#boring life of an expat

[tropes-and-tales]

Celeste

Day 12:  Stripping (Colonel Horacio Carrillo x F!Reader)

(For the 2023 Kinktober event that I created on my own because I am boring and basic and am trying to keep it simple this year...found here!) 

CW:  A minor mention of drug use; Smut-ish but nothing explicit; stripping; talk of a naked body; imagined sex; 18+ only to be safe.

Word Count:  1377

AN:  This was requested by the lovely @justreblogginfics

Colonel Carrillo sits deep in the shadows of the club, hidden away.  Most men cluster up close to the stage for the best view, but he doesn’t want to be noticed.  He’s tucked away out of sight, out of his usual uniform, blending in with the other men there to ogle beautiful women. 

The club is a frequent hangout for many of Escobar’s men, low-level narcos who nonetheless have important intel that they often blab to their dancer girlfriends.  Those dancer girlfriends then blab backstage, snicker and laugh as they touch up their hair and makeup, as they do bumps of coke to keep their energy up for a long night of dancing.

And you’re there too, a willing ear to listen for that intel that you pass onto your fellow agents.  You have arranged drops that Murphy picks up, and Carrillo combs through them carefully each time.  He waits until he’s alone in his office at night, and then he traces over your neat printing, the simple code that you and Javier devised before you went undercover. 

Carrillo pictures you in your UC apartment, shabby and small.  He pictures you bent over the slips of paper as you pick at a late dinner, pictures you rubbing the calf of one leg with your other foot, that absent-minded habit you have that he noticed immediately when you sat outside of his office.  He pictures you sighing, tired, missing home, missing even your DEA-issued apartment in the expat block of buildings.  He pictures you missing your real name, your real job.

Carrillo hasn’t laid eyes on you in months.  He can edge up to the truth but can’t quite admit it to himself, and you may miss your life, but he misses you. 

-----

Your UC work has layers.  You’re you, normally, but undercover, you’re Elena Aguilar, a Mexican-American ex-pat with shadowy provenance.  Your cover is that you possibly maybe probably had legal troubles in the States and fled to Medellin to avoid arrest.  It’s an easy way to explain away your American-born Spanish, and it gives you an extra layer of cover:  you don’t answer personal questions because Elena Aguilar is wanted by authorities in the States.

But Elena Aguilar becomes Celeste on the stage, and when Carrillo finally sees you again after so many months, he almost doesn’t recognize you.  Even clothed for a gentlemen’s club, you’re more exposed than he’s ever seen you before.  You’re in a short, pleated skirt that barely covers your ass, and it flounces as you take the stage, platform heels that add entire inches to your height.  You’re dressed up like a Catholic school girl—a tight, low-cut white blouse, a loosely-knotted tie, and a pair of loose braids—and Carrillo hates the hot beat of desire that pulses through him when he sees you.

The music is loud; Carrillo’s heartbeat seems to sync up to the bassline, and he catches himself holding his breath as he watches.  Dios, but why did he never consider how good of a dancer you are?  You had made a joke once to Murphy before you went UC, said something about all those ballet lessons in childhood finally paying off, but maybe there’s some truth to it. 

Watching you, there’s a sensuous, natural movement to your body that Carrillo never would have guessed at.  Some of the other dancers before you were blatant with their sexuality, sharp snaps of the hips, pushing their bared breasts into the faces of the patrons crowded against the stage, but you seduce the crowd, and by extension, you seduce him.

You work to the beat, but you don’t rush it.  You unbutton your tight blouse to reveal a flimsy see-through bra that pushes your breasts up.  You lean against the pole, slide down along it, arch your back like a cat, which makes your breasts push up even further.  You stand again, turn away, push the tiny skirt over your hips and ass.  When you bend over to push it down the rest of the way—you’re in a tiny thong—Carrillo inhales a harsh breath, and his throat feels too tight.

Maybe the song you dance to is long.  Maybe time slows down.  Carrillo knows you must be blinded by the colored lights dancing over you as you strip, and he knows he’s invisible in the shadows, but sometimes it feels like your eyes meet his.  Sometimes everyone else in the club—the hooting, leering men waving Colombian pesos and American dollars (he even swears he sees a Panamanian balboa at one point)—falls away, and it’s like you’re dancing just for him.

Carrillo went to Catholic school.  The man has few sexual predilections that veer into kink territory, but something about the Catholic school girl uniform makes him feel a certain way, reminds him of coming of age around other boys in slacks and button down shirts, around girls in knee socks and pleated skirts.  And you, as Elena Aguilar, as Celeste, has chosen his one, lone kink as your on-stage costume.

He only wanted to lay eyes on you, but here he is, reduced to a panting idiot, hard just from watching you, his erection straining until he shifts in his seat uncomfortably.  He’s a moment away from rushing the stage and wrapping his coat around you, carrying you home and fucking you senseless.  You, though:  not Celeste or Elena.

It doesn’t get easier for him as you finish your set.  You’re naturally athletic, graceful, and when you wrap around the pole, Carrillo can imagine it translating.  He can picture your legs wrapped around him.  He can picture your back arching underneath him, your arms above your head, your eyes heavy-lidded as he makes you come.  And when you shed your bra, Carrillo actually groans:  your breasts are perfect, your nipples pert and pebbled, and he can imagine putting his mouth on them, kissing you there, your hand against the back of head as he sucks against those perfect nipples, the sounds he could pull from you—

The songs ends.  It breaks the spell; the crowd claps and hollers, crude propositions in Spanish, a flurry of paper money that you bend down to gather up along with your clothing.  You do a cute little curtsy, flash the crowd a winning smile, and then you’re gone.

He wants to stay only long enough to calm.  He can’t careen out onto the streets of Medellin with an erection, so he sits in the shadows and watches the next dancer.  She doesn’t elicit the same response, thankfully—only you seem to have that power—so his blood cools by degrees and he deflates and his heartrate slows.

But when he starts to plan his exit, a waitress brings him a fresh drink.  He hadn’t ordered it, and when he tries to wave it away, she insists.

“On the house,” she says, and she sets down a clean cocktail napkin and sets the glass down on top of it.

His first thought is that he’s been made.  A narco in the club has recognized him and is sending him this drink.  As a message?  Poisoned, perhaps?  He runs his thumb over the rim of the glass and jostles it so the ice clinks.  He looks around but doesn’t see anyone obviously watching him.

Then he sees it:  slowly bleeding as the condensation of the glass wets the napkin, but he snatches the glass away before it becomes illegible.  A message on the cocktail napkin, and he recognizes the neat handwriting immediately.

You must have seen him come in.  Carrillo knows little about strip clubs, but it would make sense that there be cameras posted everywhere, and it would make sense that the dancers would watch them.  How else might they target the men who might give them the most money?  How else might they identify problem men?  Maybe you watched him enter the club, watched him be seated, and maybe those moments where he felt like he was locking eyes with you were real after all.

But the message, half-blurred by his drink.  Carrillo reads it on the sly, pretends to sip his drink and toy with the napkin like he’s bored. 

H - I want to come home.

