#anyway so in the dream i was working for a failing takeaway business. i was specifically just answering the phones

[fingertipsmp3]

Last night I had a dream that me and my best friend were living together and it was super not going well lol

[fishball-and-sweet-potato]

Zero O'Clock - BirdCop Celebration + GIF Challenge (MLQC AU)

I just wanna join. I actually want to post this fic at ARMY day (9th of July), but here it is anyway!

Pairing : Leah Hong (MC) x Gavin Bai

Warning : triggering events (containing insecurity and anxiety)

Disclaimer : Leah is MC in this AU. In this AU, there is no Evol.

Genre : fluff

Words : 1,542

NB : this fic is also inspired from this song

“Leah, you should go home now. You just left the hospital yesterday, your body still needs time to be fully recovered,” Anna slowly shaked my body, waking me up.

Leah corrected her posture, “yeah, I know I should. But I don’t want to become a burden for all of you, and especially that’s because I’m in charge of this company now. I just feel like I’m the one that should be my fellow workers’ strength, and I failed you all, even my father…” unbeknownst to her, her eyes felt hot. Leah wanted to continue but her brain couldn’t process her emotions right now.

“No, you’re not. And believe me, we all have made mistakes when that talk show was supposed to be aired live. But still, we managed to do it well at last thanks to the content and technical errors,” Willow tried to assure her. Three days ago, Leah had a chance to interview Mrs. Peng, the owner of a well-known bak kut teh* shop named Seventh Heaven. The topic was about business’ survival strategies for small and medium enterprises amidst the economic crisis. Suddenly, her stomach felt painful and she couldn’t suppress it despite all her efforts, until she fainted. The first thing she thought when she gained my consciousness was, she was such an unprofessional disgrace for this show.

“I want to see the editing process for a while,” Leah replied, still refusing to do nothing.

“Boss, we can also lend you a shoulder. I’ll send it straight to you when it’s finished. Okay?” Kiki patted her shoulder.

Before Leah nodded in defeat, Minor continued, “Boss, I’m sorry for the shift of topic, but Gavin said to me that he will come to your house around 10 pm.”

She yawned, “why didn’t he tell me directly?”

Minor rolled his eyes, but suddenly he had a flustered look on his face, “eh, sorry, he already contacted you several times, but no answer from you.”

Leah checked my phone, it had no power. “Oh God, why am I so stupid? Gavin is definitely angry with me now,” she said resenting herself. The fact that she had done this earlier consumed all her sanity. She immediately turned on her phone, and her eyes almost popped out from their sockets seeing the amount of missed calls. The fact that this day was July 28th made her more shocked. “Okay, I gotta go now,” she said after her friends kept telling me the editing was almost finished.

Leah went to Seventh Heaven. Amidst the crowd, she could still hear the voice she knew really well greeted her first, “Leah, are you feeling better?”

“Mrs. Peng!” Leah slightly raised her voice and fastened her pace towards the middle-aged woman. “Yeah, I’m healthy now! I’m… I’m sorry…” suddenly the scene flashed her mind, her body felt heavy.

“You don’t need to. Let’s go inside,” Mrs. Peng replied, dragging her into the shop.

“I think the technical errors are made up…” Leah couldn’t help but loathed everything around her.

Mrs. Peng patted her, “we can’t prevent unexpected things from happening. Instead, the only thing we could do is to find ways so it would be meaningful.”

While Leah was digesting her words, Gavin’s smile entered her thought and erased her anxiety, “I want to buy two portions of pork tenderloin soup, one portion of fish soup, and one braised pork belly. All takeaways, please.”

“For who?” Mrs. Peng giggled. “Let me guess, your policeman friend…”

Leah blushed and tried to hide her embarrassment with all her might, “uh, Gavin, tomorrow is his birthday.”

Not long after, a waitress handed her orders. Leah waved goodbye at Mrs. Peng. Her home was quite far from her company and the shop, so she had to take a bus ride. She was listening to her favourite song, not realizing that she dozed off.

You know those days

Those days where you're sad for no reason

And it looks like everyone else except you is busy and fierce

Those days where your body is heavy

My feet won't set off, though it seems like I'm already too late

I'm hateful of the whole world

Yeah, here and there are click-clacking speed bumps

My heart grows crumpled and my words lessen

Why the hell? I ran so hard

Oh why to me

A bell sound gave her consciousness back. Finance Street Halt, Leah could read the sign clearly and hear the sound of the broadcaster telling the passengers to pay when they intended to leave the bus repeatedly. She hurriedly ran to my home, opened her phone. She just realized that she hadn’t replied to Gavin's messages. Without a second thought, she spammed him her apology. Not seeing any signs of his reply, she attempted to sleep because she was really beaten up. The only thing that kept her awake was the clock, reminding her of her faults and it was already 10.30 pm. She continued listening to the song, so she could relieve her stomach pain and irregular, fast-paced heartbeat.

Come home and lie in bed

Dizzy night, looking at the clock

Thinking if it was my fault?

Soon it will be midnight

When her mind was about to drift off, the bell rang. “Coming,” Leah said, running to the door. The first thing she saw after opening the door made her heart want to leap, but getting crumpled instead. Gavin was in his casual clothes, but with a solemn look on his face. “Gavin, you’re late. Come in,” she said, inviting him to enter her home. He only followed her without uttering any single word.

After both of them sat, he started speaking, “I’m sorry for not telling you, I just finished my work. Leah, have you eaten?”

Leah shook her head, “actually, I bought food from Seventh Heaven. Mrs. Peng is really generous despite all my mistakes.”

Seeing her held back her tears, Gavin approached her, then she felt a pair of warm arms encircled her. “You have done your best, Leah.”

“I’m just a nuisance,” she said coldly. “And yeah, the audience wasn’t really impressed because the airing time was rescheduled. That makes me think that I should get lost forever. And I even forget to return your calls...”

A pair of amber eyes pierced through her soul’s window, his hand patted her head gently, “I’m hateful of the world too. But, about the last thing, that makes me dead worried. Have I done something wrong? Because all I got is my own echo.”

