fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
The Case To Redo ‘Game of Thrones’
By: M.G. Siegler
Tags: HBO, Game of Thrones, George R R Martin, Hbo Max, Television

Michael Hein for Popculture, covering a pretty strong, singular response to HBO’s forthcoming “Iron Anniversary” for Game of Thrones (10 years since the show first aired):

Some fans are still calling on HBO to remake Game of Thrones Season 8 — or even Seasons 5, 6, 7 and 8. Their case seemed stronger than ever this week after the success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max. So far, HBO has said that it is unlikely to take on such a project, but that hasn’t stopped fans from asking.

As I’ve noted before, the most interesting thing about ‘The Snyder Cut’ of Justice League wasn’t the movie itself — turns out, editors matter — but the fact that it exists. It points to a world in which, yes, someone could potentially remake the last season(s) of Game of Thrones. I obviously agree:

Could you imagine how well that would do for HBO, if they did it relatively soon? One obvious idea: re-make the seasons based largely around The Winds of Winter when (if?) George R. R. Martin finally finishes that book. Then again when (BIG IF) he finishes A Dream of Spring.

If he can finish Winter soon — next year? — ramp production on a new two (three?) seasons based on that book. Then when Spring is done — I mean, honestly, it may be 2030 or later?! — (re) finish off the series.

One major issue, beyond the actors all having aged substantially since the original show ended in 2019, would be their willingness to go back and redo the last seasons, since it’s as much their work as the show runners/creators. So again, maybe you focus on the idea of a “revisit” based on the new Martin books, which just wasn’t possible before.

Yes, it’s a dream. But so was ‘The Snyder Cut’ once upon a time…
#JesuitMuseums: University of San Francisco
By: Deanna Howes
Tags: Art History, University San Francisco, Jesuiteducated, Alzheimers, Oil Painting

AJCU’s #JesuitMuseums series is back for the summer! Today’s post on Wounds by Mary Lou Grace Robison comes from the Thacher Gallery at the University of San Francisco.

Mary Lou Grace Robison, Wounds, 2019, oil painting.

Each spring, the Thacher Gallery at the University of San Francisco hosts an exhibition of student artwork, organized and curated by undergraduates in the Art History & Museum Studies Thacher Practicum class. The works in this year’s show, Unmuted, offer a student perspective on the pandemic experience through an immersive, digital format.



A recurring theme in the Unmuted exhibition is our connection to family. Mary Lou Grace Robison’s Wounds, an incredibly detailed rendering of her grandmother’s feet, is part of a series of work centered around her grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. In her artist’s statement, Robison writes, “[…] expressing and honoring my grandmother’s life through my art has become an urgent focus for me. I have found that there is very little art surrounding the world of Alzheimer’s and its effect on the families of the victims. The silence surrounding this suffering must be broken.”



Robison’s work exemplifies the power of art to build empathy. It offers an intimate look at disease, suffering, and the effects of aging: issues that our society often turns away from. With her use of photo realism and the trompe l’oeil effect of her grandmother’s toes extending toward the viewer, we can’t help but be drawn into the painting.

Robison’s approach spares no detail, but it is also highly compassionate. Her love for her grandmother is apparent through her careful and painstaking execution. This highly tangible work shows us just how art can help to create understanding, heal wounds, and transcend the barriers we’ve all experienced during the pandemic.



Contributed by Nell Herbert, Gallery Manager at the University of San Francisco’s Mary and Carter Thacher Gallery.
How to Identify the Artist of a Painting?
By: Marina Viatkina
Tags: Art Collecting, Art And Culture, Art, Art History, Art Investment

You may have read my numerous Art Collecting Guide stories on how to safely buy an Old Master [including examining the painting surface, the frame, and the back of the picture]. Here I follow precisely the steps I covered in those elaborate articles you could use in the art research and discovery process of your own.

I bought this intriguing female portrait by an unknown painter more than three years ago. “England, 19th century” — that’s basically all the details a provincial German auction house has included in the lot information space.

The painting had a rather modest estimate which would be typically given to a no-name small-scale picture like this one.

I must say, the story is not that much about the price hunting, but rather a sometimes miraculous process of art research and discovery.