[minbin2000]

the season of 1800 (skz royal au)

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information

pov: gn!reader

word count: 625 (intro)

genre: fluff, romance, historical, royalty au, sfw

warnings: none

author's note: this fanfic is inspired by the high society portrayed in Bridgerton! this is not the first fanfic I've written, but it's the first one I am posting here! I hope you enjoy!

(the images above are from Pinterest.)

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navigation

| minho | changbin | felix | seungmin | hyunjin | jisung | jeongin | chan |

---

introduction

The Season of 1800 is upon the hopeful young people of the Kingdom of Isla. This season is expected to be grander than the last, with the turn of the century offering a special reason to celebrate love.

Your father, a noble expat to the tiny Kingdom of Hetha (situated where the northern lights shine all year long), believes it is time for you, his eldest child, to be wed. You only partly agree with this idea.

Part of you despises your father for pushing you into marriage. You don’t think you are ready to be betrothed. The other half of you is excited, ready to jump into the season head-first. You have heard many successful love stories that have come out of the centuries-old tradition of matchmaking. Though, you have also heard the horror stories.

You’ve never experienced true love before. You are worried you will make the wrong choice when picking a man to be your husband from your lack of knowledge in the subject matter. You have had to remind yourself that there will be others participating in the season for the first time as well. This gentle reminder calms your worries.

Your father has told you many stories of his kingdom you have never visited. He has told you of a lovely manor he is the Lord of (that may even become yours one day). It is nestled on a cozy bay with views of the northern ocean that borders your own kingdom.

The manor sounds a lot different from the bustling city you live in now. A life in the country intrigues you, but it also terrifies you. Being so removed from others outside of your own household sounds quite boring, if you are being honest.

Nevertheless, you and your father have just arrived in the Kingdom of Isla. Before you sits a bustling ballroom filled with young people like yourself in their finest clothing. They are accompanied by various families members, laughing and talking with each other.

A butler announces your name to the crowd. Those near the balcony you are standing on turn to look at you, but those in the back of the room do not hear your name. You jumped at the sound of your name, especially with your official title in front of it. Your father never uses such formalities with you. Your father links his arm through yours and escorts you down the staircase.

Once you reach the floor of the ballroom, your father takes you to a small table filled with ribbons and dance cards. From the balcony, you noticed people of similar ages to yourself wearing ribbons with their names etched onto them. A kind looking man hands you your ribbon and dance card. You pin the ribbon on the left side of your chest, just beneath your collarbone. You wrap the dance card around your wrist.

Your father smiled at you after noticing the stares you both were receiving. “You may certainly be the talk of the ball, y/n.” Unlike your father, this does not make you smile.

You hear comments from the nearby patrons. “I did not know he had a child!” “They must have come back to be married!” The comments and stares make you uncomfortable, and your cheeks feel hot from the embarrassment.

Your father then sees an old friend across the room and waves to him. He instructs you to find others your age to converse with while you wait to complete the dances on your dance card. He lets go of your arm. He walks away with a reassuring nod, leaving you in this ballroom full of strangers. You gulp and scan the room, wondering just what could be in store for you this season.

[luv-assangiebatch]

Mendax Undercover - Chapter 1.5

Kat had been working as a variant scientist at Santé Genomics for over five years.  She started her career as a surgical pathology lab assistant in the United States before working her way up the laboratory ladder, and eventually became fascinated with molecular science, and finally, precision medicine.  As she dove into advanced studies on precision medicine, she found her true professional calling within the realm of biomarker and drug intelligence.  She loved the idea of discovering new biomarkers that drove disease and then developing therapies that would target those specific molecular anomalies, thus improving survival rates and quality of life.  Kat recognized that cancer was a complicated and duplicitous disease that was actually hundreds of diseases, so finding one cure was impossible.  Understanding which molecular variants were pathogenic, benign, or of unknown significance seemed like a grand and formidable undertaking—one which could keep Kat engaged in her work for years to come.  This was important as Kat could get bored very easily. It so happened that this task was that of a variant scientist, so when the opportunity opened up at Santé Genomics for this role, Kat jumped on it.  Luckily for her, she had worked at the US base for the company, so after procuring her dream job she also got to fulfil her other dream of living in Europe.  She was not a fan of cold and snowy weather, but the opportunity to live in Europe was something she simply could not refuse.  She was embarking on a new adventure, one that would be more fulfilling than she could have ever imagined.

Kat was not one to date much.  Once an optimistic romantic, that tended to fade with age and disappointing encounters.  Her work became her main focus and passion in life.  She knew she could only depend on herself, so job security and financial stability were very important to her—but she still wanted to have a career she could be proud of.  For a man to catch her eye, he would have to be more than extraordinary.  However, she did not consider herself to be anyone extraordinary herself.  She considered her looks to be average, though others debated that.  She was eyed and chased by men, but mostly by afar and not to her knowledge.  Many men found her to be intimidating, something she was bored of hearing.  Kat had long dark brown hair down to her waist, with slight hints of bright red highlights.  She loved the color red—the color of passion and fire—something that always burned deep within her heart, even when she thought it had been muted.  Her eyes tended to rotate between blues, greens, and even greys sometimes, perhaps depending on her mood, but they always had sparkle in them even when she felt defeated.  She was tall with an hour glass shape which at times was the envy of some of her female friends.  She enjoyed looking nice when she would go out on the town, but typically during the work day she wore little to no makeup, perhaps some red lipstick, and usually had her long hair tied up atop her head to keep it out of her way throughout the day.

Kat had settled in well at Santé Genomics, establishing herself as a leader in the department after being with the company for about two years.  In that time she had become close friends with one of her colleagues, another American expat and fellow variant scientist named Juniper.  Juniper, or Jun as many people called them, was a nonbinary individual with short reddish-orange hair, amber eyes, and modest freckles sprinkled across the bridge of their nose and cheeks.  Petite in stature, Jun was an excellent variant scientist, and shared the passion for laboratory science and precision medicine that Kat did, which made them a great team.  Their love for their work as well as both being American and moving to a new country helped them bond rather quickly and they became each other’s confidants and support systems in both their professional and personal lives.  Jun was a talented artist and cosplayer, and Kat enjoyed supporting them at all of their shows and events.  In return, Jun supported Kat’s love for singing and they could be seen at local karaoke bars, enjoying cocktails and unwinding from their sometimes stressful workdays.

Kat really felt like she had accomplished all of her dreams—she procured her dream job, in a dream location.  Basel was an interesting location—technically situated in Switzerland, it was so close to both Germany and France that it was quite common to be in 3 countries throughout the course of any given day.  It was also only a 3 hour train ride away from Paris, Kat’s favorite place in the whole world and now she could go there for a weekend trip any time she desired.  She truly had it all, or so she thought until she encountered him—the enchanting, elusive Australian native who would reignite the flame of desire that once burned brightly in her heart.

[ebookporn]

That time I took all the buses in Buenos Aires in order to write a book about taking all the buses in Buenos Aires

by  Daniel Tunnard

Taking all the buses of Buenos Aires, a writer on a mission makes the city his own.

