#task: mali

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #14

April 12-19 2024

The Department of Commerce announced a deal with Samsung to help bring advanced semiconductor manufacturing and research and development to Texas. The deal will bring 45 billion dollars of investment to Texas to help build a research center in Taylor Texas and expand Samsung's Austin, Texas, semiconductor facility. The Biden Administration estimates this will create 21,000 new jobs. Since 1990 America has fallen from making nearly 40% of the world's semiconductor to just over 10% in 2020.

The Department of Energy announced it granted New York State $158 million to help support people making their homes more energy efficient. This is the first payment out of a $8.8 billion dollar program with 11 other states having already applied. The program will rebate Americans for improvements on their homes to lower energy usage. Americans could get as much as $8,000 off for installing a heat pump, as well as for improvements in insulation, wiring, and electrical panel. The program is expected to help save Americans $1 billion in electoral costs, and help create 50,000 new jobs.

The Department of Education began the formal process to make President Biden's new Student Loan Debt relief plan a reality. The Department published the first set of draft rules for the program. The rules will face 30 days of public comment before a second draft can be released. The Administration hopes the process can be finished by the Fall to bring debt relief to 30 million Americans, and totally eliminate the debt of 4 million former students. The Administration has already wiped out the debt of 4.3 million borrowers so far.

The Department of Agriculture announced a $1 billion dollar collaboration with USAID to buy American grown foods combat global hunger. Most of the money will go to traditional shelf stable goods distributed by USAID, like wheat, rice, sorghum, lentils, chickpeas, dry peas, vegetable oil, cornmeal, navy beans, pinto beans and kidney beans, while $50 million will go to a pilot program to see if USAID can expand what it normally gives to new products. The food aid will help feed people in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Yemen.

The Department of the Interior announced it's expanding four national wildlife refuges to protect 1.13 million wildlife habitat. The refuges are in New Mexico, North Carolina, and two in Texas. The Department also signed an order protecting parts of the Placitas area. The land is considered sacred by the Pueblos peoples of the area who have long lobbied for his protection. Security Deb Haaland the first Native American to serve as Interior Secretary and a Pueblo herself signed the order in her native New Mexico.

The Department of Labor announced new work place safety regulations about the safe amount of silica dust mine workers can be exposed to. The dust is known to cause scaring in the lungs often called black lung. It's estimated that the new regulations will save over 1,000 lives a year. The United Mine Workers have long fought for these changes and applauded the Biden Administration's actions.

The Biden Administration announced its progress in closing the racial wealth gap in America. Under President Biden the level of Black Unemployment is the lowest its ever been since it started being tracked in the 1970s, and the gap between white and black unemployment is the smallest its ever been as well. Black wealth is up 60% over where it was in 2019. The share of black owned businesses doubled between 2019 and 2022. New black businesses are being created at the fastest rate in 30 years. The Administration in 2021 Interagency Task Force to combat unfair house appraisals. Black homeowners regularly have their homes undervalued compared to whites who own comparable property. Since the Taskforce started the likelihood of such a gap has dropped by 40% and even disappeared in some states. 2023 represented a record breaking $76.2 billion in federal contracts going to small business owned by members of minority communities. This was 12% of federal contracts and the President aims to make it 15% for 2025.

The EPA announced (just now as I write this) that it plans to add PFAS, known as forever chemicals, to the Superfund law. This would require manufacturers to pay to clean up two PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. This move to force manufacturers to cover the costs of PFAS clean up comes after last week's new rule on drinking water which will remove PFAS from the nation's drinking water.

Bonus:

President Biden met a Senior named Bob in Pennsylvania who is personally benefiting from The President's capping the price of insulin for Seniors at $35, and Biden let Bob know about a cap on prosecution drug payments for seniors that will cut Bob's drug bills by more than half.

#Thanks Biden #Joe Biden #jobs #Economy #student loan debt #Environment #PFAS #politics #US politics #health care

[sweetsreverie]

Thanks to You

Thanks to Y/N's quick thinking, 141 escapes a sticky situation with their lives... Barely. pairing: task force 141 x reader wc: 1,320 warnings/notes: canon-typical violence, near-death experiences, my attempt at angst after mostly writing and reading fluff, incorrect military terminology probably.

Terrorism in Mali had been on the rise for months, and the team had been notified of a growing terrorist cell in Bamako, the capital. The team had arrived early in the morning, now you and the rest of 141 were waiting for exfil that night after successfully raiding the base of operations. 

While you were inspecting some of the stolen weapons and ammo that was in the building, your radio along with everyone else’s crackles to life.

“Bravo team this is Watcher-1. We've got eyes on four vehicles heading your way. They’re not friendly. Stay alert.”

You look over at Price and the others, and Ghost lets out a huff in annoyance more than anything.

“Fucking hell.”

“They must have called for reinforcements once they knew we were here-” You say quickly as you look over at Price, and he nods in agreement.

“Precisely.”

Just as Price had finished speaking, the five of you heard the vehicles outside, along with dozens of voices speaking a language you didn’t understand. You had hardly any time to react before grenades were blasting the doors open, and you were ducking for cover. Quickly assessing the layout of the place, you identify three doors ahead of you, and you know there’s a door behind you. Hopefully you could use it to escape.

“We’ve got to get to the truck outside if we’re to catch the helo for exfil.” Soap calls as the five of you begin to fire your rifles at the combatants that were entering the building.

“We’re not going anywhere until these fuckers are dead!” Ghost shouts over the sound of gunfire, and you briefly glance at the double doors behind you. The truck was parked a few dozen yards away behind a treeline, if you ran, you could make it. It’s going to take quick thinking to get out of here with your lives.

“We take this back door to the truck- Go! I’ll cover ya!” You call out to them, and Price looks at you briefly before he tosses a frag grenade towards the other side of the building.

“Hell no, there’s too many of them Y/N.” Price says firmly, his knuckles turning white as he grips his rifle.

“We don’t have time to argue about it!” Ghost shouts, and your mind is racing, trying to think of how the hell you’re going to get out of here with the team.

“Wait- I- I planted C4 when we finished clearing the place-” You ramble quickly, and Soap’s eyes are wide as you explain.

“Laswell wanted us to destroy any contraband we found- I planted it to take this building down, I can detonate it if you guys go for the truck!” You say with wide eyes, and the corner of Soap’s mouth raises slightly. They hadn’t even noticed you had done it. Sometimes you were just that quick and quiet.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here then. Go! Go!” Price shouts, and the five of you move away from your cover and duck out of the back door of the building as the gunfire continues from behind you. Bullets whizz by, flying past you and hitting the concrete walls.

Once you’re out and a few dozen yards away from the building, you activate the detonator. The five of you duck briefly as a loud boom sounds through the area, and the building comes crashing down. The screams of the men inside nearly make you sick, even though they were just trying to kill you.

“Steamin’ Jesus Y/N- Can’t believe you thought of that. We all got outta there thanks to you.” Soap calls over to you as you all pile into the truck.

You gather your bearings once you’re seated, and you cough a few times to clear your airway of some dust and debris from your surroundings. When you pull your hand away, there’s a splatter of blood on the palm of your glove.

Fuck.

Gaz notices the way you briefly freeze, and he sits up in his seat stiffly.

“Y/N- You good? Hey-” He says before he turns on his flashlight to see you in the dark truck, and when the light shines on your abdomen and waist, Gaz and Soap see your uniform was stained with blood. Your dark blue coat was shining with the blood that was rapidly flowing from your middle.

You don’t know when it happened, and you didn’t even feel it until now, now that the adrenaline has worn off.

“Captain- Y/N’s hit, we gotta move fast.” Soap calls out, and when he leans over and begins to undo the velcro of your vest, you let out a whine as you’re slightly jostled by the motion. Searing pain was blooming throughout your body, and every movement made by the truck worsened it. 

Soap moves your vest to the side before he unzips your jacket, and he sighs when he sees the lower half of your gray shirt was now almost totally soaked in blood. Amongst the blood, he sees two exit wounds; you had been shot from behind.

The pain was growing to be unbearable, and as you close your eyes, Soap gives your arm a firm squeeze.

“Hey- Y/N, you gotta stay with me, aye? It’s not your time yet. We’re gonna get you fixed up.” Soap speaks quickly as he leans over and begins to apply pressure to the wounds as best he can, and his heart breaks when he hears your cries of agony. 

The truck soon comes to a stop at the set rendezvous point. Luckily for you, the lights from the helo soon appear as the helicopter begins its descent to get your team out of there.

“C’mon kid, you’re not getting away from us this easily. Someone’s gotta help me keep Ghost and Price on their toes.” Soap says as he begins to help you out of the truck. Ghost comes around the side to help Soap move you, and he puts his arm around your back so you could lean against him.

You’re the youngest of 141, and they were going to make sure that you had a future with them. 

The next time you woke up, although your vision was bleary, you recognized your surroundings as the infirmary on the base. You remember what happened. Soap’s words, and him and Ghost loading you into the helicopter. The rest is fuzzy. 

Considering you felt no pain, you could only guess what kind of cocktail of medications the doctors had you on.

As you regain consciousness, you hear voices nearby. You recognize Ghost first, followed by Soap and Gaz. You guessed Price was working on the debrief. How long were you out?