Nevertheless, to give you a rough idea, it was something around a grand [a safe bet for sellers and it really doesn’t matter if it is a misattributed Rembrandt or a 1800s study of a beautiful lady’s head]

This is how it all looked online

A gut feeling was urging me to sign up for the sale and hope the price wouldn’t go up much and leave me without the joy of a new acquisition waiting for its mysteries to be solved.

Luckily, the fellow-bidders weren’t too aggressive that day [a coin flip, really] and I secured the deal knowing I wouldn’t regret it even if my own investigation failed.

Jumping ahead I can say that it didn’t.

Step #1. Always look at the back first

Alas, the small low-resolution picture that went with the lot was the only piece of evidence I had to take the decision of going for the portrait or not.

No backside photos, and no time to ask for one [chances were they wouldn’t send me anything taking into account the huge volume of the general sale and the lack of staff to deal of all those lots individually].

So, when the painting arrived, the first thing I did was a careful examination of the back of the panel.
The return of Bauhaus
Tags: Graphic Design, Art History, Visual Design, Bauhaus, Instagram

Bauhaus Principles

With an emphasis on the basics, the Bauhaus School’s teachings centred around the fundamental principles of art and design; line, shape, colour, etc.

The designers of Bauhaus experimented with grid systems, typographic hierarchy, geometric forms, and a recurring primary colour palette among other elements that are usually categorized by ‘minimalist design’.

Considered a new genre in and of itself, Instagram has shone a light on the innovative and emerging designers of the new graphic communication era that take inspiration from these principles of Bauhaus.

Design by Elizabeth Nelson / @lzbth.ai on Instagram

Today’s World of Design

Graphic designers Elliot Ulm (Sydney, Australia) and Elizabeth Nelson (Austin, TX) reimagine these Bauhaus fundamentals in a more fun and engaging way than ever before.

By relying on the most simple of design elements, they and many others are able to meld together the Bauhaus style with more current minimalist, clean, and ‘metamodern’ design trends that combine to create shareable content for those beyond the usual design audience.

Ulm’s recognizable business card format and Bauhaus colour combinations take his uniquely comical spin on ‘Instagram design’ to another level, all while remaining accessible to any type of viewer. Nelson’s more ‘existentialist’ work marries together philosophical thinking with a real ‘newspaper nostalgia’ feeling that is often hard to capture.

These works showcase how graphic design is most effective when simplified. Our brains are not designed to take in as much visual stimulation as they do, so we respond well to clean, minimalist and thought-provoking design that relies only on a basic understanding of visual harmony.
Let’s have a look at some of the sources you refer to:
By: David De Caires Watson
Tags: Venezuelan Politics, Politica, Venezuela, Política

Let’s have a look at some of the sources you refer to:

Telesur is the regime’s propaganda channel (think RT in Russia).

Venezuela Analysis was set up by the Venezuelan Chavista regime. The founder’s wife was Consul-General for Venezuela in New York.

The Empire Files is funded by Telesur (see above) and PSUV party. Presenters include Abby Martin, described by New York Times as a “9/11 conspiracy theorist” who used to work for Russia Today.

MintPress is funded by secret donors but seems to support dictators such as Assad and referred to “President Obama [as] President Bush on steroids.” It is known by Venezuelans on twitter to be a backer of Maduro.

Did you check the credibility of your sources before publishing?

This is the list of US sanctions against Venezuela:

The US sanctions have mostly been against specific individuals within the regime who are known to have been directly involved in drugs trafficking or violent repression. There were some sanctions involving bondholders but the effects were very minor. Please list out the specific sanctions you claim have had such drastic effects.

Do you know that Juan Guaido is a member of Socialist International, which by the way supports the transitional government? Many of the opposition parties that hold the National Assembly are left-wing parties. In what way is this a “neoliberal” take-over?

I know it can feel like the US sticks its nose in everywhere, but really this is a case of the democratic bodies and public of Venezuela crying out for support from the US, the EU, Canada, the Lima Group of S American countries, and many more…Luckily it is getting this support and things will change soon. Those who kept on supporting Maduro when it was clear his regime is illegitimate and repressive may find themselves on the wrong side of history.
U.S. socialists and Venezuela
By: Julio Huato
Tags: Venezuela, USA, Socialism

My two cents about the correct attitude of U.S. socialists regarding Venezuela.