Somehow, she finally managed to let out a laugh, “Minor told me that too. No, actually I’m just dumb. I forgot to charge my phone.”

Gavin sighed, a small but sincere smile curved from his mouth. “I’m here to accompany you tonight.”

Thanks to him, Leah felt much better. “Let’s eat now. I’ve been waiting for you so we can start making our tummy happy!” She was beyond glad because he loved the bak kut teh.

After the dinner was finished, she held his hand while guiding him to her bedroom. Gavin always gave her warmth despite his cold exterior. “Listen to this song with me, it really helps me cope with the present situation.”

Gavin was confused when he put one side of my earphones, “what song?” 

God, how Leah wished she could cuddle him. She showed him the English translation in order to make him understand the meaning better. He was a bit sulky that she liked the boy group that sang it a bit too much, but he tried hard to hide it by cuddling her tight.

It won't be something like that

Will something be different?

But this day will be over

When the minute and second hands overlap

The world holds its breath for a little while

Zero o’clock

Her reminder popped up. It was already July 29th, zero o’clock. They kept listening to the song.

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

Like that snow that just settled down

Let's breathe, like the first time

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

Turn this all around

When everything is new, zero o'clock

Leah paused the song, pulled herself from his cuddle, “happy birthday, Potato. I hope at this new year of your life, you’ll be happier and healthier.”

Gavin cuddled her again, “thank you so much, my Pumpkin. My wish is the same for you. I hope I’ll be the one who makes you get the happiness you deserve.”

She blushed, how could he be so smooth at times. He laughed at my reddened face. “Why are you laughing? Let us pray,” she said to divert her embarrassment.

They were holding hands, silently pouring all their wishes.

Put my hands together to pray

It'll be better, for me

Hoping that tomorrow I'll laugh more, for me

When this song ends

May a new song begin

Hoping that I'll be a little happier, yeah

Gavin caressed her hair after he saw her yawned. “Sleepy?”

“Yeah, finally. But I’m joyful because it’s the tranquility that makes me sleepy, not the usual tiredness,” Leah snuggled closer to him.

“Sweet dreams for us, then,” he closed his eyes, hugging her in their sleep.

*bak kut teh : a pork ribs / meat soup dish with salted vegetables (this is how it looks like)

This is the GIF :))

[elhassanlove]

how to be a confident women ?

Some people just have it.

You can see it in their walk, the way they greet people, and the way they handle themselves in social situations.

Here’s the thing:

Confidence is often the single largest distinction between people who get what they want and those who don’t.

So if there’s one thing it’s this:

Confident people always have the upper hand over insecure people.

Our mind is a powerful tool. The influence it has on what we’re able to achieve in life shouldn’t be underestimated.

So how do you define confidence?

In the simplest terms, it’s a trust you have in yourself. It’s that feeling of self-assurance you have when you appreciate your qualities and abilities.

It’s when you know what you bring to the table.

Want to know the best part?

Confident people report earning more money, getting more promotions, and are all around happier people.

So what exactly is it that they do differently? Let’s get into the self-confidence examples.

1. They’re Active Listeners

Have you ever wondered what makes someone have that it factor?

As it turns out, 3 main things help you project confidence and charisma. One of them is your ability to actively listen.

Here’s the deal:

Insecure people tend to speak more than they listen.

They want to share their opinions, views, and stories with everyone. They feel like they need to be heard to be important.

But, confident people listen. They don’t have to speak to add value.

They have that it factor that you can’t put your finger on – you just know it when you see it.

It comes down to this:

There’s a difference between listening and listening. Confident people understand that difference.

They actively listen by giving you their full attention, instead of waiting until it’s their turn to talk.

2. They Have Goals

Several years ago, Harvard University did a research study about goal-setting. They asked students if they had set specific, written goals, as well as if they’d made clear plans to achieve them.

Here were the results:

3% had written goals and plans to reach them

13% had goals in their heads but hadn’t written them down

84% had no goals at all

After 10 years, the same group of students was interviewed again.

The results were surprising:

The 13% of the class who had goals, but did not write them down, earned twice the amount of the 84% who had no goals.

The 3% who had written goals were earning, on average, 10 times as much as the other 97% of the class combined.

Chances are, this isn’t the first time you’re hearing that you should have written goals. It won’t be the last.

So here’s what it comes down to:

The man at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there. He set goals, developed a plan, and worked hard to get there.

So what are you waiting for?

3. They’re Action Oriented

Someday is not a day of the week. If there’s one thing I can share with you in these self-confidence examples, it’s this:

Confident people know that a good plan executed today is better than a great plan executed someday.

Waiting for the “perfect time” or the “right opportunity” wastes time.

There will always be a million reasons why you should wait, put off, or try something else. But time is limited. You don’t have forever to do this stuff.

Success means progress. Taking action builds confidence. So take the first step here, now, today.

Acknowledge the doubts and fears you might have but keep pushing forward anyway.

More importantly?

When you take action, you trigger other things that will carry you to success.

You let people know you mean business.

People start to respect you.

You attract people with similar goals into your life.

You build momentum.

So get busy living.

4. They See Failure as a Great Opportunity

The simple truth is this:

No great success was ever achieved without failure. It could’ve been one epic failure or a series of failures.

(Like Edison’s 1,000 attempts at creating a light bulb).

Nobody is immune to failure, not even confident people.

The difference though, is that confident people don’t let roadblocks stop them. Confident people see failure as an opportunity to learn something.

After all, it’s not the strongest species that survive, it’s the ones that are the most adaptable.

5. They Don’t Avoid the Scary Thing

Have you ever wanted to try something but let fear hold you back?

You had a dream and you killed it.

Listen:

The more you go after what you want in life, the more likely you’ll have to face something that makes you nervous.

Confident people acknowledge that fear is a natural part of the human experience.

I once heard someone say, “Start before you feel ready.”

Why? Because the things you’re afraid to do are usually the things you need to do to get where you want to be in life.

Nothing builds confidence like taking action, especially when that action is scary. This is a prime self-confidence example.

Insecure people ask themselves:

What will other people think?

What if I fail?

How do I explain this?

Confident ask themselves:

If I don’t try it, will I regret it later?