Around 2008 I made the unlikely decision to take all 140-ish bus lines in the city of Buenos Aires and write a book about it, after devouring A. J. Jacobs’s book about reading the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica and seeking a marathon project of my own. I had been gazing at the map of Buenos Aires on our kitchen door and contemplating how little I still knew of the city after ten years here. It is standard for the long-term expat to get to know two or three areas of their adopted city and draw a blank on the rest. I didn’t want to be that guy. I took it upon myself to take all the buses in the city. I took the 1 and the 2. The 3 doesn’t exist anymore. I took the 4, the 5, the 6. I spent half an hour waiting at a bus stop in the back of beyond waiting for the 7. It was cold. It was boring. My best friend’s first son was born, and I wondered where my life had taken this turn. 

I gave up. I wrote a novel about a man trying to write a screenplay for a Freddie Mercury biopic who finds Brian May hiding in his cupboard (Freddiementary, still mysteriously unpublished). Clarín newspaper asked me to write an unpaid article for them as a foreigner living in Buenos Aires. I took the opportunity to promote my unpublishable novel and mentioned—only in passing, just one line—that I had once attempted to take all the buses in Buenos Aires. They titled the piece “The Englishman who tried to take all the buses in Buenos Aires.” This, apparently, is how journalism works. Three radio stations interviewed me excitedly about this nonstory. My wife, grimly aware of the economic limitations of my writing, suggested I put Freddie in the cupboard and do something useful, like taking all the buses in Buenos Aires. So I did. It took me seven months.

READ MORE

[vostok3-ka]

15 Questions for 15 Friends

Thank you so much for tagging me @vivelarevolution13. So lovely of you!!!!!

Are you named after anyone? >>> Yeah! I'm named after one of the most loved and strong historical women in Arab and Muslim history, the wife of the Prophet peace be upon him, Aisha. She was known to be very lively and lovely, and was incredibly clever and loved to have fun. In my culture we believe that naming a baby gives them some of the characteristics of the person or thing they are named after, and I really hope that's true, because she was an awesome woman.

When was the last time you cried? >>> Last time I cried was when praying for Gaza. Half of my family are either Jordanian-Palestinian, or Palestinian and when I see pictures of little children being hungry and frightened I can very easily image my siblings or little cousins in their place. It is only a border-line that separates us, and I could easily have been from Gaza. So yeah, I was quite upset.

Do you have kids? >>> No, but would love to someday, really would.

What sports do you play/have you played? >>> The first sport I ever did was Taekwondo as a little kid, I loved it but stopped when I got the blue belt due to life circumstances, before starting riding lessons. That went on for a few months and I was so happy. I loved it so much, but the prices became higher so I had to stop and was very sad about it. Then I did Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a few years, and stopped when I got my grey and black belt. Then I did swimming, and stopped after around a year and a half, then I started archery about nearly two years ago, which I am still doing, and I absolutely adore it. I compete amateurly, and it is super fun. I also do kickboxing, have been doing so for a year, and it's such a good sport and I enjoy it so much!

Do you use sarcasm? >>> I don't really. Got told off by my mother too many times for using it that I only do sometimes, and lightly now.

What’s the first thing you notice about people? >>> Their eyes. And their cheeks, if they dimple. I just find both really pretty!

What’s your eye color? >>> Amber/Golden-lightish brown? Not really sure but between light brown and amber.

Scary movies or happy endings? >>> Happy endings! I prefer tragic endings that leave me nearly gasping in emotion, but I do NOT like horror unless it's gothic/existential without any jump scares.

Any talents? >>> I am not sure honestly? Writing I suppose? I am a little uncomfortable with calling what I can do talent, I think I'm quite your average Joe or however the phrase goes ;) I do think I sometimes write some alright poetry though!

Where were you born? >>> In the Gulf of the Middle East. My family are expats so I wasn't born in the Levant!

What are your hobbies? >>> Archery, Kickboxing, Writing both poetry and prose, reading, and occasionally playing video games. My favourite book by far is Catch-22 and my favourite video games would have to be either S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or Metro 2033

Do you have any pets? >>> I used to have a dog when I was really little, then some fish, then some cats, then a hamster, and then a bunny, then a parrot and then a cat, and now I currently have none!

How tall are you? >>> 172cm

Favorite subject in school? >>> Literature, WWII History and Psychology

Dream job? >>> Humanitarian or Army medic. I would love to be able to help people in warzones, and I get bored really easily so a high stress job would be perfect for me. I would also really like to be a firefighter or a detective.

I had so much fun answering these, and would like to no-pressure tag @writethewolvesaway @bbyboybucket @sadeyedlady-writes and @catcoffeeenjoyer !!

[initiala]

Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first fic you ever published there, the last fic you published, any fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once, your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonized over the most, the fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason. <3

Tagged by @spartanguard thanks lovey

Oh good grief, there's a lot of stuff to go through here hang on...

First fic published there: Anthony and Virginia, back when I was headlong into Pepperony/the MCU. Published on May 24, 2012. I have fics that are dated older, because I backdated them when I cross-posted some old stuff over for archival purposes, but A&V is the first fic I published on AO3. It was also the first time I was getting back into fic writing after a couple of years of break!

Last fic published there: SPEAKING OF... Growing Up Hanyou was posted sometime probably in 2021 or 2022, it doesn't say when I uploaded it because I backdated it to the original publishing time of 2008. It was a slice of life sequel-ish to A Matter of Trust, a fic that I won an award for Best Melodrama for, which honestly tells you everything you need to know about 19-year old Amanda's fic writing habits.

Any fic that I wrote for a fandom/ship once: The Old House, for Breath of the Wild. While I've written for the Legend of Zelda franchise before, they're literally lost to the annals of time because it was like 2002 and I have wiped that from the internet as best as I know how. (also it was like seventeen usernames ago) They're best forgotten, though I do kinda wish I kept the one around that tried to bridge what happened between OoT/MM and WW. It was also very dramatic. I was a very dramatic child.

Your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works: Red-eye to Incheon. Biased because this is heavily pulled from my (positive) experiences in Korea without any of the negative stuff (of which there were many), but I really liked writing this and getting to live a little vicariously through the characters (I'm a very boring person. Expat culture is fucking WILD when you're a boring person like me so I mostly observed and filed away for later use, aka here.)

The fic you wish more people read: Very Cool. If I'm going based on hits, I can see why some of these aren't like. Hit up more. There's the very old ones that I archived here, there's one-offs that are just genfic that most people in fandom Do Not Care About. But I'm actually proud of Very Cool because I wrote it after seeing a copy of the Doctor Who magazine on the stands while I was in England and I wrote Eleven exactly how he speaks in his cadence and honestly it should have more than 239 hits even as a little crackfic, especially back in the big Series 5/6 heyday thank you.