As U.S. socialists, fighting to make life better at home, being this the richest and most powerful country in history, our attitude should be decisively anti-imperialist. We must protest and mobilize against any intervention by our own government in the internal political affairs of Venezuela or of any other poorer nation in the world, period.

This fight is not only about the Golden Rule, about treating other nations as we wish other nations to treat us, about being respectful of the choices that people in other parts of the world make for themselves. It is also about how our public resources are used or — in this case — squandered, and for the benefit of whom. The public resources under the U.S. government management should benefit the 99%. They should not contribute to enriching the 1% any further. Existing foreign policy is fully captured by the dirtiest, nastiest, and most corrupt corporate interests in the U.S., and that we must oppose.

Does that mean that we endorse Nicolás Maduro’s government and policies? Not necessarily. We are entitled to our own individual opinions, favorable or not, about the internal political life of Venezuela, the nature and orientation of the different political forces at play in that country, including the forces that support Maduro. We can apportion the blame for the social catastrophe now ongoing in that country any way we wish.

What we are not allowed to do from our perch here as U.S. socialists is to give fodder to our trigger-happy government so it supplies it with support for its intervening, threatening, conspiring, and planning an invasion and bloody war in Venezuela, in alliance with other regional governments hostile to Venezuela. Again, that we should oppose. Not only because we would not tolerate it if done on us, but because it serves the interest of those who are in the way of a better United States of America.

What if we cannot stomach Maduro’s government? In that case, if we feel very strongly about Venezuela, and cannot stand what we regard as an outright betrayal of socialism by Maduro, etc., then we have the right as individual citizens of the world to pack our stuff and move to Venezuela, promote our own ideas there, and try to organize others in Venezuela around our absolutely correct socialist ideas, subjecting ourselves to Venezuela’s legal and political strictures just like all other Venezuelans, and fight the good fight there for whatever socialist goals we regard as necessary.
From Venezuela to Iran
By: Reza Sasanian
Tags: Venezuela, Iran, USA

Though Donald Trump won the US First Election in 2016 with the “First US” slogan, the slogan did not stop US interventions in other countries. In the Tramp presidency, as before, things that are inherently in the jurisdiction of countries are subject to serious US intervention.

Iran and Venezuela are two of the countries that are subject to the most aggressive American involvement. In both countries, the United States is seeking economic warfare, the overthrow of its political system, and the deployment of its dependent government.

1. In recent days, the United States has intensified its movements in Venezuela and chaos in the country. One of its main reasons is the effects that Venezuelan developments can have on its hostility toward Iran and other countries.

2. In the first case, Americans are seeking “modeling” a subversion in Venezuela to make a version available to other countries such as Iran. In this model, after a period of war and economic invasion and creating mass dissatisfaction with the masses of the people, the general base of the ruling political system is targeted, and then, with the advent of a dependent leader, the ground for the collapse of the government is provided.

3. The other is that, at the strategic level, Americans need victories in Venezuela to win victory over Iran in many ways. One of the effects of US sanctions against Iran is the lack of stability in world oil prices, which is not a pleasure for the Trump government. Venezuelan state-owned deployment, which has a daily production capacity of about 3 million barrels of oil, can fill the gap caused by the suspension of Iranian oil exports.

4. Finally, the developments in Venezuela will, in the eyes of the US government, be a message to allies and opponents of the country. The Americans hope that the success of their plans in Venezuela will force other countries that oppose US-based superstitious policies, including Iran, that they are determined to confront and overthrow their opposition.
Leaving the Streets of Starvation
By: Ydalmis Gonzalez
Tags: Venezuela, Communication, Colombia, Intercultural, Refugees

Seven months ago, all Mariangel Blanco and her husband could hear were the cries of their 1-year-old child starving. “My baby and I were both malnourished,” Blanco said. (Reid, n.d.) At 26 years old, while most Americans are entering the workforce and establishing their careers in the professional field, the Blanco’s were struggling to survive in their native country.