6. They Don’t Obsess Over Other Peoples Opinions

They take action without asking for permission. They remind themselves, “If not me, then who?”

Confidence and people-pleasing just don’t go together.

If you rely on other people’s praise to lift you, then be prepared for their criticism to tear you down.

Here’s a truth about life:

You can’t please everyone you meet. Everyone doesn’t have to get along. It’s okay to not be everyone’s cup of tea. That’s how life works.

Confident people understand that. So instead they focus on the quality of their relationships, not the quantity.

7. They say “No”

A study by the University of California found that people who struggle with saying “no” are more likely to experience stress, burnout, and depression.

There are times when you have to learn to say no.

Maybe you need to dedicate time to what matters, or you just don’t want to agree to something you don’t want to do.

Confident people are happy to decline the things they don’t have time or energy for.

They know their priorities.

And they understand what makes them happy, and people treat them with respect because of it.

8. They’re Willing to Learn

One of the best things about life is that we never have to stop learning. There’s always new skills for you to learn and new habits to adopt.

Warren Buffet is one of my favorite self-confidence examples. He spends a lot of his time reading.

And if that’s not enough reason to learn, here are a few more:

The more you learn, the more you can potentially earn.

Learning makes you more interesting. Learning keeps people from taking advantage of your ignorance.

Learning gives you something to look forward to.

What did you learn today?

9. They’re Willing to Teach

They play to their strengths.

They don’t have to know everything to feel like they know something.

They’re open, collaborative, and willing to share what they know with other people.

If you know anything—and I know you do—you should be sharing what you’ve learned with other people.

10. They Celebrate the Success of Others

When you know who you are and like who you are, it’s easy to clap for other people.

Why?

Because confident people compete with themselves – not everyone else.

When you lack confidence, you let others determine the challenges and you compete with them on their terms.

This is the importance of self-confidence. Who wants to measure themselves against someone else’s yardstick?

When you’re able to celebrate other people’s achievements, you don’t pit yourself against them.

You learn from those people. You build relationships with successful people. You surround yourself with positive people who will clap for you too.

11. They Never Underestimate the Power of Consistency

If failure and fear are natural parts of life, then the only thing that can beat them is consistency.

Because when you take a hard look at successful CEOs and leaders from all over the world, one thing is clear:

They never underestimate the power of consistency.

They show up day in, day out, come rain or shine – over and over and over again.

They put in the work to get them where they need to be.

You might’ve heard the saying: “If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it.”

This is one of the most powerful self-confidence examples I can share with you. Consistency is a determining factor behind your success.

12. They Speak With Conviction

__________

“With confidence, you’ve won before you’ve started.”

-Marcus Garvey

__________

If you’re trying to learn how to speak confidently and clearly, then you must do so with conviction.

Confident people use words with intention. They speak with certainty.

They stay away from phrases like:

“I’m not sure if…”

“I think that…”

“Well this might sound silly, but…”

“I may be way off base with this, but…”

And they avoid the mistake of over apologizing.

Oftentimes, people apologize for things that don’t even mistake at all.

When you say the words “I’m sorry” you’re essentially taking responsibility for an outcome, whether it was your fault.

That undermines your power.

Julian Treasure has a great TED talk on how to speak so people want to listen:

The key takeaway is that if you want to speak with conviction, you should speak slowly and clearly.

When you show others you’re not in a hurry, you also show them that you trust in yourself and abilities.

You convey that you’re worth taking the time to listen to.

13. They Have Assured and Open Body Language

Have you ever seen someone with real presence enter a room?

Or watched a speaker command an audience on stage?

If you’ve ever seen someone walk onto a stage and command the crowd, you’ll know it’s captivating.

These are the people we listen to, learn from, and look up to.

They walk confidently. They hold their head up. They have natural energy. They make eye contact. They smile and engage with the people around them.

Their body language is open and they take up space.

They’re relaxed. They exude confidence.

And they’re always projecting the best version of themselves because of it.

My favorite self-confidence examples often come from watching motivational speakers. Most of them have mastered the art of projecting self-confidence.

14. They Avoid Negative Assumptions

“I’d never get that job.” How come?

“My boss would never agree to that idea.” Are you sure?

“They’d probably want someone younger/older/more qualified than me for that position.” How do you know?

Confidence isn’t formed by focusing on the negatives in life or falling into the trap of being a victim.

There’s power in positive thinking.

What is possible, what you do have, and how you can work towards reaching your full potential, one day at a time.

15. They Ask for Help

Once they’ve done a good job, confident people are happy with it and accept recognition for their hard work.

But that doesn’t mean they didn’t ask for help along the way.

Confident people realize that success is often the result of a team effort.

They ask for help and acknowledge the people who have supported them.

It’s not about being weak or unintelligent.

It’s about understanding your strengths and weaknesses and being willing to let others fill in the gaps.

After all, teamwork makes the dream work, right?

[mariellewritesalot]

A Week Into 2018

New Year’s Resolutions have always been a 50/50 for me. There were ones that triumphed and became habits or routines after many years (e.g. my no soft drinks resolution of 2012) and of course, those that failed (e.g. my jog every Saturday resolution of 2016) It is sufficing to say that I am as human as everyone else, which is no surprise, of course. However, for someone who is so keen on perfecting whatever she sets her heart into as I am, it’s not always easy to admit my shortcomings to the general public. Showing any signs of weakness for me is a struggle, but naturally put out there, anyway.

After I ate so much and gave up on working out during the holiday season, the new year left me guilty. Ever since I started losing weight, it honestly became something I pulled out confidence from, so much that there were times when it became addicting--and that is not a good way to look at health & fitness. When people ask me how I did it, I always credit blogilates and herbalife, but also my controlled eating habits. It was so easy to forget about food in a state of utter sadness, but after I became happy again I noticed that I craved more comfort food, and was often times too tired or busy to workout after school. It drives me crazy until now, having to always look at the mirror or panic a little when my clothes feel a little too snug or I look fat in a photo. So, I decided to take on a new diet challenge for the month, and it has been SO HARD thus far. 