Just like that, a few pairs of footsteps approach, and when the nurse pulls back the curtain, you’re met with Ghost, Soap, and Gaz. Ghost has his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, Soap is holding a stuffed dinosaur and Gaz is holding a few of your favorite candy bars.

“Maybe I should get shot at more often.” You murmur, and Soap grins while he hands you the stuffie and the candy that Gaz had been holding. 

“Looks like you’re feeling good then. You gave us a scare back there, Y/N.” Gaz says while Soap sits down in one of the chairs near your bed.

“I feel okay- The drugs are helping.”

“Your quick thinking saved our asses back there. I wish you hadn’t gotten hurt though.” Soap says seriously, and you look down at him with a little smile.

“I’m young, I’ll heal in no time. At least it wasn’t one of you.” Ghost rolls his eyes at that, but you can tell he’s trying not to laugh.

“And… There it is.” He says, having been waiting for your smart ass to say something. That’s how they knew you were feeling like yourself again.

#task force 141 x reader #task force 141 #call of duty modern warfare 2 #modern warfare 2 #call of duty reader insert #simon ghost riley #captain john price #john soap mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #modern warfare reader insert #call of duty angst #modern warfare angst

[yamayuandadu]

In my opinion, instead of constant clamoring for Greek mythology retellings where largely or entirely villainous or monstrous female figures are reinvented as heroic, what we need is more media which acknowledges any goddesses from outside the conventional groupings of “main” Olympians (which is something variable, the version of the dodecatheon from Olympia had the personified river Alpheios and the  Charites in it , but that’s beside the point). Multiple of them actually have well defined, more or less consistent characters in myths and it’s mind-boggling that they are losing the quest for popcultural relevance with “what if Medusa was the central protagonist of Greek mythology” text posts. Off the top of my head, some good examples of such goddesses would be:

Hecate, who despite being portrayed firmly positively in her two main mythical roles, in the Homeric Hymn Demeter (where she helps Demeter look for Persephone and is later tasked with escorting her on her annual journey) and in the Theogony (where she aids Zeus and co. during the titanomachy), only ever appears as a villain in modern media, often with the point of reference being godawful new age literature or worse. The only two works of media which actually try to do something broadly accurate to her character in myths would be Theia Mania and, of all things, Touhou.

Selene, who basically doesn’t exist as a separate character in modern media because her gimmick has been reassigned to Artemis. To be fair, it’s been this way for centuries, but she actually has a plenty to offer if treated as separate. She has a very distinct iconography (lunar crescent behind the shoulders looks so cool), and at least according to Seneca a very warm relationship with her brother (in his Phaedra he fills in for her every now and then so that she can spend time with Endymion). There’s also a bonkers addition to the Labors of Heracles where she’s credited with raising Nemean Lion from the moon.

Iris, who acts as a messenger of the gods (or specifically Hera) pretty often, including during the titanomachy. She also has a unique genealogy, and an “evil twin”, Arke, who acted as the messenger for the titans and to my knowledge plays no other role anywhere otherwise. One of the only references to offerings made to Iris mentions cheesecake which one surely could turn into a personality quirk if the actual literary texts are not enough, too.

Eos, dawn, the OTHER sister of Helios, who persistently appears in myths indicating she was the one female deity sort of trying to keep up with male gods in the “romancing mortals” department. One of her lovers turned into a cicada because she forgot to ask for eternal youth when asking for eternal life for him which feels like it came out of a modern parody.

Styx, who I think basically is entirely forgotten as a personified deity in modern fiction, despite being portrayed as one of Zeus’ key allies in the Theogony, and as the mother of his various minor courtiers. You’d think a character as edgy as the personification of the arguably most famous location in the underworld would not be entirely absent from mythology adaptations but alas, she basically is. 

I would also like Thetis to not be portrayed as antagonistic in media, both of her highest profile adaptations in recent years essentially are. Thetis is the best character in the Iliad and I’d like to see an adaptation which actually keeps the scene where she brings Briareus to Olympus, but it feels like Iliad adaptations are often ashamed of having gods in there.

If you want to dig deeper, there are oddities like Malis/Maliya, a craftsmanship(?) goddess from Lydia and Lycia treated as analogous to Athena back at home, but seemingly as a river nymph in Greece (I worked on her wiki page recently).

#greek mythology

[kimhortons]

napapa isip ako minsan, what if mag try din ako mag aral ulit at mag LET exam. siguro one of my insecurities, yung hindi na nga na aappreciate yung mga effort ko, wala pang ka proud proud saken. yung om ko kasi parang yung magulang mo na napaka taas ng expectations.

tatlo samen LPT passer, yung isa nag resign kasi nag masters. laging proud na proud yung om namin at inaannounce sa buong cluster. masaya naman ako sa mga kateam ko, siguro naiinggit lang ako kasi ito lang ako. wala akong magandang credentials, kaya di ako nag eexpect na mapromote sa team namin kasi parang hindi naman ako deserving. parang nawawalan din ako ng gana lalo pag hindi ako yung ina-assign sa isang task, hindi ako yung incharge, feeling ko hindi ako mapagkakatiwalaan, feeling ko hindi ako magaling kaya madalas talaga tutok nalang ako sa ginagawa ko.

dati narin kasi ako inalok na kumuha ng methods of teaching, pag kagraduate ko palang ng college. kinukuha rin sana ako dati ng tita ko sa Australia, andun sana siguro ako ngayon. ilang beses ko rin binalak mag trabaho sa abroad pero laging di natutuloy. parang laging may mali sa mga desisyon ko sa buhay haha, minsan nga iniisip ko rin kung tama bang nag settle ako dito kasi feeling ko lumiit yung mundo ko dito. napapa isip parin ako kung ito ba talaga yung gusto ko sa buhay, hindi ko parin alam.

alam ko wala naman naitutulong yung pag compare ng sarili mo sa buhay ng iba, pero minsan talaga di ko maiwasan, pero madalas ginagawa ko nalang inspirasyon. kanya kanyang diskarte lang naman, di porke nag work sa iba, mag wowork din sakin kasi mag kakaiba naman tayo ng mga pinag dadaanan. basta ang mahalaga saken ngayon, wala na akong utang hahaha. chariz

#blah

[hazel-of-sodor]

What's Lost is Found

Ch.17 Into Autumn

Other Stories

Other Chapters

With the last of the Argol engines recovered, life on the Uman and Din returned to normal. Well, what passed for normal on a railway with an Eldritch goods engine anyway. 

There was an incident about a week after they returned, which saw a group of teenage boys thrown through an old wooden shed when they attempted to bother Mali. When asked to explain Screech was unrepentant. Miss Morgan and the group's parents were no more impressed with the teen's behavior than Screech had been and they had given her permission to do as she saw fit if she caught them again as long as the boys received no permanent harm. 

Summer passed into Autumn and the workload lessened as the tourist traffic fell away with the temperatures. Becca went in for overhaul, Screech picking up her trains now that Avon no longer needed her help. The restoration of the line to Glain had begun, with Screech on track clearing duty every other weekend. She enjoyed the task, as simple and quiet as it was, as it gave her a chance to rip and tear without worrying about damage.

Work had also begun on repairing 590, Seren, and the rest of the recovered rolling stock. All of this had given Mali an idea.

Screech had been relaxing in the yard before her next train, enjoying basking in the sunlight while she still could as Gwyn worked to refill her tender with coal. She had offered to help, but he had said that he needed the exercise at his age. 

She lazily watched the teen approach.

"Little Thief."

"Hey, Miss Screech." Mali hopped up onto the corner of the coal bunker. "I wanted to run an idea past you."

The eldritch giant eyed her curiously, "And what idea would that be."

"How to restore Argol."

Screech raised an eyebrow, "oh?"

Mali nodded, "My parents took me to visit the Talyllyn a few weeks ago. A preserved narrow gauge railway, run entirely by volunteers. People come from all over to see it. What if we did that with the old Argol line? We already have two engines and their coaches to run the line, and the only way to reach Argol would be by the Uman and Din, so it would help our railway as well."

Screech considered the idea. "I have no idea what would be required for such a venture, or if it is even doable."

Mali's face fell.

Screech thought a moment longer..."You have finished your duties for the day?

"Yes?" Mali said, confused.

"Then you will ride on my next train to Din. Miss Morgan will know if the idea has merit."

#ttte fanfic #rws fanfic #fanfic #U&D #U&DR #Uman and Din #Uman and Din Railway #eldritch #eldritch train #eldritch engine

[deathfromabovex2]

UHM everything but rn just where he comes from, why hes an anomaly and thoughts on others hehe💥💥‼️💥‼️💥‼️‼️💥

OKOK

Where Anomaly Max comes from:

Ano(maly) Max originally came from an alternate dimension where anomalies like himself were assigned different tasks in the "real" dimension with a goal to take over said dimension. The anomalies believed that their "god" required more sacrifice and the "real" versions of the anomalies would do just fine. The alternate dimension is exactly like Earth, but has many distinguishing qualities such as the habitants and how they survive. The anomalies call themselves alternates, anomalies, doppelgängers, copies, etc., and have a social structure based on how "well" they work. Anomalies do not need to eat, sleep, drinking water, or excrete waste. The more similar their form is to the person they are required to copy, the higher value they are and the less likely they're going to be executed.