The fic you agonized most over: Day of the Dead. I think I agonize a bit over every fic I wrote, but I think most of the WTNV fics were agonized over a bit more. It was 2013, I was really pushing myself with what I was comfortable writing and Tumblr was REALLY Tumblring at that time so there was a lot of cause to not get cancelled over a fic (seriously. There were a LOT of wolves with pitchforks then. If you think it's bad now, it was worse then) I wrote my first genderswap fic in that fandom, I played a lot with the laws of physics and reality, and I wrote this, my first fic that was multi-lingual. I had a lot of help to make sure the Spanish was correct and even after it's been nitpicked over a bit, but for the most part everyone received it well. But I did SO MUCH research because I really didn't know much about Dia de Muertos at the time, it hadn't become a thing to integrate it into the US yet, Coco was years off, and I wanted to make sure I was portraying this cultural holiday accurately and respectfully, while also showing that these are still just people celebrating and it's not going to be this Irreverent Thing you follow exactly to a T.

The fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort: The Corner of First and Amistad. I literally wrote all 8 chapters in one day and then posted as I finished editing. I do wish I'd had more experience/training in how I write now for this, because I think this fic deserves it, but for something that was brain-dumped so completely in such a short amount of time it's not bad. I'd also need like. Fresh eyes to go in and help with the edits because while I KNOW it needs polishing and expanded on, I'm always too fucking precious about my own work to do anything without someone forcing me to.

A work you are proud of—for whatever reason: Hook-Echo. This is the fic no one wanted, no one asked for (though let's be real, all of my multi-chapter AUs are this, every single one is a "huh? how is THAT an AU?") and absolutely a "I wrote this because it's been living in my brain for years and I just needed something to force me to sit down and write it all out", so I can absolutely thank the 2018 Big Bang for giving me that excuse. It was published after the show ended, so the fandom was... gone by then, so it definitely is a passion project like no other and didn't get anywhere near as much love as it might have had it been done on the heels of finishing Dark Horse like I'd originally planned.

[devitalise]

the end up the month always sneaks up on me, i saw your message and was like "oh she's early I have plentyyy of time!" yet here we are two days into April already AHHHH how were your March reads? & i forget, are you doing a no-buy thing or minimal buying for books? how's that been going 🤨

no literally in my head it's still march the last week has been a complete blur especially with the clocks going forward only just got my bearings. but this is now a nice lil springtime treat so let's get into my

march book wrap up

milk fed by melissa broder

i had a real voraciousness when i read this, i just couldn't get enough. not necessarily the writing, but of rachel. i love her. girls with complicated relationships with their mothers. a very unapologetic read i think, i had to do a bit of googling but i love that Broder didn't shy away from presenting the ideas and themes she set out to do in their fullest forms. kind of let down by the ending at the time of reading, but i can respect what it serves the book on reflection.

music: milk fed playlist review: booksburgersandbackpacks

fight night by miriam toews

kind of laughed as i remembered i read this. went on holiday this month, so picking this as my travelling read felt a bit risky i didn't know if i'd have the time to give this the attention it deserved, or if it'd even grab me. but it did. i loved this book so, so much. crying on a 9pm flight as i'm over the English channel unlocked. shiv i just want to hug you. i'm going to try get the physical version of this, i want the physicality of it so bad. equal parts love letter and biographical in nature, made it onto my top 2023 shelf and idk if i even have the words to do this justice!

music: think this was just my liked songs? podcast: shakespeare & company

things i don't want to know by deborah levy

claxon sounds alarm rings horns blare. i read nonfiction. i've heard real high praise of levy as an author. i don't know if there was any rhyme or reason for picking up part one in her living autobiography series, but i'm realy glad i did. how do you judge a memoir? sorry, your life was boring! in levy's case it wasn't. i appreciate how vulnerable it is to unpick your memories and make sense of them almost 40 years later, to revisit apartheid South Africa and digest what that makes you as a woman now in your 60s. refreshingly candid, some real interesting threads on womanhood, displacement, motherhood and agency in this. will be picking up the next in the series.

music: just some indie pop i think (scared to update spotify i've seen there's no more genre filters in liked songs? what's that about!) no review here did some independent thinking scarily

ok i did finish a book yesterday that i want to count but it hasn't been long enough for my thoughts to settle but i'm going to link everything now before i lose it.

let it come down by paul bowles (technicality)

music: let it come down (not period appropiate but perfect for that kind of restless energy) articles: the international zone: expat writers in tangier, what was the international zone, franco-moroccan war

and that was my march reading! still at a slow and steady pace. i am trying to do a no book buy moment! other than me buying 3 books in march, i've been going pretty strong. might break it though because i've picked out two more books set in tangier also by some of bowle's contemporaries and i really want to explore a setting like that as a wider more Themed block of reading if that makes sense. so i'll be buying naked lunch by william s. burruoughs and in tangier by mohamed chouckri in the next couple of days (in tangier is a memoir)

also amazon sent me a notification like maybe its time for a new kindle! my current one isn't even 2 years old and works perfectly fine i won't be giving in

[kitsunephantom09]

P5R OC - Solo Canon (Solo!Chey)

Chey “Stag” Montgomery - The Well Arcana

18 years old, She/Her, blood type O-

US Expat, moved to Japan to play test subject for secret research

Wields the artificial Persona Aeshma, aligned with the element of Water.

Dedicates lots of time to her physical training so she can pick up any friend like a sack of potatoes.

Joined the Phantom Thieves during the Museum of Vanity, where Joker and Mona discovered her rendered unconscious by the Reaper in Mementos. Due to her black and gold mask, she becomes and remains a suspect for the Black Mask assassin until Okumura’s Palace.

Certified dumber than a box of bricks but she has a good heart.

Made the move to Japan to seek treatment from Dr Takuto Maruki as the presence of her artificial Persona is slowly killing her and no other doctor has been able to help. This Persona is Aeshma, who was, in essence, grafted onto her soul and thus cannot be removed without substantial risk. Best case scenario, chunks of her soul would be removed as well, leaving her fragmented and hollow. Worst case, she suffers a mental shutdown or apathy syndrome. Dr Maruki tamed and tethered Aeshma, reducing the rate of corrosion it inflicts on Chey and allowing her to use it in battle. The more she utilizes Aeshma, however, the more it corrodes her, so she must be careful.

Due to her terrible homelife and forsaken childhood, Chey quickly latches on to Dr Maruki as a replacement father figure despite his initial professional distance. This distance wanes quickly, as Dr Maruki believes that playing father to her would be in her best interests.

Chey befriends several of the Thieves - Ryuji, Yusuke, Ann, and Haru. Chey shares athletic tendencies with Ryuji and general “gentle but always ready to maim“ attitude similar to Haru. Chey can commiserate with Ann over being treated as foreigners (though Ann is notably not so foreign while Chey definitely is). Chey dabbles in visual arts as a hobby and finds common ground with Yusuke, as well as appreciating his perspective on the world.

On the flip side, Chey finds herself constantly at odds with Morgana, Akiren, Akechi, and Makoto. Chey finds Morgana’s ego and superficial superiority to be grating and has to visibly restrain herself from fighting with him. Akiren is entirely enigmatic to her, and when she observes how he behaves so differently based on who he’s with, Chey believes that he is simply a "silver-tongued devil” and should not be trusted. Similar to Morgana, Chey greatly dislikes Makoto’s general demeanor, finding her boring and condescending, as well as inept in the situations that truly matter. As such, Chey repeatedly challenges Makoto’s decisions and locks horns with her out of spite. Chey also despises Akechi on a visceral level - his saccharine Detective Prince act makes her want to smash his face into a wall, and his nihilistic, cynical true personality also makes her want to smash his face into a wall.