No dairy, gluten, processed food, added sugar, and alcohol--who even survives without these? But ya girl Mar pushed through for 5 days, so far. Of course, with a mini breakdown on the phone with Wendell wherein I cried about wanting Krispy Kreme donuts so bad and there was a dozen of then in the house but I locked myself up in my room to avoid temptation. Then again, after finding out I passed the ACET last night, I indulged in pastries (a fave!) from Cafe France as a reward...then felt guilty again. I’m sort of wondering now if I’m being fair to myself, or if I’m going a little too overboard on the losing weight thing. I’ll get back on that once I get my mind sorted out.

I’ve recently reflected on some of my bad habits and came to find that they all boil down to one thing: procrastination. So, even when this week has been a roller coaster of emotions that stemmed from me wanting to prove myself that I will not be a stereotype of failed resolutions, I am trying to combat laziness everyday by doing the 5-minute rule. Which means, if something can be done in 5 minutes, I do it right away. So far, it has been helpful. I feel really accomplished whenever I do productive things instead of lying in bed all day.

With school coming up again on the 8th, and busier schedules for me and everyone I want to be around with because it’s our final year in high school, I have a feeling that January is going to be a hectic month. To be frank, I think I might feel so relieved once I get out of the toxic cycle high school has made of my life. It has always been full of drama and immaturity that I just can’t be arsed to deal with. I’m trying to enjoy what remains of my Christmas vacation, but I am not going to slack on my workouts, since that’s one of  main goals. 

This year is brimming with opportunities, and a new chapter of my life begins once I enter college in August. I’ve already passed Ateneo, so now I’m waiting on UST and UP before I fully decide. I feel like this year will call for more mature decisions in life, and I just hope that whatever happens, I’m going to be happy and live without regrets. 2017 was possibly one of the toughest years of my life, and I have grown so much from everything I experienced in the first few months of it. I hope 2018 gives me the emotional rest I need, but showers me with accomplishments as well. When I look back to where I was before and realize where I am now, I am at awe at how God continues to bless me. My journey of struggling led me to a closer relationship with him, since being human, I needed something/someone to rely on. He has been that for me since day 1, and I am so blessed to have realized it a bit early. Don’t get me wrong, I am not the religious girl who has the bible memorized or serves in the church as much as I’d like to, but having faith gets me to places, and makes me feel whole.

To have something to look back to when 2018 ends in 11 months, I’ll put up a few of my mini goals here so I can work on them this year--and I’m not calling them resolutions, because I will work on them until the very last month.

MARIELLE’S GOALS FOR 2018

*Loss another 10 pounds

*Get into my dream university and course

*Finish a short story/novel

*Win another writing award

*Write more for the blog

*Read more books (20 books/year)

*Be neat and organized all the time

*Have a good and effective skin care routine

*Save up at least 10k in the bank

So here’s the thing: Since the blog is turning 4 this year, I vow to be more active and share more poems, blog posts, prose, and a lot more. Get ready for more content that will hopefully be diverse. Basically, it’s to remind myself to keep my writing alive. I hope you’re in it for the ride.

To cap this all off, the first week of 2018 has been a bit bland, but it gave birth to a lot of realizations that still need to be pondered on in the following days. I guess the takeaway here is that, all of us literally have the power within ourselves to change our lives. Not to disregard privilege, but how we react and act on things leave huge impacts on who we are as a person. At the end of the day, even when you trust someone with your life, you’ve got to have your own back, always. There will constantly be hard times, but seeing things in a clearer perspective will benefit not only you or me, but the entire society one day.

Make your life (and this world) worth living in.

All the love,

Marielle

[seventeen-scenarios-blog]

[DRABBLE REQUEST] Jealousy!Jeonghan (Feat. Jihoon)

Prompt: Jeonghan gets jealous when you meet up with your long time best friend Requested by: Hina Word count: 2,091 Genre: Fluff with slight angst Warnings: None!

A/N: Hey all! So sorry for being on hiatus the past god knows how many months, all the other admins and I are really busy with work and the time we have dedicated to write is really limited. Nevertheless, i hope ya’ll like this Jeonghan drabble, thanks also to admin Jihooned and Wooed as well for providing some ideas :) Cheers!

- Scooped ✌️

Pulling down the hems of your shirt to your waist, and turning around once more to look at yourself in the mirror - you were perfectly ready for a date with your boyfriend, Jeonghan.

“Unknown Number” your phone screen read.

“Hello?”

Silence.

“Hello…” No reply.

Just as you were about to hang up, thinking of the call as a prank, the other side of the line, a male with a shy, timid voice, finally spoke up.

“Do you remember me?”

Nostalgia kicked in as you remember where that voice came from. He had many firsts with you - not in a romantic way, but he was your bestest friend ever. The both of you would hang out literally all the time. Straight after school everyday without fail, the both of you would get hamburgers and fries, then you’d spend the afternoon playing sports or just hanging out at each other’s homes. Only positive memories, you recall, until that fateful day when he left for America, to pursue his studies and his dream for becoming a music producer.

“Jihoon..?”

“Hey! Long time no see!”

“ITS REALLY YOU!!! JIHOON AH WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? ARE YOU BACK IN KOREA…” you were so, so, so happy that you ended up bombarding him with countless questions, and immediately after you found out he was back in Korea, you invited him over so that the two of you could catch up.

Feeling satisfied after the phone call, you immediately left your home to the grocery store with the intention of cooking a welcome home meal for jihoon, and that’s when you remembered about your date with Jeonghan.

As you were about to call Jeonghan to cancel your date, your phone lit up to reveal a text from him.

Jeonghan: “Hey babe, I’m outside. Open up. 

Y/N: “Babe, I’m so sorry, I kind of forgot about our date. Can you meet me at the mart nearby my house? I promise i’ll explain everything. I’m so sorryyyyy :( :*“

A few minutes later, you felt an arm around your shoulder. You turned around and immediately put your shopping basket down, giving the tall, slim stature behind you a big, tight hug.

“Hey babe, what’s this all this about?” Jeonghan chuckled, as he looked over to see your almost-full shopping basket.

“Jeonghan, there’s someone I want you to meet today!” you smiled, pulling away from the hug.