Execution in the alternate dimension occurs when an anomaly is dysfunctional. If their form isn't good enough, they get executed. If they don't follow the laws and their god's orders, they get executed. They feel emotions and have a personality that isn't exactly like who they are "meant to be"? They get executed. Ano Max feels emotions and has a bit of his own personality, but up until he began stalking Sam and the real Max, he didn't feel it at all, hence why he isn't executed.

The alternate dimension is a strict place, with a very specific set of laws to follow. The higher-ups of this dimension are known as those who are "all-powerful," nearly as powerful as the god they worship. They know everything and will discover anything they do not know. Ano Max understands this. Ano Max knows that he is in danger thanks to the accidental development of emotions and an "independent" personality. The all-powerful beings know he is dysfunctional and are seeking him out.

This alternate dimension is known as Non Sunt Vera, or, NSV.

Why he's an anomaly:

Anomalies originate from their God, the god of "love", Abominatio, after it became jealous of human realm. It envied how "perfect" humanity was, wanting something as perfect as the humans to call its own and "love." In a foolish attempt to recreate humans, it left out the things that made humans, well, "human." It left out imperfections.

The lack of imperfections caused the anomalies to deform, causing the unfortunate demise of many. Those who lived, however, adapted by making their forms genetically impossible for humans to have due to their own genetic complications. Anomalies are born from fleshy "eggs" stored within the temple of Abominatio, hatching once a human is born. However, there are some anomalies that can be created by Abominatio itself, being granted the all-powerful title. All-powerfuls either rise to the title, or are made personally by their god.

Ano Max was a bit of both. His egg was dysfunctional, and since Abominatio didn't wanna any of its "precious" eggs to go to waste, it lended the egg from which Ano Max hatched from a bit of its power. Thanks to this, Ano Max was able to hatch without any complications, but in turn was more strictly monitored. Despite other anomalies believing in his abilities, they also fiercely judged him because he had some of the lord's power (e.g., his specific abilities, the ability to have an independent personality, being able to feel feelings, etc.)

Ano Max is one of the few of many that survived with the lord's power due to many of them straying away from the goal the anomalies have. Though Abominatio longs to have the perfect humans, it believes that the best method to getting closer to that goal is to devour the humans in order to understand them more. Ano Max is disgusted yet utterly fascinated by this, but is overall unsure of how to feel.

What he thinks of others (SPOILERS FOR THE DEVIL'S PLAYHOUSE UP AHEAD!!):

Sam: Ano Max loves Sam platonically and romantically. Despite his feelings developing through stalking, he still cares a lot about Sam and will do pretty much anything to keep him safe. During his mission to bring the real Max to Abominatio, he was hesitant to take away something that Sam holds so close to his heart. But, at the end of 305, the Max from the dimension that Sam turned into an elder god never showed up, so Ano Max decided to fill in for Max. Ano Max accidentally grew attached to Sam, and it pained him to see him so sad and "empty." He'd put himself in danger, and did, to be with Sam.

Sybil: Ano Max has mixed feelings towards Sybil. He respects her, but at the same time, he has no idea what to feel about her. After 305, he was aware that she wanted to help Sam with the process of losing Max, but that interfered with him being able to fill in a help Sam himself. Even though Ano Max wanted Sam to feel better, he didn't want him to move on from Max - his new personality fuelled this selfish desire.

Momma Bosco: He fears, likes, and respects her. Momma Bosco was able to discover that Ano Max wasn't really Max with genetic malfunctions due to being an elder god, but an actually anomaly that isn't from their plane of existence. The ARES, Anomaly Recognition and Eradication System, was able to find him out, and Ano Max immediately freaked out after his "life" was threatened, resulting to attacking her. The attack failed thanks to her self-defense systems, and they eventually built a better friendship.

Agent Superball: He really likes him. He believes that he's pretty silly and really enjoys messing with him even though most of the time, Superball is messing with Ano Max. Ano Max is aware that Superball knew that he wasn't actually Max from the get-go, but didn't say anything about it. Ano Max appreciates this, but is unsure how to process that fact.

The Soda Poppers: Ano Max is afraid of them. They freak him out.

Roscoe Bosco: Ano Max thinks he's pretty funny, and would really like to mess with him more. Unfortunately, when Ano Max became known, it was while Bosco was in Vegas.

Jurgen: Ano Max has no specific opinion on him, but does think that Jurgen is really emo and cringe sometimes.

Yog-Soggoth (Dr. Norrington): He likes him a lot. It puts him at ease to know that there's another being that isn't from the universe everyone else is from. Ano Max also respects him a lot thanks to his willingness to help Sam.

Monsiuer Paperwaite: Similar to his opinion to Dr. Norrington, he also likes him a lot for similar reasons. Although, he didn't like him very much at first due to him teaming up with General Skunk'ape and working against Sam and Max.

General Skunk'ape: Despises him.

Girl Stinky: He's unsure what to think of her. Thinks she's a bitch.

Grandpa Stinky: He respects the old man but does not appreciate him teaming up with Skunk'ape.

Hugh Bliss: Ano Max is low-key scared of him, but is also very interested in his biology. He wishes he could ask him how he took a form that looked very similar to a human.

Flint Paper: Smash.

Harry Moleman: He is very unsure of what to think, but will work alongside him if ever required.

Ano Max is still attempting to form opinions on other people, but struggles due to not understanding "human" emotions and thoughts after many years of not having his own. He is doing his best to try and fit in with the others.

I HOPE THIS IS ALRIGHT 💪😋

THANK YOU @impostorwhipplesshow FOR SOME IDEAS SUCHS AS "ARES," MOMMA BOSCO, AND ANO MAX'S NICKNAME !!

[charlesandmartine]

Wednesday 17th April 2024

When dawn broke one could see the lights of Mossel Bay across the water, but as the sun came up, the mist started to come down. I guess that's just the way it is there. We had a quick breakfast, loaded the stuff into the VW, bade our farewells to this strange property, the sea front and the parrots and hit the road; this time the N2 bound for George. In all we expected roughly 3 hours elapsed time of motoring, but we intended to call in at Knysna; a town everyone seems to know and tell us we need to go to, but a place no-one seems to be sure about what's there. Anyway, we headed to the Waterfront which seemed a good starting point and were soon fixed up with an extremely palatable coffee and chocolate croissant. Most acceptable I'd say.

This part of the coast is firmly into the Garden Route, and our journey onwards East confirmed that the scenery is absolutely fabulous. Green, lush vegetation, tree clad mountains and picturesque lakes. Through Wilderness and on to Pine Lake which lay so still, not a ripple, it was just content to sit there all day reflecting the mountain behind. Soon we were passing the sign which declared we were now officially in the Eastern Cape.

We lunched in Plettenberg Bay, a comly little place designed very much for holiday makers. We fitted right in there and found a seat overlooking the beach which was full of happy families with designated tasks of building sandcastles. We left the VW in the good care of a carpark attendant, and in the age old tradition, by passing silver from one palm to the other, no harm would come to the car.

Life guards were nervously watching the bay and the swimmers. At one point everyone was called out of the water. Great Whites have been spotted recently and are, we are told, more likely April onwards. Hmm. Didn't see one but I'm sure he saw us!

Now we asked Mr Avis, taxi drivers all sorts, are there any toll roads in South Africa/ Garden Route? Oh no they all said. We don't have tolls. Well as soon as we plotted our route on Google to Jeffrey's Bay there it was, toll road. Don't you just know it. Anyway, we have plenty of spare change and this route saved us an hour, so we set off. Through forest, hill and dale we drove on an empty road, empty because you have to pay I guess. Anyway, we pulled into the booth, produced our R200 note and the girl said, oh, you don't have to pay. No explanation that we could understand, but we were free to go!

This is an interesting country. Clearly when a job needs doing, a white man calls for a black man. Mornings and evenings we see pickup trucks going back and forth picking up and dropping off teams of men and taking them to where the work is; often lawn maintenance, general building and in volume, road maintenance. They crowd into the backs of these vehicles often from pickup points along the roads. Archaic maybe but it seems to work. In its defence there seems a distinct attempt to create jobs even if it is so menial and perhaps unnecessary. For instance, people manually sweeping sand off a path by the beach or standing waving or holding limply a red flag near to roadworks. The sad thing is that they often seem to come out of the shanty towns on the outskirts of rather affluent white towns. We cannot judge as it's not our culture, but it is a little disconcerting.

We passed one such shanty town made up of rows and rows of tiny corrugated iron boxes, and I'm ashamed to say, were relieved when we crossed a river and into an area called Paradise Beach where we are lodged in a luxurious little house on stilts for the next three days.

ps We popped out for an evening meal at a restaurant recommended by our host. It could not be closer to the sea if it tried; the floor was sand! I had an excellent tuna steak and Martine a lamb shank but cooked in an amazing South African set of spices unknown. Absolutely delicious. The whole thing with tips and alcohol was less than £29!

pps over 31°C today.

ppps there was a malicious campaign afoot on the toll road into here disparaging the rights to baboons having a square meal. Big signs, Do Not Feed the Baboons. Fine for doing so, R500. Well we didn't see a single baboon along the 60k section hungry or otherwise.