The situation in Venezuelan continues to worsen, causing inflation rates to rise higher than any other country in the world. According to Business Insider, the average Venezuelan could spend an entire month’s paycheck on a few eggs and bags of pasta, which makes living comfortably and providing for a family of three nearly impossible. (Shah, 2016)

(2019, September 16) HD photo by Random Institute. Bogota, Colombia: Unsplash

Life as a Refugee

“For the first few days, we slept on the street near the bridge [in Colombia]. Then we connected with some friends who live here,” she says. They stayed with their friends for two weeks — “too long,” she says — but they found a small wood-and-tin house with an owner who was willing to let them stay there briefly for free. (Reid, n.d.)

Leaving Venezuela to pursue a better life seems like the only option for many families. “It wasn’t possible for them to have a normal childhood in Venezuela,” she adds.” (Reid, n.d.) NPR reports that Colombia has the largest Venezuelan refugee population at 1.3 million. (Kennedy, 2019) Neighboring countries like Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Brazil are not far behind statistically. However, these developing countries aren’t equipped to provide for the masses of refugees who are struggling just as much as their own people. A country like the United States has sufficient resources, both in finances and goods, to help the thousands of refugees crossing the border. (Robles & Jordan, 2019)

Made in America

There our 4 million families that feel pressures similar to the Blanco’s around the world. There are thousands of refugees in America, but the lack of coverage and information available in the U.S. has caused for so many Americans to be misinformed. A developed country like the U.S. has the time, money and voice to make changes in society, but the first step to real progress is awareness. Therefore, reaching out to families like the Blanco’s is a small act that can make a great difference. Donate your time to service projects. No community effort is too small, whether it be packing meals and essentials, handing out informational material or physically building shelters for refugees. Donate money to organizations that will disperse it to different families in the area struggling to find work. For instance, the Blanco’s benefit from the World Vision’s food voucher program, which helped with child care and nutrition. (Reid, n.d.) All of these are actions that Americans and the U.S. government can implement in our routines to help the millions that are struggling to make our country their new home.
TRIPADVISOR CASE STUDY: USABILITY EVALUATION AND SITE REDESIGN
By: Carla Fischer
Tags: Usability, UX Design, Tripadvisor, UI Design, Testing

Benchmarking & Heuristics Usability Test

Compare: Kayak, TripAdvisor, Skyscanner

In order to choose an application that meets the needs of the type of User Type chosen above (young couple), I compared three websites: Kayak, Skyscanner Engineering, and TripAdvisor.

My research made me notice that those sites do not have the same functionalities. Skyscanner, for example, only allows you to compare flight prices, while Kayak and TripAdvisor allow you to compare flight prices and also discover the attractions of the city.

Since the User Type chose wants to plan this trip efficiently and “have everything needed organized to enjoy at 100% while there”, especially since the couple wishes to be able to “have special moments to celebrate being together”, the app that best meets these needs is TripAdvisor.

It has many features to discover attractions to do and allows to save favorites directly on the site in order to be able to organize the trip.

Now that we’ve chosen TripAdvisor as the app that best meets the needs of the young couple, we’re going to do a Heuristics Usability Test to see how the site could be made even better to organize their trip.

Heuristics Usability Test

Usability and Utility are both important quality attributes that integrate a product experience.

Utility refers to the design’s functionality. Utility answers the question: Does it do what users need?

refers to the design’s functionality. Utility answers the question: Does it do what users need? Usability goes deeper into how easy is to use this product. Usability answers the question: does it work how users expect?

In User Interface design, heuristics (as a set of guidelines) help us go through our designs to make sure we are not missing any important functionality. We can use them as a “checklist” to make sure we are creating a great experience for our users.

After the test sessions, those were the findings:

Searching for a flight was complicated as they needed to click on several buttons before finding the flight search button .Brand identity is not very recognizable, but all the testers already knew the app so they noticed it was TripAdvisor. Make a list of favorite activities to do at the destination was very intuitive.

Wireframing

Actual home page

I have two recommendations here:

Add a “flights” search button (on this page you have to click on “trips” to go on another page and search for a flight) along with others: hotels, vacation rentals, things to do… Strengthen visual identity by fixing the header while scrolling on the pages, so the logo is always at the user’s sight.