“Who is it? Do I know him or her?” Jeonghan said, walking past you to help you carry your shopping basket.

You looped your arms with his, explaining about Jihoon. You talked about how he was the one who you had so much fun with as teenagers, playing badminton everyday with each other, cafe hopping together, and even how he lent a shoulder to you during difficult times.

Jeonghan just smiled, looking at how happy you were. He definitely didn’t feel 100% good about it, about you being close to another guy other than himself. Afterall, he knows that you never had any guy whom you considered close to, since you were with him all the time after the both of you got together.

As he helped you unpack your just bought groceries, you started to prepare your speciality and also Jihoon’s favourite - Mushroom Cream Spaghetti. Well, hopefully it still is, since you’ve not seen him for almost 2 years.

Chopping up the onions in a flash, Jeonghan stared at you in awe as he observed you cooking.

“So, this is the behind-the-scenes of your famous cream spaghetti,” Jeonghan said, as you placed the uncooked noodles into the boiling pot over the stove.

“Yep, I hope you’re not sick of it yet!” you chuckled, turning back over to see Jeonghan leaving his seat, walking towards you. You stared at him - he was the perfect height. His fringe fell perfectly over his forehead, and he looked so huggable wearing the casual tracksuit he had on.

You didn’t realise that he was already by your side, arms circling around your waist, resting his head on your shoulder.

“I know I’m not sick of you,” Jeonghan whispered into your ear, placing a kiss on your temple. You smiled, enjoying the skinship that Jeonghan is giving. Turning off the stove and placing the just-cooked spaghetti noodles in a bowl next to you, you turned around, facing him.

His lips were already, dangerously close to yours.

You looked up to meet his eyes, having feeling his breaths becoming slightly faster, and leaned in for a passiona-

DING DONG

You pulled away at the doorbell, just before the both of your lips touched, to see only Jeonghan’s slightly irritated gaze. You chuckle at his reaction, but tiptoed to give him a peck before pulling away from his hug to get the door. Meanwhile, Jeonghan dragged his feet and slumped back into his seat.

Opening the door, you were excited to see your old friend. “Jihoon ah! Long time no see!” you said, giving him a big hug at the same time.

“(Y/N)! You’ve grown!” said Jihoon with a wide grin on his small face.

“And you… haven’t gotten any taller!” you chuckled, teasing to break the ice, “Come on in!”

You walked Jihoon to the kitchen and introduced the two boys to each other. Afterall, they were two of the most important people in your life, so you hoped that they’ll get along.

“Babe, this is Jihoon! My best friend from school, and Jihoon, this is my boyfriend, Jeonghan,” you smiled, however only sensing a negative vibe from Jeonghan.

“Hi! I’m Jihoon, nice to meet you!” Jihoon said, as he reaches out his hand to shake with Jeonghan’s.

“Yeah, hi,” Jeonghan said cooly, ignoring the handshake, not minding about anything else other than his fingernails. You see Jihoon fold back his fingers, feeling intimidated.

“Haha, em, well, Jihoon, please take a seat! The food’s almost ready,” you said to break the tension that was forming.

You cooked the spaghetti quickly, minding the awkward silence behind you. Occasionally you tried to make small talk for the both of them, mentioning similar hobbies since the both of them loved to sing, however it was always cut off by Jeonghan’s one word replies and slightly rude answers.

“Jihoon went to the states to learn more about producing music,” you said, placing a plate of spaghetti in front of each of them. “Isn’t that cool, Jeonghan?”

“Well if it was that cool, why did he have to come back?” Jeonghan snickered, picking up his fork to dig in.

“Well, what about you, Jihoon? How was your learning experience?” you asked, not minding Jeonghan’s attitude.

“Oh, I had such a good time, I’ve met and learned from so many amazing people there,” Jihoon explained.

He told you and Jeonghan his adventures, how he met so many producers that taught him many things, giving him tips on how to produce quality music, and all the amazing takeaways he had from the 2 years.

You were so engrossed into his stories that you didn’t realise that you stained the corners of your mouth with cream, and upon seeing this, Jihoon picked up the piece of tissue and held it up, reaching forward to wipe it for you.

“You’re still messy as ever,” Jihoon chuckled as he wiped off the creamy sauce on your mouth.

Jeonghan suddenly stood up, gave you and Jihoon a stare, and marched out while saying, “Have fun, lovebirds, I’m going upstairs.”

Jihoon stared at the door that Jeonghan just exited, and then looked over to you,”I think I may have done something wrong… I’m so sorry…”

“No, it’s fine, i’m sure he’s just not in a good mood today, it’s not you, i promise!” you said, trying to keep the mood up, “I’m sure he’s just tired from work, you know how work can be..”

“No,” Jihoon cut you off, “It’s alright, we can always meet another time, go talk to him,” Jihoon said with the kindest smile ever, as he stood up to leave.

“Sorry about that… and yes, let’s definitely meet up again soon, maybe next week? Ddeobokki?” you asked Jihoon, “the one that we always had.”

“It’s a deal,” Jihoon said, as you sent him off.

You went up to your room’s door, taking a deep breath. You knew the reason why Jeonghan has been acting like this the whole day, but you didn’t know that it would take such a big toll on him.

Jeonghan was jealous.

It was the first time; you’ve never seen him jealous before, and that’s when you realised, there was probably no chance for him to get jealous anyway, since the only guy whom you were close with was him.

You realised that you’ve most probably crossed the line with him when you allowed for such intimate interaction with Jihoon, and the latter probably didn’t realise it too as his amiable gestures, despite the long time he had spent away from you, came as practically second nature to him. It was not Jihoon’s fault at all, and you felt guilty for not telling Jeonghan about his existence earlier.

You twisted the doorknob, and carefully opened it, revealing Jeonghan. He was sitting at the corner of your bed, leaning against the headboard. His eyes were closed and his earpiece was plugged in. The sunlight from the window, shining on his face, gave it away that he had a few tears roll down his cheeks.

You got flustered, really flustered. This is the first time, Jeonghan has ever shown that he’s upset, and it shocked you, since he had always been the kind, and patient, amazing boyfriend that you’ve never had in the past.

You too were also really confused with your feelings.