Sumire and Futaba are in odd places for Chey. Chey does generally act positively towards them both, but she acts carefully around Sumire due to knowing of Dr Maruki enacting a change of cognition within her. She distances herself emotionally from Futaba after witnessing her deep bond with her mother, as Chey’s own mother essentially sold her to the laboratory that forced Aeshma on her, and Chey doesn’t want to taint Futaba’s perception of her mother with her own negativity.

Due to Dr Maruki’s life-changing treatment, Chey genuinely believes he can help anyone and everyone, and thus sides with him during the 3rd Semester. Unlike Sumire, Chey cannot be persuaded to reject the ideal reality, as in the ideal reality, her Persona’s corrosion will cease to be, and she can live a long, happy life - in the true reality, she will most likely die in her late 30s due to the corrosion. To Chey, this fight is not a matter of morals, but a matter of survival, and she is determined to survive.

The Phantom Thieves are unaware of Chey’s failing health and the true nature of her Persona until they find and watch the memory of Chey revealing it to Dr Maruki. This new information temporarily causes a rift between the Thieves, with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Haru faltering in their resolve to reject the ideal reality. They do eventually reaffirm their intentions to change Dr Maruki’s heart, though they express their remorse and sorrow over Chey’s situation.

Chey is initially neutral to the Thieves during their infiltration of the Center of Melancholy, though she does avoid them as she stays in Dr Maruki’s Palace with him. When the Thieves break out of the illusion and rescue Joker and Crow, Chey finally becomes hostile - she doesn’t interfere in the fight against Cendrillon, but afterwards begins to roam the Palace as an extra security measure. Unlike the Reaper, who spawns in on a timer, Chey is simply always on the move and every fight the Thieves partake in alerts her to their general location. If she finds them, she’ll attempt to ambush them - if she succeeds, she does brutal damage to one of the Thieves, rendering them unable to fight for the rest of that day’s infiltration (this goes for Joker as well, though if he goes down, the infiltration stops entirely for that day rather than a game over). However, after the calling card has been sent, Chey will desperately attempt to intercept the Thieves on their way to Dr Maruki to outright kill Joker; she will ignore the rest of the Thieves in favor of this.

If her confidant was not maxed prior to the 3rd Semester, she will join the first two phases of the final boss fight, but be rendered unconscious by the partial collapse of the Palace prior to Azathoth’s ascension to Adam Kadmon. She awakens during the fist fight and simply refuses to leave the Palace, choosing instead to die during its collapse as opposed to enduring the suffering of her corrosion.

If her confidant was maxed prior to the 3rd Semester, Chey will be the one to steal Dr Maruki’s Treasure from the Thieves and use it on her own Persona, ascending it into the god-like dragon Hexazeon, and becomes the final boss. This boss fight has three phases, and Chey gets six actions every turn, rendering her a very powerful, very difficult foe. If she wins, she fulfills Dr Maruki’s plan of making the ideal reality the true reality, and sentences Joker to eternal slumber. If she loses, she nearly dies in the Palace’s collapse, only to be saved by Dr Maruki and Joker and pulled to safety.

During the epilogue: If Chey died in the Palace, her body is never recovered and she is simply listed as missing. Dr Maruki is heartbroken but determined to keep searching until she’s found. If Chey was rescued, she is despondent about her future and venomous towards the Thieves as a whole, fracturing the friendships she formed within the group. Despite this, Sumire, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Haru all are determined to try and mend their friendships with Chey and help her see her future in a brighter light.

[alyssalikestoreadbooks]

Keep Me Posted - Lisa Beazley

"Two sisters share the surprising highs and cringe-worthy lows of social media fame, when their most private thoughts become incredibly public in this fresh and funny debut novel.

Sisters Cassie and Sid Sunday have not done a bang-up job of keeping in touch. In their defense, it hasn’t been life veered in sharply different directions for the once-close sisters. Today, beautiful and big-hearted Sid lives an expat’s life of leisure in far-off Singapore, while harried, iPhone-clutching Cassie can’t seem to make it work as a wife and a mom to twin toddlers in Manhattan. It doesn't help that Sid spurns all social media while Cassie is addicted to Facebook. So when Sid issues a challenge to reconnect the old-fashioned way—through real, handwritten letters—Cassie figures, why not? The experiment exceeds both of their expectations, and the letters become a kind of mutual confessional that have real and soul-satisfying effects. And they just might have the power to help Cassie save her marriage, and give Sid the strength to get her life back on track. But first, one of Cassie’s infamous lapses in judgment comes back to bite her, and all of the letters wind up the one place you’d never, ever want to see the Internet..."

Read Date - Around 2017

Length - 320 pages

Genre - Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

Rating - 2/10

Notes: If I could go back in time and DNF a book i've already read, this would be the one to do it. The blurb is so captivating and such a good concept that it really pulled me in. The further i read, the more bored i got. The writing wasn't bad, in fact, i'd say Lisa is an incredible writer! but after what felt like the second act of the book, the plot really starts to lose focus and all the parts that should be juicy are just.... not. it's dull and there's absolutely no action. i can't even find the words to describe how much i disliked this book

[bisluthq]

In the picture posted today, Jack is wearing the same jacket he was wearing on Sunday in a hotel room, probably in Boston. This means he spent the weekend in Boston with Jamie Lee Curtis and he’s cheating on Saoirse 😧

.

.

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I was just going to say that it’s been a while since we’ve made up some dumb/crazy stories and this was me doing that, but like why did it end up sounding exactly like something people would’ve said about Joe and one of his costars while he was with Taylor 💀

besties we’ve truly lived through wars here lmao. Like people cheat and shit but like T/J rumors and now T/TK rumors are just… insane? I’m not gonna defend either Joe or Travis because I don’t know them and I don’t know where their dicks go and like tbf I don’t know where my bf’s dick goes (and I’m a suspicious person but so is he so that usually just escalates and isn’t good but we don’t cheat beyond things we’re comfy with like mm/ff separately or a nice thank u kiss to the other person involved and we do trust each other lol like just when we get in a mood I can come up with like 10 things he has done that’re dodgy and he can come up with like 10 things I did that are even more dodgy but also he and I live a very hectic and out there life - hence having the soft poly rules and just generally being a bit more hectic than idk most people - but again so does Taylor based on lifestyle like I get it’s not normal but lots of people live this way) and as I’ve said before I wouldn’t even defend my male bestie if his gf told me he hurt her or cheated on her (if she said it to me). I’d tend to take that girl seriously. I don’t trust anyone and I trust men even less than that lmao. I love that dude (platonically) but if a girl who’s fucking him told me another thing I’d consider what she’s saying.

but I also always say like nothing suggests anyone is cheating or abusing anyone lmao like let’s not make up drama that doesn’t exist (not to u anon but to the Taylor anons who’re still here who make shit up like why do you want her to be miserable wtf is wrong with you why can’t stuff just idk be normal????)