#Jeffrey's Bay #Knysna

[save-the-spiral]

One day you will wake up and we will be happy.

Content warning for terminal illness, death, grief.

Roleswap AU. Mind the content warnings. (buy me coffee?) (Maliswap AU Masterpost)

When Malistaire had grown too ill, Sylvia began sleeping on the couch. Well, ‘sleep’ was a generous way to put it. Maybe she dozed for a few minutes accidentally, but would always wake shortly by the urgency of her task. She supposed those few unconscious minutes could count as rest, and continued in her frantic work.

She couldn’t let herself sleep in the same bed as her husband. Not when she could spend those long nights researching, brewing, agonizing. All she would do is toss and turn, disrupting what little rest Malistaire can grasp in his now feeble hands.

It was half past ten, the world is dark. Crickets and frogs sing their part of the Song Of Creation from their homes in the now abandoned garden behind their home. Plants both magical and mundane fight for dominance with no referee, Sylvia’s hands do not replant or weed them. Bugs run rampant as well, a new feast for the frogs that had already lived there, that Sylvia sometimes had rescued when they found their way into the kitchen.

The garden will war on without Sylvia’s magic and her wrinkled, freckled hands to play god for them for a long while yet.

Sylvia’s breathing was even, eyes closed as she mumbled, mouth twitching. She always spoke in her sleep, no matter how many times she denied it in her forty-three years of life. Their living room was lit by a plain beige floor lamp that Sylvia always hated, yet it still stood right by the couch as a reading light in the evenings. The glass of the coffee table was obscured by stacks of papers, diagrams, and charts. Magical arrays and potion recipes annotated in glittery green ink by a shaky hand, accompanied by research papers full of text, all of them stained by splashes or rings of coffee, wrinkled by Sylvia’s hands. Thirteen mugs were on the table, twelve of them empty and meticulously arranged to the side in a line, the thirteenth full of rapidly cooling coffee, wisps of steam gently rising in the winter air. The shadows cloaked the room in darkness, leaving only the lamp, the table, the papers, the mugs, the ugly rug Malistaire insisted they bring from Dragonspyre, the couch, and Sylvia, asleep. 

Sylvia wore a long t-shirt as pajamas. It was tight on her body, made to fit Malistaire’s skinnier, lanky frame, the cartoon-style skull emblazoned upon it stretched across her chest. She wore plain gray boxers, her short legs cold and haphazardly sprawled on the pale green couch she and Mali has always talked about getting rid of, though they both admitted that it would fit well if there was ever a baby in the house, considering the color did resemble puke already.

With a louder, almost groaning mumble Sylvia shifted, the light from the lamp illuminating the stretch marks on her calves, thighs, hips. Her coppery hair was a tangled rat nest, her curls hiding her face as she sighed, a lock of hair fluttering from the force of her breath, only to fall again onto pale lips. The yellowish light reflected on the lenses and metal frames of her glasses from where they perched precariously on her freckled nose.

In the master bedroom lay Malistaire Drake, awake and restless. He was on his side, staring out of the open window. His typically thin face was gaunt, pale skin painstakingly stretched over his skull. Milky irises stare from dark sclera, silver moonlight reflecting against dull eyes. Malistaire could feel another cough rattling in his chest as he rasped out a breath. He was exhausted, raising his arm a herculean task, yet still he reached out, to the moon, eyes unseeing as he whispered his last word, the name of the woman he loved, all the warmth and life leaving him with the name he spoke.

“Sylvia.”

Sylvia’s eyes opened with a ragged gasp. “Mali?” She muttered, swinging her legs and sliding her feet into white bunny slippers, grabbing a flask full of purple potion and pushing her glasses up on her face as she stumbled. Her hand remained outstretched after she pushed open the bedroom door, eyes blank.

He seemed so frail and small, weighed down by his blankets, almost engulfed by them. Far too emaciated, skin pulled taut over his bones in starvation because he could barely keep down any food. Before falling ill, he likely had raised ghouls that looked healthier. 

Sylvia found herself unable to do anything. It was a blur, everything moving around the focus of Mali's eyes, those strange, handsome, bright eyes she had stared into when saying her vows. She would never forget how the moon reflected itself in her husband's pale irises. The soft shadows had made the hollows of his cheeks into craters, wrinkles into ravines. The indigo bruising under his eyes was pure black, like cheap eye shadow. Mucus trailed from his nose and mouth, a dark gray, an undignified sign of illness. 

His fingers, with their nails cut short from Sylvia's gentle tending, were splayed across their sheets. Mali had been on his side, facing the window. His hand had been reaching for Sylvia's side of the bed.

And she had not been there.

It pulled something dark and deep out of Sylvia's heaving chest, her throat raw from screaming, tongue bitten and hair pulled in her hysterics as she fell to her knees.

Ravenwood awoke that night to the distressed wailing of a grief stricken widow, and has known no peace since.

#maliswap #wizard101 #wizzy101 #wiz101 #w101 #malistaire drake #sylvia drake

[selloldmobile]

Realme C67 5G Price, Full Specifications

realme C67 5G Price in India

realme C67 5G price in India is expected to be ₹ 12,490, and the launch date is speculated to be December 14, 2023. The mobile is expected to be available in multiple colour options.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme is poised to make waves in the budget smartphone market with the launch of its highly anticipated Realme C67 5G. The unveiling event is scheduled for today at 12:00 noon, promising a host of features that cater to the modern smartphone user. The event will be live-streamed on Realme's official YouTube channel, offering enthusiasts a firsthand look at the device's capabilities.

 Display:

The Realme C67 5G is rumored to boast a spacious 6.72-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display. With a peak brightness of 680 nits and support for a 120Hz refresh rate, users can expect vibrant visuals and smooth interactions, whether gaming, streaming, or browsing.

Processing Power:

The smartphone is anticipated to be powered by the 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset. This, coupled with the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, ensures optimal performance for graphics-intensive tasks, promising a seamless user experience.

Camera Capabilities:

The Realme C67 is speculated to feature a dual-camera setup, including a 50 MP main camera for capturing detailed and high-resolution images. Complementing this, a 2 MP macro camera is expected to add versatility to the photography experience. On the front, users can anticipate an 8 MP camera designed to deliver stunning selfies.

Software and User Interface:

Running on Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13, the device is likely to offer a smooth and intuitive user interface. Users can expect the latest features and enhancements that come with the Android 13 operating system, providing a modern and up-to-date experience.

Storage Variants:

Realme is expected to offer the Realme C67 5G in two storage configurations - 8GB RAM paired with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. This flexibility ensures that users can choose a variant that aligns with their storage needs and budget constraints.

Battery and Fast Charging:

Powering the Realme C67 5G is a robust 5,000 mAh battery, providing ample juice to keep the device running throughout the day. Additionally, the smartphone is set to support 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging via a wired charger, ensuring quick and efficient charging when needed.

Disclaimer: Specifications shown may be different from the actual product. We cannot guarantee that the information provided on this page is 100% correct. Please check with the retailer before purchasing. and you have old mobile phone then sell your old Realme Mobile Phone or any other Smartphone at RecycleDevice for good exchange value.

#Realme #Realme C67 #Realme C67 5G #Realme C67 5G Launch Date #Realme C67 5G Price in india

[missameliep]

Not without you (Wake the Dead)

Book: Wake the Dead

Characters: Malia Jones (MC), Brynn Jones and Troy Hassan.

Rating: M (see notes bellow)

Word count: 2.850

Summary: After being attacked in her room, Malia is urged by her sister Brynn to flee. With their friends, they leave the Tower, but a part of Malia's heart is left behind.

Notes:

English is not my first language;

Characters belong to Pixelberry, except OC;

The events portrayed in this chapters were inspired by scenes from chapters 1 and 2 of WtD and lines from the book are in bold;

Malia's POV of a scene from Chapter 6 of the miniseries Safe;

Just like the book, there might be triggering subjects: mentions of zombies, death and violence compliant to canon; non-descriptive mentions of injuries; readers discretion advised.

“Get dressed.” Brynn orders and even though Malia’s knees are about to buckle underneath her own weight, she manages to pick up the discarded clothes from the chair; at the same time, Brynn crouches beside the unconscious guard on the floor and takes his keycard. “We’re leaving.”

Zipping up the denim pants, Malia gasps in confusion. Her sister barely spares a look at her, while stuffing two of the emergency backpacks with supplies. Her brain processes the words but nothing about this makes any sense.

“Boots!” Brynn says throwing the worn out black leather combat boots on the floor next to her, starting her.

“What the hell do you mean ‘leaving’? Like actually leaving the Tower?”

Brynn pauses, gazing at her younger sister with concern, whilst the other’s shaking fingers can barely tie the laces. Her tense expression reminds her of a similar look clouding her expression this morning before the mission. Resuming her task, Brynn shoves a few more itens into one of the backpacks and zip it up.

“Why?”

“Maly, please. I promise I’ll explain everything... but right now, we need to get moving or we’re dead. Do you trust me?”

Undoubtedly she trusts her fully; Brynn always has her back, no matter how many times she screws things up. Wherever she leads, she’ll follow.

Taking a deep breath, she nods and gets up from the chair.