You were angry - he mocked you, and he was really, really rude to your long time best friend. Over jealousy? That was really childish. But at the same time, you were also scared - so many what if’s were appearing in your head. What if he was only this way because he’s tired? What if you misunderstood him? What if he decides to leave you?

Countless thoughts were running through your head as you approached the lean figure, and before you knew it, tears ran down your cheeks. You had a taste of the salty tear when it reached the corner of your mouth, and at the same time you sat down in front of Jeonghan, cupping his cheeks, attempting to wipe away the teary residue on his face.

Jeonghan’s eyes shot open at your touch, and immediately, he took your hand away from his face and he gave you a big, warm, hug. You were surprised, of course, you didn’t expect this reaction from Jeonghan, you thought he’d be upset and hurt, you thought he wouldn’t want to talk to you.

Overwhelmed by the surge of emotions from his touch, you began to sob. Really badly. You hugged him harder, tightening your arms around his waist and burying your swollen face into his neck. You felt comforted when he tightened his grip around your waist as well.

“I love you,” Jeonghan said, voice evident that he too, was a mess, “and I don’t want that to change.”

You sniffed your nose as you pulled away from him, looking into his eyes as you started speaking,”I was so afraid that you didn’t want me anymore.”

“Pabo, I was afraid that you were going to hate me for being such an ass,” Jeonghan mumbled, smiling slightly as he looked into your eyes.

“You’re the pabo!” you chuckled, finally smiling and cleaning up the tears from your face.

You felt much better, all the both of you needed was some assurance, and some comforting.

“I’m sorry babe, i’m sorry for my childishness, will you forgive me?” Jeonghan said, twirling a bunch of hair on your head.

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry, sorry for not taking your feelings in consideration,” you sighed, looking into his teary eyes.

Sometimes in a relationship, jealousy is bound to happen one way or another. The feeling is indeed unpleasant, and it may happen unknowingly to the both of you. It always will seem as though you’re losing trust in your partner.

In this case, Jeonghan getting jealous this time round was in a way a good thing, the both of you found out how much you meant to each other, but more importantly, the fact that Jeonghan loves you as much as you love him, overwrites all the obstacles that the both of you have to face.

[topicprinter]

Hi all, long post incoming!After 9 months of hustling away and looking back to see that I haven't even made a single penny from my business, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth continuing to pursue at this point.Im 20F, based in London. The core function of my business is to source development land for property developers and home builders. There are loads of them in the UK, of all sizes, from large national companies to small, local independent developers. I know that there is definitely a demand for my service, because I've straight up had developers contact me with their criteria so I can bring them opportunities.Here's how I operate. I contact developers and ask them if they are looking for development opportunities. An overwhelming majority of the time, they say yes. I extract their criteria so I can know what exactly they are looking for. This is crucial. If I bring them a development opportunity that they're not looking for, they will straight up refuse to look further into it, so it's important I bring them exactly what they seek.Then, I go out and contact landowners. I introduce myself, tell them that I represent developers who are looking to acquire land to build on, and ask them if they would be interested in having their land looked at by my developers. If they say yes, I do some market research and perform a crude, basic appraisal to see if the land would make a desirable development opportunity on paper. This means that if a developer were to buy the land, build homes on it and sold the homes, would they still make a minimum 20% net profit after build costs and all other associated costs? (stamp duty, professional fees, finance, marketing, etc)If the answer is yes, I will then "package" up the deal by writing a small report about the development opportunity. This report gives important information about the development land, the circumstances of the seller, estimations of the post development value and proof to justify how I arrived at that amount, estimations of the development costs and estimations of the potential profit the developer could make. Obviously they would have to do their own due diligence, but its just to give them a general idea of what they could potentially be looking at.Then, I send the report to my developers, and at that point the ball is in their court. I wait for them to tell me whether they're interested or not. If they like the deal and they feel it's a good opportunity, I will connect them to the vendor, they will purchase the land and I will get 2% of whatever the purchase price is.Herein lies the problem. Again and again I've only gotten up to that very last part. I've found the landowner, got them on board, researched their land, analysed it to see if it would stack up as a development opportunity, "packaged" up the deal, presented it to developers. And then it all grinds to a halt. That's where the problems start. I've come very very very close to having a deal close, I've had developers express interest, only to have one thing go wrong and they decide to call it off. It's incredibly frustrating. And the thing is, I only get paid when the sale goes through. So often times I'll put in hours of work finding and vetting an opportunity, I'd get the vendor's hopes up, I'd do all the research to see if the deal stacks, and at the crucial stage things will fall apart. All the build up and all the work will just go to waste. I must have done this hundreds of times.Now, to be fair, I've learned a lot as a result of this process. I've learned more about property development than I ever thought I would. I've learned how to perform market research and come up with a post development value based on what nearby properties have sold for. I've learned how to find out the rough value of a plot of land (often times vendors are asking for waaaaay too much). I've learned how to estimate the build cost for a development. I've learned how to read planning permissions. I've learned what sort of profit margins developers are looking for (20% net minimum). I've learned the jargon; when I speak to developers I can speak their language fluently and they have some confidence that I know what I'm doing. I've had a developer tell me I come across as professional and put together. I've had a vendor told me she'd rather work with me than an estate agent.I've had all these tiny wins, built all these great skills, gained and all this knowledge. I've come so, so bloody close. In some ways, this experience has not been a total waste due to the sheer amount I've learned. But at the end of the day, I got into business to earn money. And so far I've made a grand total of £0. I'm facing pressure from my parents, who were never really confident about the idea of entrepreneurship anyway, to go back to school or get a full time job because what I'm doing now is bringing in no income. Its starting to chip at me. Especially on days like today where I reach out to dozens of vendors and developers and not hear back from a single one.What if I actually am wasting my time?I can't help but think that if I'm having such a hard time getting just one deal done now, how will I be able to turn this business into a recurring source of income?I've had ideas of how I could automate things, and I've seen some success so far. Previously I'd get developers on board by scheduling a call with them and asking them questions about their criteria. It was extremely time intensive as each call would take about 5-20 minutes. I'd do these calls everyday and would have to fit 6/7 in. It left me exhausted. Now I have a form of qualifying questions that I promote on LinkedIn via cold messaging or just by uploading a post to my 2k connections, and I've been able to get 50 new developers on board in 4 days just by automating that process. It was my first big win as more developers mean more liklihood of getting a deal go through.Victories like that give me reason to believe my business is viable. There's a healthy demand. I now have 60 developers who have given me their requirements and contact details so I can send them deals. This is a seemingly unexplored niche too, as I've noticed that not many people in my industry are really catering towards sourcing land for developers.I'm starting to understand that it's a number's game. I have one half of the equation with my increased client base of developers, now I just need a steady pipeline of deals, which I seem to be struggling with. I've had ideas to automate the vendor side of things by creating a website, promoting it through SEO and PPC, and then including a similar form where landowners looking to sell their land can input their details. If I can have both sides automated, with regular deals flowing in and a decent base of developers to send them to, all I'd have to do is focus on vetting and packaging deals and sending them to my developers. And with more deals out to developers, there's a higher chance that one might just say "yes".So that's my plan. If I can get to that stage that'd be a dream. It'd mean I'd have significantly more time available to me. Right now the large portion of my time goes towards manually looking for land, finding the landowners, contacting them via cold call, email or direct mail, and crossing my fingers for a response. Its slow and ineffective. Its frustrating when I don't get a response.I suppose the main takeaway from this long ass post is: I've been working on my business for 9 months. There is a real demand for my service. I'm making loads of mistakes but each mistake has taught me how I can be better. I do feel like I'm "failing towards my goal" by refining myself with each failure. But I've not made any money so far. And with how long it's taking to get one deal, I'm wondering how the hell I will be able to make a stable living on this business, let alone achieve the lifestyle I've always dreamed of. My goal is to be able to automate my business to the point where I automatically have deals coming in, and a decent client base to send them to, and the only duty I have being to package the good ones up and send them out to my developers on a regular enough basis where I have them closing consistently. I already have the developer side somewhat locked down, now I need to create the pipeline of deals.The thing I want to know is, how can I do this? I've been playing with the idea of creating a website and using SEO to capture leads from landowners looking to sell. I've also considered reaching out to local estate agents and asking them to send me deals before they hit the market. Right now I'm focusing on "push" marketing when my aim should be to "pull" in my deals. Any ideas I could implement to make this successful?And more importantly, can you see the viability in this business? I'm happy to keep on grinding and putting in the time and effort. I'd happy ring up every estate agent in the area if I have to. I'll learn SEO all from scratch if necessary. But only if there's a real chance that this will work. So should I keep on trucking? Or am I wasting my time?Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Merc Storia 7 - 8 | SSSS.Gridman 8 - 9 | Double Decker! 10 | Golden Kamuy 20 - 21 | Zombieland Saga 9 - 10