Again, I live a fairly out there life at times (other times we’re the most boring couple alive) but my besties’ personal lives are generally very boring and I don’t assume their husbands/girlfriends/wives are cheating? I also don’t think my own bf is cheating unless I’m trying to pick a fight lmao and then I’m like “you did talk to so and so” but that shit’s on me lol and again I’m always guilty too because we just have a very hectic lifestyle and shit happens. He said when we first went to the couples therapy like “you understand I’m an LA expat still very much in film and she’s tangentially in film and we both live a very hedonistic lifestyle and neither of us will stop that?” And like that sums that one up lol.

Therapist was cool with it though.

[mugglebrn]

rules.

001 . first i’ll introduce myself briefly. my name is kalila (28); i am a proud nganyaywana, dhanggatti and gumbaynggirr woman. she/her pronouns. i'm a recent aussie expat living in scotland. i previously wrote hermione on a multimuse blog (epeolxtry) and have ten+ years of tumblr roleplay experience so trust me, i’ve seen just about everything there is to see on this website. my discord is available at request though i’m not super active on it. hermione is not my main rp blog, so my activity might be a bit spotty here but i always try to be around for a chat. this blog is ofc, very anti-jkr. hermione belongs to me and the fandom now.

002 . this is a mutual exclusive roleplay blog, meaning that if i follow you, i intend to write with you. please respect that if i do not, it means that for whatever reason i just don’t see myself writing with you, and understand that in these cases my memes and starter/plotting calls are for mutuals. between work, my other blog, downtime and a social life i’m pretty busy so i would consider myself low activity. while i'll naturally favour writing with those i talk to regularly, i don't tend to practice mains/exclusives, this is just because i've written in some tiny fandoms before and i don't like people to feel left out

003 . i’m familiar with a lot of fandoms, and i love a crossover so if you have an idea for one, it’s probably a pretty sound bet that i’d be down. any crossover verses i've already thought up will be on my verses post for you to check out. i don't really practice exclusivity so consider every interaction with an individual to be a separate verse unless discussed prior.

004 . when it comes to shipping i tend to go based on chemistry and if i haven’t spoken to you beforehand for plotting, i’d prefer to kind of feel it out and see how the characters go. in saying that though, i do enjoy shipping as a part of storytelling and i’m pretty open to it. i’m also okay with pre established relationships as long as there’s discussion first or they’re a canon couple. i do ship dramione, however i'm pretty particular how the relationship would progress so it'd need to be heavily plotted first. also the dramione fandom obsession with bashing ron is not on here. ron is amazing and i love romione just the same.

005 . while on the topic of shipping, nsfw will sometimes be present, though i am very selective about when i do. i like it to serve the plot/relationship. i won't write smut right off the bat and definitely require some build up between our characters. if i do write smut, it will be tagged as spicy cw but not under a read more. if your only interest is to write smut i’m not your girl, i get bored of it too quickly to be writing it often.

006 . triggers will be present on this blog, particularly when it comes to exploring hermione's mental health post-war. i always try my very best to be respectful of triggers and i tag anything i know or think could be one. i personally do not have any triggers, so if i’ve missed something please tell me and know that it’s not intentional.

007 . most of all just know that anything here is in good fun. my energy to write waxes and wanes - please don't be offended if i dip every now and then when life gets overwhelming and know that i am never somebody who gets impatient waiting for replies. always take your time and do what's comfortable for you!

[curious-glitch]

Embrace Boring

Maybe instead of constantly opening new threads I should start consolidating them?

To live simply, with more focus and intention.

Towards commitment instead of optionality.

Maybe boring is in season for me now.

After all, I did have more than my fair share of fun in my 20s. And the fun I'm having in my early 30s is icing on the cake. I probably had more of these than many people around me. So why am I still seeking youthful thrills? Why do I keep reminiscing on past escapades especially in Sh? Why do I act as though I was shortchanged on adventure when I already had it in spades in my own way?

It tugs at me, but it's looking more and more like a holdovers from past projected fantasies, overcompensation for college foibles, wanting more delicious things once tasted, and of course the trigger of looking at friends' feeds. I still have this nagging feeling of unfinished business, of catching up on the fun, of not wanting to be caged and domesticated, just yearning to run wild and free.

I did want a more nomadic lifestyle - a posting overseas to work or study perhaps, more frequent business trips, more traveling around as a digital nomad, surrounded by smart people working on meaningful things. All these drive my envy of expats, international graduate students, independent creators, and finance/consulting/tech company hires.

Yet in my strange own way I actually did have (and can still have) most of those experiences… (!) I also believe that I'm in the right place, with the right people, and having the right ingredients to piece together something great. (Is it enough comfort that most of these nomads end up wanting what I already have at the moment?) I just have to rein my restlessness in, man up, and follow through.

I need a reset and focus on what truly matters. Of course I can still let loose from time to time, and I know I naturally have this broad coverage fixation. But the only way to continue growing is to embrace boring and set a productive cadence for myself. After all, it is on the bedrock of boring where great things sprout and bloom.

*the other constant question i face is, am i denying and repressing and even gaslighting my true self, or am i simply selfishly hesitant to grow up and live a more committed life? two sides to the coin and hard to draw the line.. but what matters is that i cannot change the past and can only work with what i currently have to the best of my ability, making the choice right > making the right choice

[silkmandarin]

Learn Chinese and Play Ping-Pong in Silk Mandarin's Summer Camp!

https://www.silkmandarin.cn/learn-chinese-and-play-ping-pong-in-silk-mandarins-summer-camp.html

It's time to plan the summer for the kids!

 I know many of the parents who are reading this article are also Chinese learners themselves, so I don't need to repeat myself by mentioning how "profitable" it can be if Chinese is mastered at a young age.

 As many of the kids are finishing school in 5 weeks, we welcome them to join Silk Mandarin's 2-week Chinese Summer Camp to enhance their Chinese language skill, practice Ping-pong, explore Chinese culture and not to forget make lots of friends as well as have fun in summer holiday 2021!

 Best Place to Learn Chinese Online

 It's common to see many international kids only take Chinese as a school subject, but hardly finding a chance to speak Chinese in an everyday situation. Being less practical and less fun equals less motivation.

 How to encourage your kids to speak Chinese? It is not an easy thing to do within your family or your expat community. You need to explore more options! Silk Mandarin Chinese Summer Camp provides a natural, easy and encouraging place for kids to speak Chinese.

 The Chinese content your kids will learn in the morning is always put into practice later that day. Review sessions take place in a fun yet educational way, using Videos, Music, Role-play, Games, Presentations, etc to maximize the kids' curiosity and motivation to apply Chinese language in their daily life.

 During the Summer Camp, the kids will also make use of their evening time to rehearse a play in Chinese to encourage them to practice their Chinese knowledge as well as teamwork.

 The technological environment that we live in today may suggest that kids these days are different from previous generations. But in fact they're not. Even though nowadays kids seem to have a lot of fun doing different things online, it doesn't mean they lost interest in sports. Once they are offered the environment, they will choose to drop the phone or pad immediately.