Fully dressed and packed, they sneak out of the room. They have managed to reach the lower floor when Malia grabs her sister’s wrist, forcing her to stop.

“Wait!” Malia whispers, “What about Troy? We can’t leave without him!”

“There’s no time.”

“Troy is family.”

“Malia...” Brynn sighed and averted her gaze, focusing on pulling her sister out of the sight of any camera and patrolling guards.

“Just a quick goodbye...”

Bowing, Brynn shook her head.

“It’s too late for that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mack couldn’t find him. His room was empty.”

“What? They took him? We have to help him!”

“Hey!” – Her free hand came to rest on Malia’s shoulder – “Do you think those guards can outsmart Troy?” Her lips twitched in an unconvincing smirk, while she gently squeezed her shoulder. “He’ll be fine. Don’t you trust that gut feeling?” She moved her hand over her own stomach and Malia still hesitated, taking a last glance over her shoulder before following her sister.

They sprinted through deserted hallways to the main loading dock. Using the guard’s keycard, Brynn unlocks a small side door and when they get out it’s Malia’s turn to lead them to mayhem.

Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, Malia finally feels like a small portion of the tightness in her chest easies. Of all the things she expected doing today, helping Shannon perform a surgery in her sister was not one of them.

In her many years at the Tower, no lesson prepared her to see the insides of a loved one or have this much sense of mortality. Death is always looming when you are living after the end of the world. That's not the issue. People die from zombie and illnesses. That’s how things are. But in the Tower you never actually see it happen unless you’re out there with the scouts and scavengers. People struggle with their losses, but sometimes your head is so buried into all the duties and rules that you forget what it’s really like on the outside and there might exist worse evils on the inside...

The past twenty-four hours shoved reality down her throat. But it is hard to swallow when it comes to her sister. Brynn is kind of a superhero figure to Malia and the others. Ten-year-old Brynn kept them both safe until they were rescued and brought to the Tower; twenty-nine-year-old Brynn led the scouts in countless successful missions, she is reliable and unstoppable.

Almost.

Right now, she lies unconscious in a strange bed in the middle of zombie-infested woods and there’s nothing more any of them can do but wait.

After those dreadful long hours, for a hot minute nothing was calling her immediate attention and the energy that kept her going seems to leave all at once. Her body slides down the rough wooden wall and she is sitting with her head bent. Staring at her dirty boots and the stains all over the cabin’s floor – muddy footprints, blood and everything else in between –, thoughts about Troy take her mind by assault and a whole lot of guilt washes her over from not putting her feet down to go after him on her own to the momentary relief of not seeing him being tied to those poles.

Am I a horrible person for being relieved for not seeing his face amongst the group fed to the drones?

Despite only thinking it, feeling ashamed, she buries her face in the crook of her arm. The relief was momentary. Considering the turn of events and how they know nothing about Blackstock’s methods and if his cruelness has any limits, there is no guarantee Troy is alive. What if they were serving him as desert? Or keeping him trapped somewhere to do whatever they please? A frustrated groan is muffled against her arm.

What an absolutely fucked up world, man! How none of us saw that coming?

Brynn’s words echoed in her mind, a lifeline to save her hope and sanity.

Maybe he managed to escape... He’s one of the smartest people she knows and has been listening to the guards’ radio. He could have fled before they came for him. He can be anywhere.

Imagining Troy outside is not as comforting as she thought.

Could he survive all alone without completing the trainings?

For the first time in years, she wishes there’s some god above to keep him safe.

In all the daydreams about leaving the Tower, Troy was always present.

Now, she’ll have to go on without him, haunted by the unsaid words cowardly trapped inside her mouth that will never find him. Regretting the kisses they never had because she was too afraid to risk losing her best friend... She wanted so badly to be one of the people who made him defy curfew, rules and laws of physics alike to get satisfaction. The stories spread fast and reached her even when she did her best to ignore them. She envied every single one of them for having a taste of what she never could. Well, she did get one peck at eleven, which was enough to confirm the nature of the feelings – if those damn butterflies in her stomach and goosebumps were not some sort of disease, she was definitely screwed – and that he didn’t feel the same judging by his reluctance in locking lips with her and the fact that there were no do-overs... He always gets what he wants. This just wasn’t one of the things he wanted.

“Malia!”

The lack of sleep might be getting to her because Troy’s voice is calling her name.

Maybe she’s sleeping in his shoulder under the starry sky in his room and he’s trying to wake her up. Maybe this was all a dream: nobody died, nobody got shot and she’s not losing what is left of her family.

Her eyes blink open and she does not find him, but she can still hear him in the distance. His voice is mixed with another. Indiscernible chatter. Troy’s voice grows louder and more impatient.

Her feet follow the sound.

Eli is at the door, his back turned to her, arguing with someone.

“You just happened to find us here? Seems awfully convenient,” Eli retorts with increasing annoyance. The voice that responds – that exasperated version of it – she would recognize anywhere.

“Buddy, there’s nothing convenient about being out in these zombie-infested woods with no damn weapons!”

His voice sounded tired and out of breath. It never sounded like that, not even when he collapsed on the floor whenever she forced him to stay and practice combat after everybody else was gone, so they could join the Scavengers and go on adventures together.

Without a word, she moves around Eli and almost hit him with the door when she slammed it open.

Troy started at the sight of her. Jaw slacked open, he stares, and so does she.

It is impossible, isn’t it? He shouldn’t be standing right in front of her, yet he is.

“Malia, you’re okay…” he sighed, and they didn’t move, staring at each other for another long second.

The mud-stained clothes and disheveled hair entangled with a few small leaves is definitely a radical change on his usual cool look and styled hair.

“That’s not what you should be looking at”, a voice that sounded too much like Brynn’s whispered in her ear, “Rule Three: If someone gets bit, they get put down. No hesitation.”

Bite marks. That's what she should look for. But she doesn’t.

Troy tentatively crosses the distance and emotions take over. Malia pulls him inside and throws herself at him, wrapping her arms in a tight protective hug.

Troy's arms pull her even closer.

If they get any closer, their souls will meld together. Not that she doesn’t suspect after two decades they are probably already intertwined.

His warm breath fans her skin; and tears prick in the back of her eyes, forcing her to shut them close to contain them. How lame would it be to cry in front of Troy? He’d never let me see the end of it!

They revel on each other’s closeness. No words could translate what this reunion means. She wishes to know a prayer to thank whatever god granted more than she wished for.

For a moment, they just lingered like that. Breathing each other in. His heartbeats hammering against hers.

The silence is interrupted by the sound of the door closing, the only thing left for Eli to do. Slowly, he bolts the door, sharing a concerned look and she knows by the way he holds the hilt of a hunting knife, that he is waiting for any indication Troy got bitten to take care of it. She can’t blame him. Were it anybody else, she would be doing the same. But this is not just anybody and she hopes he understands.

The question from Eli’s eyes travel to the tip of her tongue, but she presses her lips together. The hypotheses of being reunited just to lose Troy forever is too much. She needs this moment to last. Her hands tug more firmly. She forces herself to commit it and him to memory.

His skin exudes a distinct fresh and sweet smell despite using the same blend soap everyone else does. It always does, even when he claimed not spraying any drop of some Old World’s mysterious concoction she knows he hides in the small box under his mattress. The black hair touching the side of her face is thick and soft. She misses when they were much younger and he lied his head on her lap; her fingers stroked his hair until he fell asleep, comforting him in the rare moments he didn’t look like his cheerful self, even though he said again and again he was absolutely dandy – whatever that silly word actually meant.

She holds him in the hopes she can store in her brain the scent, the warmth and the comfort she feels in the circle of his arms if this all goes to shit when this hugging is done.

Instead of asking about zombie bites, she whispers into his ear, “Are you okay?”

Without moving away, he nodded and his beard pricked her skin, but she didn’t mind. It meant they were both alive and this was not a dream.

He nuzzled her neck, and it caused her entire body to respond to him. She inhaled deeply and her fingers tugged at his jacket in an attempt to ground her. Her hand stroked his back, moving in a soothing motion. His muscles relaxed and he let a long relieved sigh out of his lungs, “You’re really okay.”

But are you okay? She pulled away only enough to examine his face, her thumb moved delicately around the gash in his cheek.

He didn’t flinch or made any joke.

No kissing it better, man? No stupid joke about sexy scars?

Taking that as a sign her touch didn’t hurt and he was comfortable, her thumb lingered longer than necessary to assure it wasn’t a wound that required further attention. She would not mind kissing it better if he only asked.

Dirk’s pissed tone echoed somewhere behind them, questioning the others about the damn rules. Rushed voices talked back to him. Reality has a way to sneak in and ruin perfect moments. Was it also like this in the Old World?

There’s no time to wonder. The first rush of emotions from this unexpected encounter wear out and her brain is invaded by thoughts and questions. It’s time for a reality check.

Her hand moves away from his face, and her eyes bore into his.

“I’m glad you’re okay too, but… what the hell are you doing here?”

“Trying not to get disappeared by Blackstock’s goon squad, same as you.”

When he starts speaking about the events prior to stumbling at Eli’s cabin’s doorsteps, everybody silences to hear him, some more interested and amazed than others to learn about the journey. Dirk more outraged than all, unable to keep his unsolicited opinions to himself. Instinctively, she holds Troy, keeping him close; if Dirk wants him, he’ll have to go through her first – but she doubts he would go through this trouble or piss Brynn’s younger sister off if given the choice.