Merc Storia 7

Oh my goodness, the father (Jeantore) is so adorkable…but I guess this’ll be a temporary fling, like the father from Royal Tutor…

Aww…this episode is too pure. It’s a good day for anime about reunions with fathers.

That was a nice episode, with its morals about dreaming and being a good parent. But it seems we’re back in Furry Territory for the next episode…

Oh! You can see Jeantore (the father) and Cosette in the ending. Jeantore is watching his daughter as she rides on the male angel, while Cosette is…well, I just said what she’s doing.

SSSS.Gridman 8

I believe this is Dancan.

“Sounds like a s***ty band.” – Actually, you’re…right. (LOLOLOL!)

I noticed Akane uses a Windows-type OS…but I tinkered around with my Windows 8 and figured out I couldn’t get rid of the AM/PM on the time…

For some reason, this petition business reminds me of Hyouka…it would be spoilers for an early case if I explained why though.

So many still frames…

I think now that I’ve gotten used to how stupid this show is, I’ve almost started to see this as a comedy. An unintentional one an not as bad as Mayoiga, but a comedy nonetheless.

It seems this finishing move isn’t a beam…huh.

Don’t forget that there’s an end-of-episode segment, even if it only lasts a few seconds.

Double Decker! 10

Oof…there’s a one week break…so just Honda-san next week, huh?

Why do I get the feeling the father (Jefery, sic...?) is going to be, if not is, an Anthem victim?

Oh my gosh, I was preparing for Kirill to suddenly bust out the genius talk from the next ep preview from last ep and I…love it! Now I can bug my biology contact with it! That’s an extra post’s content right there, y’know!

Wait, how old is Apple then? If they’re the same age, Kirill and he, then Kirill would’ve written it when he was 12 or 13, give or take the extra year it takes for academic publication…11 or 12. Yikes! Update: Kirill wrote it 5 years ago, if you remember he’s 20 and you learn Apple is 17. Therefore, Kirill’s paper would’ve come out when he was 15 - 16.

This cartoonist Renoir and the Impressionist painter that sprung to my mind were definitely not the same person…

Oh! I never expected this! It’s an eyecatch of Valery (sic…?)/Milla and Derick!

I just realised Yuki Fujiwara’s voice for Valery is a slightly deeper voice than Kohei Amasaki’s, but Kirill’s voice is overall more masculine. Or at least, that’s how I see it from the audio I’ve listened to of those two.

Just seeing Derick tear up and get shoved away by the landlady was too funny, my laughing almost sounded like choking…okay, I admit that’s a bit grim.

Are they implying because Anthem was used medicinally, that’s how Tiger and Bunny happened?

Uh…if you think that says “rob my dad’s back”, that’s wrong. The Japanese says exactly the sme thing, so “rub my dad’s back” is what they intended.

Oh…I started laughing as soon as I saw the bride come in. Someone mentioned Kirill was dressed up as a bride, and I didn’t know how that was going to come into play…until now. But still, I’m happy they’re acknowledging gay men exist, even as a throwaway line in a comedy. It means the world to certain people and regardless of whether I’m in that group of directly-affected people or not, it’s nice to see nods to it.

Seriously, when is Buntline Special’s official release? I wanna own it. Update: It’s already out on all the big music retailers…including Spotify! Then I check out the lyrics…and it turns out it makes zero sense. E.g. “don’t give a 嫉妬 now i’m just in a rush” (with the characters being “shitto”, or “jealousy”…which I think was at least partially intentional to get the swearing in). See the full lyrics here.