Recommended home page

As you can see, I added on the top left the “flights” search button, and while the user scrolls down the page, the header with the TripAdvisor logo is fixed.
Literature Introduction: Usability evaluation of an instructional application based on Google Glass for mobile phone disassembly tasks
Tags: Usability

Literature Introduction: Usability evaluation of an instructional application based on Google Glass for mobile phone disassembly tasks Yida Mar 11, 2020·2 min read

Google Glass

With the development of augmented reality technologies, more and more head-mounted devices have been released. Google Glass is one of the most attractive products. Its usability originated from relatively strick and high standard controlled setting evaluation involving actual users.

Today, I will introduce a paper describing how a major company evaluates its software and application.

The title of this paper is “Usability evaluation of an instructional application based on Google Glass for mobile phone disassembly tasks”. In this article, researchers divided 30 participants into 3 groups. Each group was told to do finish the same task — phone disassembly but the instruction was given in three different ways — someone was instructed by Google Glass-based augmented reality, some were guided by Google Glass-based video and the rest was guided by a printed manual.

Printed Manual

Google Glass Augmented Reality

Google Glass based Video

The result showed that in this task, although the printed manual method produced better results regarding mental workload and system usability, the augmented reality method improved error reduction and efficiency. Furthermore, the participants indicated that the displayed animations were helpful in locating the exact work-pieces. The augmented reality method is believed to be a potential alternative to printed manuals in mobile disassembly tasks.

Maybe we can learn more from the methodology of this research. The evaluation technology they apply here called “controlled setting evaluation involving actual users”. The strength of this methodology is that researchers can strictly check the environment variable, help ruling out irrelevant factors and provide a convincing result.

The article introduction is finished. And in the next post, I will focus on mobile and ubiquitous applications.
Kicking and screaming
By: Christina Snow
Tags: Self Love, Strength, Poetry, Love

Kicking and screaming

But how do I go about this?

I'm going insane

Med after med

It feels like nothing will help

I'm ready to give up

But I know I can't

I know I'm not supposed to

I love them too much

But I'm supposed to keep going

Not just for them

For myself first

But I can't stop myself

I can't get myself to begin

I want to be able to go on

But I don't know how much I can take

How much more can I take?

I'd be lying if I said I can do this right

If I said that I felt okay

But I need to push myself

For me

And for them

I need to change for the better

But it's scary

I want to be a good daughter

A good sister

Friend

Fiancèe

I just want to be a good person

I need to learn to become happy

Happy with myself

As happy as I am when I'm not alone

As happy as they make me

I feel like screaming always

I feel like kicking away the past

I need to live in the moment

But also find my future

I know it involves all of this love

And I'll do it

I'll find myself

With love on my side
Three Tips for Getting Fit at Home Without Spending Money
By: Connor Nemetz
Tags: Strength, Bodyweight Exercise, At Home Workout, Fitness Tips, Fitness

When it comes to putting together a fitness routine, it is easy to fall into the trap of forever planning with little to no action. Before you read another word of this post, stop what you are doing and knock out 10 pushups.

Go get started literally right now.

Alright, how did that feel? Congratulations! You just took the first step in your fitness journey. You have already made it further than most people. Don’t wait until you have everything planned. Start small. Do something every day. Park your car at the far end of the grocery store parking lot. Take a walk during your next Zoom meeting. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Small incremental actions add up to huge results.

You don’t need fancy equipment.

Now that you have made the first steps in pursuing your fitness journey, it’s time to go to the next level. And no, that doesn’t mean going on Amazon and buying $5,000 worth of exercise equipment. Use what you have! There are tons of resources online that provide great workout routines, such as Darebee.com and the Peloton app. Many of these workout programs require you to simply use your bodyweight — no equipment needed! Simple push-ups and planks are some of the most effective workouts you can do, and the best part is you don’t have to spend a dime or fill up your house with bulky equipment.

Use fitness to connect with friends and family.

When goals get written down, they get measured, and what gets measured gets done. Write down what you are trying to accomplish. Put it on a calendar. Tell your friends and family. We are social creatures, and one of my favorite parts of exercise is doing it with my friends and family. As many of us are unable to physically see family and friends right now it is important to find ways to interact with each other. My friends and family will do online spin classes together, text each other about different achievements, and include each other as much as we can in our fitness journey. We’re more successful when we find opportunities to cheer each other on.

You’ve already started your journey, so you’re already on the path to success.