  Apart from Mandarin learning, Silk Mandarin plans Ping-pong (table tennis) training as this year's afternoon activity. Ping-pong is a national sport in China and we have so many prefesional trainers and the most advanced training methodology here. You definitely don't want your kids to miss the best enlightment of Ping-pong since you live in a country which is famous for this sport, right? Most importantly, Ping-pong is proven to be one of the best sports good for the growth of the kids.

 How can the kids benifit from Ping-pong?

 Ping-pong enhances decision making skills

Ping-pong requires immediate reactions to the opponent's moves which helps regular players develop a sense of fast thinking. Making tactical decisions in less than a second under pressure can improve cognitive abilities of the kids.

 Ping-pong improves alertness and concentration abilities

 Ping-pong is a fast-paced sport that requires total concentration on the ball with an excellent hand-eye coordination. During a table tennis game, various areas of your brain are activated simultaneously.

 Ping-pong teaches the kids the value of working hard

 Ping-pong is a lot of work. It requires maximum concentration on the ball and constant movement around the table. The person that works hard during the game is usually the winner. This correlation between winning and hard work is an important concept that your kids should be aware of.

 How to Learn Mandarin Online

During the Summer Camp, Mandarin learning will never be boring as the normal learning session are being combined with fun games, tasks, activities and not to forgetreal-life practice.

 In the afternoon, a kid-friendly ping-pong class and practice session will be arranged with professional Chinese trainers.

 The evening free time will be planned with Chinese movies for kids as well as a guided rehearsal of a Chinese play.

  The Summer Camp will be concluded in a happy and festive way with an evaluation of the kids Mandarin skills, a show of Chinese play and a Ping-pong competition. Parents and friends are very welcome to join in!

 Check out the details

 We found many international kids in Shanghai haven't experienced the excitement of connecting to local life. I believe once they have embraced local life, they won't stop furthering their Chinese communicative skills. Silk Mandarin would love to help your kids to find their connection with China! So our summer camp's Chinese course is based on the kids' communicative goals in their daily life. Once they finish the course, they will be able to handle the practical topics below in Chinese.

 Learn Chinese and Play Ping-Pong in Silk Mandarin's Summer Camp!

 Learn the rules of a Ping-pong competition;

 Learn how to hold a table tennis bat, how to stand and how to move;

Learn basic strokes, including forehand drive, backhand drive, backhand push and forehand push;

Learn 21 different training drills to help you improve your skills;

Learn how to serve, including backspin serve, sidespin serve and topspin serve.

*The class drill will be conducted according to the specific levels of students in the class

[benefits1986]