When the narrative reached the part about his name popping up in the radio and why he didn’t hesitate in grabbing his bug-out bag and ditching the Tower, a lump impossible to swallow formed in Malia’s throat.

Did he even consider asking me to come along? After all these years... was it that easy to simply pack up and go without saying goodbye? Did it even cross his mind before he decided to go? Did he think of me? Of Brynn?

What she wants to know, she won’t ask.

However, something about her face must have given away her thoughts, because his expression changed. It must be easy for him to read her. His voice lowered to a softer tone, and then he was speaking almost exclusively to her.

“I had no idea they were coming after you too. If I had… I was already miles away when I heard your name pop up in the guard chatter. They said you ran into this sector so… I did too.”

Her heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t what she expected to hear, but it was definitely something.

Troy averted his gaze like he does in the rare occasions he’s overcome by shame. Her hands clutched at his jacket and there was a hint of a smile there.

Nothing else matters now: Dirk’s judgement, Blackstock, zombies. They have reunited and he is fine. Everybody has lost enough already and Troy crossing zombie-infested woods unscathed is no small victory.

She wondered why he did it.

Why on Earth would he come to this sector risking being bitten or captured by Blackstock’s men? Troy is smart. He wouldn’t do anything illogical that could risk his well-being.

The rational explanation to take such risk: there’s strength in numbers. He was probably terrified on his own and took his chances to rejoin herself, Brynn and the others.

But that’s not the kind of explanation she wishes from him. She wants a stupid and impractical one. She wants to hear him say it was all about her, because he cares and he couldn’t leave her behind, no matter how unlikely and improbable that is.

When Malia opened her mouth, her voice carried awe and hope, “I just can’t believe you ran into zombie-infested woods by yourself. You never even finished combat training!”

His eyebrows furrowed slightly and there was a twitch in the corner of his lips that one could only see being this close. The tip of his tongue slid over his shapely lips while his fingers moved gently in her back, a soft caress over the thin fabric of her t-shirt, and then he was ready to speak again. Only this time he made sure to be looking and addressing the others too.

“Believe me, playing hide-and-seek with hungry drones isn’t my idea of a good time. But between certain death in the Tower and only probable death in the woods… And no offense, but it wasn’t hard to find you here. This close to the Tower, it’s just a matter of time before Blackstock does too.”

No answer could be so very much Troy. Never missing a joke and already moving on to business.

Of course he’s got a plan! And of course it is some place cold and snowy! He's so damn predictable... She laughs inwardly and cast a sideway gance at him. If he wants us to risk our lives following him to Dead Meadows, he's got a great deal of convincing to do...

Unwrapping her arms from around his waist, she steps away and they share a knowing look. They don't even have to lock lips for the butterflies to flutter in her stomach.

We’ll settle somewhere, and hopefully, I'll get my answers then. And maybe this once I won't be a coward and waste this second chance.

#playchoices #wake the dead #troy hassan #troy hassan x mc #wake the dead fanfic #wtd choices #choices fanfic #tw: zombies #tw: injuries

[marineliene]

Di ako makatulog, and I'm here overthinking malala na naman esp sa career.

Kwento ko lang nagpapa-overthink sakin. Sooo, it's my 4th year in this JP company (2 years nang panay nagsasabi sa sarili na magreresign na ako) that helps fulfill my HS dream of being able to communicate in JP...kaso basic lang lol nakakatamad na kasi mag-aral. And also, I was recently promoted to Project Team Lead yay. And also, mas nalalapit na ang opportunity for business trip, right?...right? *insert amidala meme*

Wrong. haha. and I feel like the opportunity was proactively taken away from me. Pero mali ko lang din na umasa ako. And I'm tired. charot.

Anyways, how did it happen? So ayun. Actually marami pa talaga kami nakapila for BT. And like nung si Mam V pa ang Lead namin, napagkasunduan na rotation ang gagawin for BT, like kahit di mo project, basta next in line ka na, ikaw na sunod ipapadala. BT is mostly educ/training para sa new work so no worries I think. Hindi rin naman kami (at that time) very exclusive lang sa isang project. Like, anyone can work on a certain project depende kung saan need ng support/manpower. And ayun nga, yung senior ko na 1year ahead sa akin ang next in line. Kaso pandemic happened and nacancel yung project. It took at least 2 years para magka-abundance ulit ng projects pero mostly Expatriation opportunities ang nag-oopen. Then within that 2 years, marami rin nagresign sa team namin. Currently, 2 kaming waiting for next BT opportunity (PTL din siya). And yung isa is not open/ayaw mag-BT so eto ako umaasa na sakin ibigay.

Currently, may inaacquire na project na mukhang rich in knowledge and experience. Yung previous senior ko na kakaresign lang, ako ang vinouch for the project. Then yung 2 current expats ay nagsuggest na maghati kami ni co-worker sa project. The 2 expats are very supportive na magka-BT opportunity kami. btw, meron kami each project ni co-worker but both are stabilized na kasi so minimal supervision nalang ang kelangan dun. Umay na rin kami sa puro drawings haha naghahanap na rin kami ng technical work.

Si current supervisor nag announce na ididiscuss nya daw ang new organization sa team namin sa next team meeting which is Friday, March24. Pero nadiscuss na nung Tuesday March 21 kay other co-worker then diniscuss na sa kanya na siya ang ipapadala for BT so she needs to prepare. Nag-antay ako within that week for a separate meeting sa org to maybe discuss din at hingin ang opinion ko...pero walang dumating na invitation.

Tbh, I was heartbroken. I'm not saying di deserve ni co-worker yung opportunity pero ako yung panay request ng technical work since time immemorial, ako yung very open, very willing maipadala sa Japan. Pwede namang 2 kami sabay ipadala for BT since may need rin naman siya iacquire na certain task para sa project niya. Pero ang ginawa nila is tinambak kay co-worker yung current and new project. Di rin siya masaya since 2 projects na hahawakan niya and, although stabilized, matindi pa rin workload ng current project niya tapos madadagdagan pa ng isa tapos 1k lang nilamang ng sahod niya sakin. sinabi nalang din niya na di pa updated ang passport niya.

I could just wait for co-worker na magsabi kay SV at TL na tanggihan niya yung opportunity and maybe sakin ioffer yung project right? Kahit acquire lang gagawin...Pero it felt wrong. If inoffer sakin, like, ang dating is I am the alt option, and I don't know why it feels degrading. And also, I'm not just mad at the missed BT opportunity, I'm mad kasi there goes my chance of improving my knowledge sa electronics. So ayun, kapag inoffer sakin, baka di ko na i-grab kasi "bakit ko tatanggapin yan di ko naman project yan". yan kunwari kween bitch tayo.

"kung sakin niyo agad binigay yan, di sana kayo mahihirapan ngayon" HAHAHA CHARING PA-IMPORTANT YARN #IAmTheMainCharacter

And napaisip din ako na bakit kaya hindi ako yung pinili. Mas magaan naman workload ko. Iniisip ko nalang din na baka dahil di naman ako okay sa elecs (compared kay co-worker), di rin okay attendance ko, 9am na ako pumapasok (pero flexible naman kasi kami), minsan ko nang naditch sa meeting si SV, lagi ako nagpapasupport sa meetings with Manufacturing (kasi tangina naman di ko talaga alam isasagot sa mga tanong e, kakasalpak lang sakin sa Mfg shits). Dahil din ba sa padating na new Devt, pero yawa antagal pa non. Wala rin BT opportunity don, kahit si Mam V (expat rep) walang nababanggit na opportunity sa project ko.

Baka nga di ako okay performer...pero it still hurts. I feel echapwera-ed.

It's not like pinapagpitch or interview din kami to fight for the project, like state the reasons bakit namin ibibigay to sayo. Wala, basta nalang nagdecide si SV tapos di niya pa kinonsider suggestions ng ibang leaders. Sabi pa ni Mam V, sayang yung 1hr meeting na nag-usap sila about new organization, di rin naman tinake consideration yung suggestions nila. Nagkagulatan nalang din nung pinakita na. 3 nag-agree sa hati-project setup, 1 unknown kung ano nasa isip, ayun, yung 1 ang nanalo.

And right now, feeling ko, tumaas nga position ko, pero I feel more stuck than ever. If ever man may dumating na technical opportunities, magfofocus na ako sa management and not on the operation kasi nga Lead na rin position ko, and I'll give away the learning exp to subordinates.

Ayun. Hindi ko na feel mag-effort at mag-oty para sa kumpanyang to.

I hope to never forget that day, that week, that moment of heartbreak and weariness so that mapush ko sarili ko to look for greener pastures.

Yun lang bow.

TLDR di ako yung piniling maglead sa project kaya goodbye elecs knowledge at BT opportunity so hopefully goodbye na rin ako sa kumpanyang to.

[techbyrish]

Which SBCs are best for your DIY projects

In the world of DIY electronics and embedded system projects, single-board computers (SBCs) reign supreme. Among the top contenders, the Raspberry Pi and the Libre Computer Board stand tall, each offering a unique set of features and capabilities. In this blog, we embark on a technical journey to compare these two titans, helping you make the perfect choice for your next DIY endeavour.

