough anymore.

Stagers make homes appeal to a broad range of tastes. They can skillfully identify ways to highlight your home’s best features and compensate for its shortcomings. For example, they might recommend removing blinds from a window with a great view or replacing a double bed with a twin to make a bedroom look bigger.

Of course, you don't have to hire a professional stager. But if you don't, be ready to use some of their tactics to get your home ready for sale - especially if staging is a trend where you live. An unstaged house will pale when compared to others on the market.

4. Granite and stainless steel appliances are old news

Truth: The majority of home shoppers still want granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Quartz, marble and concrete counters also have wide appeal.

"Most shoppers just want to steer away from anything that looks dated," says Dru Bloomfield, a real estate agent with Platinum Living Realty in Scottsdale, Arizona. "When you a design a space, you need to decide if you’re doing it for yourself or for resale potential.”

She suggests that if you're not planning to move anytime soon, decorate how you’d like. But if you’re planning to put your home on the market within the next couple of years, stick to elements with mass appeal.

"I recently sold a house where the kitchen had been remodeled 12 years ago, and everybody thought it had just been done because the owners had chosen timeless elements: dark maple cabinets, granite counters and stainless steel appliances."

5. Home shoppers can ignore paint colors they don't like

Truth: Moving is a lot of work, and while many home buyers realize they could take on the task of painting walls, they simply don't want to.

That's why one of the most important things you can do to update your home is apply a fresh coat of neutral paint. Neutral colors also help a property stand out in online photographs, which is where most potential buyers will get their first impression of your property.

Hiring a professional to paint the interior of a 2,000-square-foot house will cost about $3,000 to $6,000, depending on labor costs in your region. You could buy the paint and do the job yourself for $300 to $500. Either way, if a fresh coat of paint helps your home stand out in a crowded market, it's probably a worthwhile investment.

Related:

Quiz: Should You Renovate Your Home or Sell?

9 Listing Photo Do’s and Don’ts

Say What? Home-Buying Lingo You Should Know

Originally published April 1, 2014.

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