Mindset is critical, and if you create a positive story in your head then your reality will become positive. Create goals and track them, and celebrate your wins with yourself, friends and family.

I share these tips with you because it is how I got started 10 years ago. I was living a very unhealthy lifestyle, and it wasn’t until I did that first push-up, then did it again the next day, and the day after that, that I stuck with it and found my passion for fitness.

Now my passion is sharing that with others and making at-home fitness more accessible for everyone.
Guide to choosing the best Career.
By: Jesper Morgan
Tags: Career Advice, Strength, Studying, Advice For Life, Courses And Training

Don’t be the one who just does work to earn money, be the one who loves their work and have all the capability to do it. I have seen many people who don’t love their work but do it anyway and make their life frustrated in the long run. I have also met those people in my life who follow their passion and make it best by choosing it to make it their career. Here are some tips by which choosing a career can be easy without making a wrong choice. Nowadays, many youngsters are choosing their careers in Bartending, the hospitality industry because of the growing interest in this.

I can understand it can be crucial to choose the right career but follow these steps you will feel happy after applying it:

You should know about your Strengths — Every person is unique in their own way, have some special characteristics and strengths. Similarly, it happens with our weaknesses. Just find out how passionate you are about your skills! Are you good at making paintings, sketches? Will you find it easy to coach other writers? In which thing you are good? What are your strong skills? Find it.

A career test — Take a career test if you can’t choose it on your own. Just answer the questions and you will get to know about it. The career tests are focusing on your skills and strengths and then it will suggest a career that is compatible for you and provide you the 2 to 3 options.

Advice — Take advice from your friends who are doing something creative and they love! Ask other people who are professional in some other field. Ask them to give a piece of good advice so that you can choose a good career.

Start working as an Intern — With an internship, you will get some exciting job opportunities and get good career opportunities. If you start working as an intern it will help you to find how perfect and good you are in a particular job. An Internship can be paid or unpaid. Moreover, it will add more weight to your resume.

These are some key tips which you can choose for your career.
Staying Strong with Simple Habits — Daily Quote
By: Jo Hawk
Tags: Strength, Habits, Writing, Quotes, Wellness

This time of year, the temperature swings from 30 to 70 degrees and back in a few hours. Rain turns to snow, ice coats every surface, then melts, creating the perfect conditions to weaken our defenses, leaving us susceptible to viruses. I am not concerned about contracting Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The habits my grandmother advocated are still the best practices for remaining healthy today.

Grandma insisted we scrub our hands, face, and under our fingernails, with plenty of soapy warm water whenever we came inside from the big, nasty world. We washed our hands after using the bathroom, before, during, and after we prepared food, served, or ate any meal. Hand washing was vital before applying makeup or contact lenses.

I use a glove or my sleeve when touching public door handles, elevator buttons, and shopping carts. Grandma’s voice reminds me, “You don’t know where that’s been.” I also brush, floss, and gargle to help mitigate any germs that might slip past my defense systems. She advocated avoiding anyone who looked sick, getting enough sleep, staying home the moment we felt ill, and eating lots of chicken soup and forcing liquids.

While these steps aren’t new, I monitor the latest recommendations and sanitize frequently used surfaces, including my phone. The odds are in my favor, and I refuse to worry about circumstances outside of my control. Instead, I live my life and write.

How are you protecting yourself?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer
Tenacious. How will the grass be green If all you…
By: The Girl With The Flaws
Tags: Life Lessons, Strength, Writing, Love, Life

Stronger than what I seem

Definitely not what you think of me

Naive, vulnerable and weak

I am beyond what you will ever see

How will the grass be green

If all you do is water your own?

Deception begets betrayal

Cut the crap and just come clean

Stronger than what I seem

My light beyond your myopic eyes

A coin has two sides

Sitting in an ivory tower; believing your own lies

An object as strong as its weakest link

I wear my heart on my sleeves

If my weakness is my strength, then who do I have to fear?

Ask Murphy.