Accio No Laptop Leave

I cleared all my trips for the really sherep Holy Week because I thought my ina could make it plus I need to suck in all good vibes because Tauras szn is coming very, very soon again and again. UGH. This will have one or two posts depending on my mood levels because umaatikabo po ang Taurus szn for the Cancer me. Ayoko siyang abangan pero, let’s get it on this 2023.  If I were a real life Ravenclaw, I would spend this looonnng and winding summer road in Negros + Siquijor. I don’t usually go back to the places I’ve visited because I easily get bored and unbothered, but these two islands make me breathe and fart rainbows. Think Across The Universe because trippy talaga.  Since my boss then was an expat, he approved my no laptop leave. I noticed that European bosses take their leaves very, very seriously on top of the KPIs and costs that are always on “go for the kill” vibe.  My trip here was super epic because I wasn’t expecting anything beyond the basic immersive experience.  First, gwapo ng mga coastguards. HAHAHAHAHAHA. And super helpful because they really waited for us to dash to the last boat to Siquijor from Duma. While running for dear life, I was really pissed because I made sure that I got accurate info that we can leave Duma, dusk time. I wanted my cotton candy skies and a bit of chill kasi. UGH. So, the cutie men in uniform calmed me. CHZ. I can’t help but mag-interact kasi legit cuties and we NEED to buy time. Small talks pa kami ng mga bossing kaya push. Was deeply thinking why walang ganun sa MNL and kung mga anak ba sila ng hacienda and nepotism babies sila na trying to break free from the generational curse and blessing.  Second, since I get really easily afraid, ticking Siquijor even for 24 solid hours lang is a bucket list hit. This tiny island is lakas maka-middle earth pero on steriods, however, it’s also a really unadulterated town. Mababait talaga the locals plus food is fresh, simple and done right. Just the way I like it.  Never mind na may sumitsit sa akin because I had to squeeze in a task because prod peeps had an issue and again, ako lang (sadly) may access. UGH. So, after going around the ghost town since kaka-open lang ng Siquijor that time to tourists, I was the only one burning the midnight oil. May sumitsit sa akin out of nowhere and knocked several times as I was madly downing this deadline. LOL. ‘Yan kasi, no laptop leave daw pero dinala naman kaya, olats. :D I cramped my eye level to the tiny screen of my work laptop. Fuck 13-inch screens kasi. Bakit hindi man lang 15 or 17? Bakit? Sabi kasi nila, when faced with this shit, NO EYE CONTACT is your only key para ‘di ka ma-lock sa middle earth ganaps. Ewan ko ba naman bakit may mga encounters akong ganito at times talaga. ‘Di ko rin naman ma-blame overactive imagination ko kasi legit na persistent ‘yung sutsot at katok sa glass doors and windows. Syempre, tinapos ko ‘yung deadline na ‘to after an hour or so, but my chest is screaming talaga and my hands are shaking slightly pa.  I didn’t wake up my travel buddies kasi pride and baka malingon ko whatever or whoever ‘yung sutsot na susot. LOL. Even the Negros peeps nga mismo warned us about our Siquijor adventure but is it worthwhile? Super! We had Cambugahay Falls all to ourselves. As in kami lang talaga bisita. OWEEEM. Hassle lang ‘yung stairs kasi ang iksi ng legs ko. LOL. Tourism peeps, keep up naman lalo if you want this spot to have good reviews!!! But after the quick and knee-popping lusong, ang gandaaaaaaaaaaa. I judge places based on how they look IRL versus photos and vids na no edit. Saktong-sakto ‘yung flow ng water, blue AF talaga which is my type of blue. And enchanted talaga siya, as in.  The beach na other one was the holding area of COVID peeps kaya we were not able to enter even when we said, we would like to take the risk. HAHAHAHHAHAHA. Fully vaxxed naman na kami with booster shot pa. So, this deserves a round two talaga. Dawn and dusk during our visit is sooooo magical plus the bamboo massage we got is soooooo unique. Tanggal talaga lamig mo. LOL. We also boozed but not much kasi mahaba pa ang trip back to Negros.  We then went back to Negros and met our driver. Super bait nung owner ng service company. As in. The price is quite steep but ok lang because then, 1L of gas is P80 pesos na. :( Before pa ‘to ng hyperinflation ha. But to be able to wing the Negros Loop, we opted to go for a rented car.  Next stop is Lakawon since one of the travel buddies wanted to go back. Ayoko neto pero we had an alignment that we will be choosing 1 each na spot, no questions asked. Off we went to Lakawon and again, we had mostly to ourselves. Super init lang talaga na parang sinundo ka na ni Hades levels. HAHAHAHAHA. Oks naman Lakawon ‘pag walang tao which happened. Staff are super nice and syempre, Red Horse lang naman, happy na ako. Food is average pero oks na rin. Staff thanked us kasi nga super dalang ng tourists. Sulit ba siya? For me, saks lang. Won’t go back anytime soon since I am on a hunt ng mas indie spots. :D  After the Lakawon day trip, rachada na kami to my spot, Danjugan Island!!! I’ve been eyeing this for quite a long time, a few birthdays back but, ‘di natutuloy. Spent 3D/2N there and super duper vibe na vibe ko talagaaaaa. As in.  Met Dave, Sef and Carmela. Super lodicakes sila 3 along with the team. As in. Syempre, nung una, introvert pa ako, pero since they are very welcoming, yosi break na kami ni Dave then poof, pak boom. He designed a custom tour for us which is soooo trippy talaga, literally and figuratively. LOL. Highlights of the custom tour:  -planktons on my feet  -fireflies above my head  -starry, starry night  -open sea at night  -crystals -incantations  -prayers  -rituals  -safe space sharing -palo santo  -boa constrictor meet up, up close  -bat cave  -seahorse  -bird watching  -freediving catch up sesh  -sea glass hunting  -kayak (skipped this because I don’t like this)  -good food  -Agimat Ube Creme  -unli booze  -lutong bahay food  -more lutong bahay food   -yoga  -tarot card reading  -meditation  -a snippet of our return visit :D :D :D  ‘Di ba? Parang Goop EP pero very Filipino, very rooted sa untouched culture natin. What struck me talaga was during this Danjugan trip was the moment I heard mom’s voice saying, kaya mo na. Kaya mo noon pa. And felt her sungit warm hug as a Taurus mother dragon. :D Full force, mhie. I cannot. Dunno if it was the trip, the palo santo, the summer breeze mixed with the chilly air, the ambient lights or the crashing waves. LOL. Very Goop talaga. :D Nonetheless, I dig trips like this. Walang signal. Walang ice. Walang noise pollution. Walang distractions. And grounds you on prod levels na on steroids pa. LELS.  We headed back to Duma for a city tour and visited Pinspired, a hub for creators of the island and nearby places. Ganda ng Starbucks dito because suko na talaga ako sa Sbucks ages ago, pero ganda niyaaaa. Food was good. People are great and the vibe is poppin’ talaga. It’s sleepy city but it is bustling, too. Gah. I didn’t finish Hometown Chacha kasi napaka strong-turned-super-weak ng female lead pero it reminds me of its locations.  So, if I could Accio Negros x Siquijor, here’s my list:  -3 days in Siquijor and bike around the island  -find a ritual for cleansing past hurts  -unli booze all day and night  -4 days in Danjugan + Punta Bulata: bike and freedive and hike + trippy trip, meditation and visit Dave’s sanctuary  -Ultimate food trip in local spots na sa Google plus ancestral hacienda visits -Will try to visit a travel buddy’s azucarera for immersion. Tignan ko power dynamics ng mga feudal lords and ladies which is really, really interesting  -cooking class and shop for ingredients I can bring back to Manila  -Sugar Beach booze na sana may jam sesh ng 90s and early 2000s PL  -Freedive more pa around Duma and the other spots na ipagtatanong ko pa sa locals there  -Heirloom vintage shopping: baka may vinyls or whatever na puwede ko icurate  -Pinspired major haul pero sila na mag-deliver para mas mura :D  -syempre rented car na may bike rack po tayo na puwede folding bike + LF biking buddy  -rent folding bike because ‘di pa rin ako marunong mag-scooter (sa Siargao na ‘to)  -5x darker skin, 3x lighter hair -road to babaylan na ba talaga ito, mhie :D  -meet local creators/artists and if may event, sama meeee as a people watcher (Gahhh. Pinspired team invited me nga a few months back pero nasa fucking MNL ako that time.) -ink sesh because seesh this place talaga  This holy week break is long but I need a really long break before the storm x Taurus szn talaga. I still have pa-siyam and 40th day ng ina ko so abala po tayo for the next weeks na naman. UGH. Traditions get in the way of this tita’s travels. Still torn if I’ll stay in Manila and bike around na lang or hatawin ang chances of not being hassle sa daan, dagat at himpapawid --my pet peeve when I am traveling. Most likely, Manila will be sleepy ulit dahil sabik sa sabak travels ang mga peeps.  It’s Tuesday na. A few days before weekend. I am an autopilot mode na talaga pero parang working naman so far. ‘Di pa ubos pake ko kahit ubos na ako. LOL. My dad’s birthday is coming, too. Need to up my adrenaline para naman happy siya. Wawa e. LOL. Back to regular programming muna tayo para sa ekonomiya. Nakakalumpo ‘yung list ko ng stuff to do when I go back e. :D Punta Bulata x Miles, baka naman. Solo ba or non-solo comeback trip ko? Let’s see mga mhieses. LELS. Oks ang solo, default ko ‘yan e pero curious how it’ll go if non-solo or as my travel buddies budol me, semi-solo. ;) 

[squilliam128]

30 Day Writing Challenge Day 4 - Places you want to visit

Paris. The city of light – I’m sure what you’re thinking now; I can practically hear it in my head. Another dumb American tourist who wants to eat pain au chocolat and visit the Eiffel Tower. And yes, you’d be right; I do want to do those things. I won’t pretend that I haven’t romanticized Paris in my head to the point of setting myself up for inevitable disappointment, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing either.

Paris is a priceless diamond, with countless facets, each one revealing more about the city. There’s Paris, the art hub, where creative minds flourish in the shadows of Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and Picasso, and the finest art in the world can be appreciated under the glass pyramid of the Louvre. I can only imagine the inspiration that the American expats of the 20th century felt while admiring the breathtaking architecture along the Seine,  under the vivid stained glass windows of Notre-Dame, or even from one of the city's many patisseries while enjoying an espresso and one of their famous baked goodies.

Speaking of, I’ve heard that the food in Paris isn’t bad either. I think Ratatouille really did a lot for their reputation (That was a joke. Laugh). I mean, what other city can make tiny snails sound appetizing. But in all seriousness, as someone who grew up watching a LOT of Food Channel, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to finally try coq au vin, tarte tatin, and yes, pain au chocolat. Not only does their food taste good, it looks good, and I’ve been scrolling through Instagram just looking at pictures for too long.

But despite being a cradle of culture and civilization, I want to visit Paris for une boufée d’air frais. French is the language of love, and Paris is one of the most romantic cities on the planet. I want to fall in love for the first time (preferably with a nice boy, but I’ll settle for the city). I want to stumble out of bars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in the arms of the boy I love. I want to admire the city’s lights from a rooftop with him and then admire the lights’ reflections within his eyes. I want to feel butterflies and let those butterflies carry me along the skyline. I want to feel like another work of art among the city’s countless others. I know – cheesy and probably painful to read. Maybe I have over romanticized the city in my head, but I’m okay with that. Paris isn’t just a city; it’s an idea. We all need a Paris of our own to dream about and look forward to because otherwise, life can be terribly boring and depressing. We may never find our Paris, but the hope of finding my diamond in the rough is what gives me hope and strength when my days are looking dull and dark.