1. Efficiency: Raspberry Pi and Libre Computer Boards Go Head to Head

The Raspberry Pi boasts a reputation for dependability and robust performance, thanks to its Broadcom CPU. With models ranging from quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 to quad-core Cortex-A72, it's a versatile choice for a wide spectrum of applications. The Raspberry Pi 4, in particular, shines with its powerful CPU and GPU performance.

Libre Computer Boards, on the other hand, come in various models and CPU architectures, including ARM Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A72. These boards offer competitive performance and often provide more RAM options than their Raspberry Pi counterparts.

2. Capabilities of the GPU: Graphics Galore

Raspberry Pi models are equipped with Broadcom VideoCore GPUs, optimized for multimedia applications, making them perfect for video playback, gaming, and graphics-rich projects.

Libre Computer Boards offer ARM Mali GPUs in some models, delivering excellent graphics performance. What's more, certain models support GPU acceleration for machine learning tasks, making them a top choice for AI and computer vision projects.

3. Interconnectivity: Ports, Pins, and More

Raspberry Pi boards come well-connected, featuring multiple USB ports, Ethernet, HDMI, and GPIO pins. The Raspberry Pi 4 even boasts a USB-C port for charging and supports dual-monitor setups via micro HDMI ports.

Libre Computer Boards offer a similar array of connectivity options, including USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI. Some models, like the Tritium H5, sweeten the deal with eMMC storage for faster data access.

4. Operating System Compatibility: The Heart of the Machine

Raspberry Pi shines with its extensive community support and an extensive library of compatible software. Raspbian (now Raspberry Pi OS) is a highly optimized Linux distribution tailored specifically for Raspberry Pi devices, offering user-friendliness ideal for beginners.

Libre Computer Boards, while capable of running various Linux-based operating systems, may have more limited community support compared to the Raspberry Pi.

5. Price Wars: Budgeting for Brilliance

Raspberry Pi remains an unbeatable value, offering affordable options like the Raspberry Pi Zero and the Raspberry Pi 3A+. Even the higher-end Raspberry Pi 4 remains budget-friendly.

Libre Computer Boards, while slightly pricier than their Raspberry Pi counterparts, often pack additional features and better hardware specs, making them a compelling choice for enthusiasts.

6. The Ecosystem and the Community: Strength in Numbers

The Raspberry Pi boasts a vast and active community, resulting in an abundance of documentation, tutorials, and third-party accessories. This makes it an excellent starting point, especially for newcomers.

While the Libre Computer Boards community is growing steadily, it may not rival the sheer size of the Raspberry Pi community. However, if you're experienced with SBCs, this might not be a deal-breaker.

7. Unique Features: Tailored to Your Needs

Raspberry Pi stands out with specialized add-ons like the Raspberry Pi Camera Module for photography and video projects and the Raspberry Pi Pico for microcontroller applications.

Some Libre Computer Boards bring unique features to the table, such as the ROC-RK3328-CC with PCIe support, allowing you to integrate custom hardware components seamlessly.

Conclusion: Finding Your Perfect SBC Match

Choosing between a Raspberry Pi and a Libre Computer Board hinges on your project requirements and your familiarity with single-board computers.

For beginners and those seeking a vast ecosystem, the Raspberry Pi is a fantastic choice. However, if you require more power and flexibility, Libre Computer Boards won't disappoint.

Consider factors like performance, GPU capabilities, connectivity, OS support, price, and community support when making your decision. Ultimately, both SBCs offer advantages and trade-offs, and your choice will depend on your project goals and expertise.

So, whether you're a Raspberry Pi enthusiast or a Libre Computer Board aficionado, the world of DIY electronics is at your fingertips. Happy tinkering!

Stay tuned for more exciting tech insights and DIY projects! Don't forget to follow us for updates and join our vibrant tech community.

#DIY projects #Libre computers #Raspberry community #Raspberry Pi #Raspberry Pi 3A #Raspberry Pi 4 #Single board computers

[rosayounan]

You Will Be My Better Half

They had spent the day mostly riding. Bheem on his motorcycle, Ram on his horse. The journey back to the village where Mali and Seetha were, would be another few days. Bheem could feel the deep exhaustion setting in his bones. It has been a long night of fighting. Fighting for revenge on the British, punishment on the governor and his wife. It was also a night of freedom. Freedom for Bheem’s people. For Ram’s people. For their people. 

Bheem stole a glance at Ram and saw the same exhaustion reflecting back. It has been a long day indeed and evening was approaching. 

“Ram?” Bheem spoke up, “Do we camp here?” 

Ram looked around as if noticing their surrounding for the first time. “Those trees look to be a good spot.” The officer nodded.

Bheem gestured for his anna to lead the way. After they had gotten reunited in the prison, Bheem had felt a great weight lifted off his chest. Knowing that Ram had survived filled his heart with peace. Many a night he had stayed awake, fearing the worst. That he would be too late. However, his prayers had been answered. 

It took some time for both men to make camp ready for the night. Ram worked to gather firewood and Bheem made a warm soup out of some herbs he had found. As both men’s tasks came to end, they sat together in comfortable silence. Enjoying the warmth of the fire and satisfying their hunger with the soup. 

Bheem noticed that Ram had finished his bowel quickly. It was himself that normally ate more out of the two of them. Perhaps his anna hadn’t eaten proper food during his imprisonment? The thought made a spark of guilt settle deep in the warrior’s gut. 

“Bheem?” Ram’s voice broke his thoughts. The man was looking at him with concern, “Kya hai?” (What it it?)

Bheem shook his head as if to banish away the bad thoughts. He smiled, motioning to the bowel in Ram’s hands. “You like it, bhaee?” He asked.

Ram nodded looking content. Bheem took that as a sign and took the bowel from him, happily refilling it with more soup. “Eat.” He commanded fondly. 

Ram accepted the bowel and smiled warmly at him. Bheem was reminded of the same smile he had been given when Ram had helped him prepare for the dance. Ram took Bheem’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, Bheem.” He whispered sincerely. 

Bheem understood it was gratitude for much more than the food. It was a thanks for finding him, for the prison break, for collecting the rifles, for helping to avenge Ram’s father. For being a brother. 

Bheem nodded back warmly, bringing their clasped hands to his cheek and holding it close. “Forgive me,” He couldn’t hold back the words, “Forgive me, anna. For not understanding...”

Ram shook his head and held Bheem’s face in his hands so his brother would meet his gaze. “No,” He spoke firmly, “Forgive me, na tam’mudu.”

The old name made Bheem smile. “My duty is not more important than this,” Ram gestured between them, “And I…” He broke his gaze away, fiery eyes filled with emotion. 

Bheem shifted closer to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. Ram grasped it tightly. “

You had a promise, Ram,” Bheem spoke gently, “Not just duty, a promise… to your father.”

Ram sobbed out, “I hurt you. I hurt you and I never wanted…” He covered his eyes, “Not you.”

Bheem didn’t miss a second. He pulled Ram into his chest and wrapped his arms around him. 

“Bheem!” Ram wailed loudly, shoulders shaking as he gripped his brother’s shirt. 

“Aiyo! aiyo!” Bheem rocked him slowly, “Shh, shh, shhh. You didn’t hurt me, anna. Nothing would hurt me more than being separated from you. I thought I’d lost you.” He hugged him tighter.

They both stayed that way, curled into each other, for some time. Each one thinking about their brotherhood, the recent events that has passed and the hell they had survived. After some time, Ram broke the silence. 

“Bheem?”

“Hm?”

“You’re starting to squash me.”

Bheem grinned and released his tight hold. Ram stretched out over his legs. “Sorry,” He ruffled Ram’s hair softly.

“Brhatkaay ladaka,” Ram punched his arm lightly. 

“Owa,” Bheem mocked pain, “Now I will tell you, you hurt me.” 

Ram smiled and patted his cheek, “I’m sorry.” He said in all seriousness. 

“Bhaee..” Bheem was going to chastise but Ram held his jaw firmly.

“No,” He shook his head, “Bheem, I’m sorry.” 

Bheem swallowed thickly as he felt tears prick his eyes. 

Ram brought their heads together, one hand still on his jaw, the other in his hair.“I’m sorry.” He repeated in a whisper. 

Bheem nodded, “Me too.”

Ram nodded satisfied and gave Bheem a kiss on the head for good measure. “Let’s get some sleep,” He stated before getting up to tend to the fire. 

Bheem shook out some blankets and laid them out. When Ram had added another log to the fire, he noticed Bheem watching.

“What?” He frowned.

Bheem silently opened his arms. With a sigh and a fond eye roll, Ram went over and laid down next to him. Bheem immediately flung himself on top and snuggled. 

“Owww,” Ram grimaced, “I still have bruises.” 

Bheem chuckled and snuggled deeper. 

“You are a Bheem.” Ram laughed.

“Seetha is beautiful, anna,” Bheem patted his brother. 

Ram’s eyes grew fond and soft, “She is.”

Bheem smiled, “You love her?”

Ram nodded still smiling. 

“Ah, she loves you.” Bheem couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

Ram ruffled Bheem’s curls, “And you.”