Uh…Pythagoras what now??? “Pythagoras theorem” is the only thing I can think of that works…but a squared plus b squared equals c squared ain’t gonna help me, I think…

Update: I think I saw the police bunny in Tiger and Bunny: The Beginning, which is interesting...

Golden Kamuy 20

A romance between Tanigaki and Inkarmat was definitely not what I was expecting from this show…

Apparently a beach rose fruit is also known as a rosehip.

Interestingly, Wilk’s facial scars look a lot like Sugimoto’s…

I’m laughing so hard! How the heck did they manage to transition from something so serious (for the plot, i.e. discussing Wilk) to the men suddenly doing sumo??? This show never fails to amaze me in the most stupid ways and I love it.

Ah. An aphrodisiac. (I know what that means.) So that’s what that “sumo” was...

“My name is Asirpa. You killed my father. Prepare to die!”…or something like that.

Zombieland Saga 9

Maskutchi: "Maskutchi likes to learn, but it can be cranky and a little mean at times. It has the unnerving habit of staring at you from dark corners." (Geez, I sound like a Pokedex…and this Maskutchi description reminds me of Saki…kind of.)

Apparently there are a bunch of different Tenmangu shrines…so I can’t tell you which one it is. There’s a big one in Dazaifu and one in Osaka…but that’s all you can really learn from one Google.

This Kashima dance reminds me of Tsuritama’s Enoshima dance. Makes me wanna say, “E-no-shima DON!” Hahaha.

I turned on the music to listen to how the Kashima dance goes, then I hear the rock music for the biker babes…whoo-he. That’s some serious rock!

What number leader is Saki? 2nd?

The “?!” gets me…every time.

I assume the pottery the girls are holding comes from the places listed, huh?

Min…wha? Oh, min zi cau dan (minchi)! I love that stuff! I eat it for takeaway dinners sometimes. Gyorokke, on the other hand, appears to be a Saga-specific fried delicacy.

Playing chicken…why do I get the feeling I should know this already? After all, this game is part of game theory and mutual assured destruction…sounds like my kinda thing, y’know?

Is this…Zombieland Saga’s themes?! Facing your past by not fearing death anymore! The undead nature of the idol industry! It’s gonna live with us for a long, long while, ain’t it?!

Wai-waiwaiwait! Don’t die again, Saki!

I expected a slap…but then again, this is Saki’s crew. We’re gonna get another punch whether we like it or not…

That was all a pun on yoroshiku and how, with complicatd kanji, you can get a weird mixture of words including “death” and “bitterness”.

Oh, it’s a No Game No Life pun! I love those, especially because Tower Records’s (anime store) slogan is No Anime No Life so they do things like “No Boueibu No Life” and it’s great!

This episode was a nice parallel to last week’s…I mean, a girl dealing with her dad and a girl dealing with her mother. But it’s nice to remember girls, both living and dead, kick some real butt!

Merc Storia 8

This is just a Mean Girls AU…harpy version. Kind of.

Oh…great. It’s a musical episode…

Why the heck is Lupie a master of tap dancing, anyways…?

I swear I fall for one male side character per Merc Storia episode! This time it’s Lupie!

How did Yuu, Toto and Merc learn Antel’s name??? Update: Wait, it must’ve been Voicia speaking…

Oh…my…goodness! What did Antel do to himself?! (Ah, it makes my transformation-loving heart go doki doki for sure!) I didn’t believe he was a Diva, but…here we are. By the way, if you’re wondering why I don’t collect my husbandos in the game…I don’t want to get Bluestacks again and my phone runs out of space a lot, even though I have a storage card…

I know that singing voice! I just know it! It’s…Takuma Terashima, I think? Update: Nope, it’s Kento Itou. Hmm…he has a nice singing voice! Lupie is Kengo Kawanishi and Yoko Hikasa did triple roles as Voicia, Forna and Serena. The songs are called “The Patricio I Adore” (Akogare no Patricio, Forna’s song), “It’s My Voice” (Watashi no Koe Da, Voicia’s song) and “As Your Oath Decrees” (Chikai no Mama ni, Antel’s song). The songs were composed by Kohta Yamamoto, who also composed the songs for Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga.

You can see the kirin…er, Fokeiron…in the ending credits.

SSSS.Gridman 9

Hmm…the unsettling feel of this show makes this replay with Akane in Rikka’s place feel like a horro movie…

“Aplil” (sic).

Sevendarake…it’s Mandarake and 7-11 in one!

“Sea” = Tokyo Disney Sea.

For some reason, this entire Gridman episode smacks of this quote: “Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a fluttering butterfly. What fun he had, doing as he pleased! He did not know he was Zhou. Suddenly he woke up and found himself to be Zhou. He did not know whether Zhou had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly had dreamed he was Zhou. Between Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction. This is what is meant by the transformation of things.” But I don’t know too much on philosophy, so I’ll leave the debating up to the experts…

Golden Kamuy 21

This blind guy here reminds me of Takezou Ryuuzouji (Planet With)…hmm…

I cracked up laughing when I saw Sugimoto was still wearing his hat in the hot spring…heh.

The mushroom in front of Tanigaki’s naughty bits was…really symbolic, LOL.

“Sorry to interrupt your fun, but we should go.” – LOL…

Why’d they censor Shiraishi and Sugimoto, but have zero idea to censor Cikapasi???

Oh! I read on Golden Kamuy Central that a guy gets stickmen drawn using his moles…this is it! It’s Private Usami’s moles.

Zombieland Saga 10

For some reason I feel like this is going to need a second season to make its plot work properly…

Lord of the Flies, girl zombie version.

Nijino Matsubara.

I get the vibe Tatsumi and Yuugiri are talking about Sakura like she’s their child…but that’s part of the joke, right? Right???

“Be careful around traffic.” – Heh…heh…between Junko and Sakura’s traffic incidents, I think we know why that’s so funny…and now I’m immune to the Truck-kun joke. Thanks a lot (sarcastic).