“No anna, I…”

“She knows about you, Bheem,” Ram explained, “I wrote her letters.”

“Ah-hah!” The devilish grin was back, “You talked about me?”

The comment earned him a friendly whack on the head.“Hush!” Ram playfully growled. 

“Mali asked about you,” Bheem looked at the night sky as he spoke, “She wants to meet the anna that saved her.”

 Ram was quiet for a moment, then he spoke.“Bheem, you saved Mali. You delivered her back to her family and…”

Bheem laid a hand over his mouth, “Not without you, anna. I got Mali home, but not without you.”

Ram sighed, “Tomorrow we will see them both. And Jenny also.”

Bheem felt a smile tug at his lips, “And Jenny.”

Ram laughed, “Go to sleep.” He pushed him lightly down.

Bheem did lay back down. The crickets and crackling fire were the only sounds around them.

“Bhaee?” 

“Mm-hmm?”

Bheem leaned himself upright a bit and raised his open hand with a smile. Ram understood the silent message. He opened his hand to meet Bheem’s and they both clasped their forearms tightly.  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Translations of a few Hindi/South Indian words, sorry if these are mistaken.  Bhaee = brother 

Anna = a term used for an older brother

Kya hai? = What is it?

Na tam’mudu = My younger brother

Aiyo, aiyo = Southern Indian term expressing distress, regret, grief, or surprise.                      Meaning= “Oh no!” 

Brhatkaay ladaka = Big guy Alright guys! What’s the verdict? This is my first RRR fanfic AND first time I shared it. Sorry but I just can’t help shipping them platonically so my fanfic will be them being cute bros! I have a second part coming up because I couldn’t just leave Ram with all the angst now could I? This takes place after they shoot Governor Scott but before they return to the group at the end. I just felt like things needed to be said and hugs needed to be giving! I will tag some of my followers, other fanfic authors that I love to read and those that said that I should share this here! Hope you don’t mind! Thanks!  

#rrr #rrr fanfic #rrr film #Ram and Bheem are the best #Bheem #Ram #brotherhood rrr #bromance #love me some ram and bheem #new fanfic #bromance-minus-the-b #theycallmeshri #rambheem-is-real #thewinchestergirl1208 #rasnak #rrrdosti #ram charan rrr #jr ntr rrr #ss rajamouli rrr #brace yourself for bheem #brace yourself for ram #brothers #friendship

[ligayangdala]

Dahil dun sa fubu renjun pumasok naman sa isip ko si Jaemin na honor student tapos pag nagpapa-tutor ka sa kanya, may reward na momol after may matapos ka na task 😩😩

(btw pwede po ba maging si 🐑anon kung nde ba yun taken)

huehue sure po! welcome 🐑 anon!

"jaemin, tapos na 'ko!" sabi mo, pinause naman ni jaemin ang pinapanood na movie at bumalik sa kusina kung nasaan ka. "pwede na ba tayong mag-momol?"

"pag wala kang mali, pwede na" matipid na sagot nito at kinuha ang worksheet mo sa lamesa. nakatingin ka kay jaemin habang chinecheckan niya ang gawa mo, at napapangiti ka tuwing tumatango ito— mukhang marami kang tamang sagot. "wow, good job ah"

agad mong hinila si jaemin at pinagdikit ang labi niyo, halatang sabik na sabik kang mahalikan siya dahil kanina mo pa sinasagutan ang worksheet sa math na may mahahabang equations. binuhat ka ni jaemin, hinayaang ipulupot mo ang binti sa bewang niya at ang braso sa balikat. naglakad siya pabalik ng kwarto niya kung saan ihiniga ka niya sa kama, "wow, lumelevel up tayo ah, baka tirahin mo na 'ko nyan" natatawa mong sabi nang maghiwalay ang labi niyo.

"gusto mo ba? may condom ako dito"

#🎭 admins #📥 ligayangdala asks #💭 ligayangdala thoughts #🐑 anon

[hazel-of-sodor]

What's Lost is Found

Ch.14 Return Again

Other Stories

Other Chapters

It was several days before Screech saw Mali again. It was Wednesday morning, and Screech was waiting for the Morning Pike to be unloaded. Mali was helping Gwyn and Freda wash Screech down.

Technically Screech didn't need it, she was more than capable of disintegrating any dirt or grime that landed on her, but like all engines, she appreciated the attention.

Mali was chatting with Freda as they worked.

"Maxwell is almost repaired, they're waiting on her new driveshaft, once that's installed she'll be as good as new."

Freda was scrubbing Screech's nose with a sponge, as rags had proven to disintegrate too quickly when used on her face. "Did they ever decide where to place her?" She asked, scrubbing a particularly stubborn spot of soot, causing Screech to wrinkle her nose.

Mali shrugged from where she was cleaning a cylinder. "From what I've heard she's gonna be used wherever she is needed most."

"And 590?"

"She's gonna take longer, other than the break, Maxwell was mechanically sound. 590...well it sounds like the little engines were run until they broke. 590 had broken down a few months before Argol fell, and they'd been pulling parts from her to keep the others running."

She paused thoughtfully, "No one seems to know exactly what happened the last day, but it seems from the few who were there that something happened on the little railway. Something they couldn't fix."

Mali clambered up onto the running board.

"Apparently those who were left loaded their belongings on the lorries waiting for slate and left."

Gwyn frowned as he brought Freda a bucket of clean water, "what happened to the engine?"

Mali hesitated, "That's the thing. I asked Miss Morgan and the records said they were all scrapped...including 590."

Screech stilled, her glowing gaze slowly swinging to Mali. 

"You believe they lied."

Mali shrugged helplessly, "the train apparently failed in the middle of the line. Given what we know of the last day..."

"What are the chances they went through the trouble of scrapping it," Freda said grimly.

Gwyn shook his head, "there's no chance they would have dragged the equipment up the line."

"I had hoped I was wrong," Mali chewed her bottom lip nervously, "but there's another engine up there."

Screech shifted impatiently, "it seems then, that you will get the chance to return to Argol sooner than expected Little Thief."

***

That night, the engines and crews of the Uman and Din Railway gathered around the sheds in the dying light.

"It is our belief there is another engine stranded on the old Argol Railway, left abandoned when it failed with the final train." Miss Morgan surveyed her engines and crews from atop a truck, a map of the old Argol railway held aloft by Screech behind her. "Ideally another engine would be used to pull the train, but 590 will take months to be restored, and we all agree that is too long to wait."

She allowed the muttered agreements to die down before continuing.

"Saturday morning Screech will set off towards Argol with a line of flatbeds. Enid will follow with four teams of volunteers and a team of horses. I need volunteers for each team. Team one, which forewoman Owen has volunteered to lead, will scale the old trackbed to locate the train and prepare it for team two's arrival. Once team two has the train, they will continue along the line, searching for any more rolling stock or equipment left behind.

Team Two, led by fireman Dylan will ready the horses and follow Team One to the train.. Once the train is found, team two will use the horses to pull the train to where Screech can load it onto flatbeds.

I will lead Team Three at the old yard. Our task will be to recover any surviving rolling stock or equipment left in the yards, as well as reseal the old buildings to slow their deterioration.

Team four will be led by Mrs.Davies, they will explore the old town to ensure no other vehicles have been left abandoned.

We have two days to prepare. Let's make the most of it."

A/N: And We're Back! Updates will be posted every Tuesday, life permiting.

#ttte fanfic #rws fanfic #fanfic #Uman and Din #Uman and Din Railway #U&D #U&DR #eldritch #eldritch train #eldritch engine

[camzy]

nakakapagod so much, dati dream ko makapasok sa big 4 wala ako idea ganto pala yung papasukin ko pero masaya naman kasi sobrang swerte ko sa team na napuntahan ko which is team cor, they are all approachable. tapos si hannah pala yung kabatch ko sa training kaya lagi kami magkasama kahit saan bali buddy ko sya sa work tapos kapag wfh lagi kami magkacall hahaha

anw, story time buddy system palang sobrang dami ko nang natutunan kay ate abi tapos tadtad din ako nun sa fsto kaya nung first day ng livework ko di naman ako nabigla hehe kasi ginaguide nila kami tapos naappreciate ko sobra kasi sabi pa nun ni ate cor wag daw muna kami bigyan ng complex task para daw di mabigla sobrang thoughtful unlike sa mga ibang kabatch ko kahit ang lalaki ng pages ng FS at DC binibigyan sila. pero now since nakakaadjust na kami ayun hahaha wala ng exemption bibigyan na kami kahit ano kasi busy season na at ang masasabi ko lang tiring sobra. Pero masaya naman lalo na kapag nakikta ko na nagiimprove yung ginagawa ko hehe yung mga simpleng very good and galing mo nakakahappy na ng heart!! for me okay din to kasi gusto ko naman ginagawa ko and happy ako but sometimes nappressure talaga ako hahaha kasi eh parang kapag naulit ko pa uli yung mali ko aask ko sarili ko bat ko na naman naulit but anyway basta happy naman ako and sana matapos na busy season

skl now nalang uli ako nakapagpahinga ng maaga hahahaha work uli tom!! kaya sa mga papasok sa audit world and mga nasa audit world na, kaya natin to! Fighting <33

#adult life #busy season