Stronger than what I seem

Fragility entails exquisiteness

I trip, I don’t fall

But I won’t trip on the same rock again

Not a genius, but smart enough to beat you at your own game

Not a sprinter, nonetheless a finisher

I may be late, but fashionably so

Not the prettiest but fair

Human — I err

So do you

Before throwing stones at my castle

Check your shaky foundation through

Stronger than what I seem

Definitely not what you think of me

Naive, vulnerable and weak

I am beyond what you will ever see
One with Heaven and Earth
By: Samuel Tjandra
Tags: Strength, Philosophy

Since the beginning of days, men had been questioning themselves:

“What does it mean, to be strong?”

To be strong, is to be able to face your innermost fear every day. Some days you are going to be conquered by your fear, others you conquer them. Slowly you grow and your fear grows too. It is a never ending battle between you and your inner demons.

To be strong is to realise that the universe is infinite, and that you are part of it. To be humble and know that everything matters, including your self. To realise that all of your actions bring about consequences, and that you should be careful and wise in what you do.

To be strong is to wake up every morning, realising it might be your last, that all you might ever have is today, and do your possible best.

To be strong is to let go of your child, to allow them to fulfil their innermost potential.

To be strong is to be able to face hatred, realise that it is a devil and a reflection of your thoughts, and be kind.

To be strong is to be responsible, not abusing your power whenever someone shows weakness, but to lift them up to where they could be. To serve others, realising your power is much too wasted to be used just on your self and to push one another to be the best self they could ever possibly become.

To be strong is to be able to cry, to have empathy and to care. But to nevertheless move on, because the past is the past, the future still needs to be travelled, and the present, to be.

The strong does not ask, what does it mean to be strong, he just is because the desire to be strong is simply a facade, a big word. To be strong is to be one with heaven and earth, bringing them closer together.
Pick Yourself Up, Do It Again
By: Steve Arnold
Tags: Strength, Self Improvement, Kindness, Optimization, Life

Pick Yourself Up, Do It Again

Situation

You recently faced a setback and things didn’t go your way… or as planned. You’re feeling a bit defeated. Recognize it, let it pass through you and go again. One setback (or two or three) does not define you. It’s what you do next that is most important.

Pattern

1. Accept it.

So it didn’t go your way. It’s ok. Accept your feelings and work through it. It’s not always easy to do but work through the emotions in your own time. Also recognize that in order to win some you do have to lose some. It’s all part of the process.

2. Pivot your perspective.

Even if just a mental exercise, look at what happened from another vantage point. Taking an entirely different view can shed interesting light on your situation.

3. Make a plan.

Perhaps a do over, perhaps a new direction. It’s really up to you. Digest what you’ve learned from the setback and make a plan.

4. Do the work.

Get up and do it again. You need to put in the work and stay focused on making progress. It’s the progress that really counts. It might also take you multiple attempts to get to where you want to go… so let that be ok.

Why

Learning involves setbacks and setbacks make us stronger. Pick yourself up, do it again. And again. And again. You will eventually master what’s in front of you. And by the time you master what you face you’ll be stronger… and likely already onto your next challenge.
8 Christmas greetings to include in your cards 🎄
By: Ana Hana Flower
Tags: Cards, Florist, Christmas, Gifting, Flowers

It’s that time of the year again — to write Christmas cards! 💌 ✨ Of course now with e-cards you don’t have to physically write them but here are some Christmas greetings we’ve compiled for you to use regardless.

General greetings

These are for those who prefer more generic greetings that can be reused for the multiple Christmas cards you’ll be writing :p

⁃ Warmest greetings of this festive season and best wishes for happiness this New Year.

⁃ May everything on your wishlist come true. Happy Holidays!

Family

If you’re writing cards for your family this year you might want to use these greetings to remind them of how important they are to you!

⁃ There is no greater gift this festive season than spending time with family all around the Christmas tree.

⁃ You’re all so important to us. Stay safe and stay happy this holiday season!

Friends

Apart from our family, the next group of people you’re likely to send cards to are probably your friends! Here are some simple greetings you can consider starting off with when writing to them.

⁃ So grateful to have a friend like you at Christmas and all year long.

⁃ Your friendship and your love is the best Christmas gift that I’ve gotten. Merry Christmas.

Colleagues

Depending on how close you are to your colleagues or clients, you may want to incorporate these greetings in your card. Of course you can tweak them to make it more personal :)

⁃ Wishing you a holiday season full of fun, and a new year filled with prosperity.

⁃ It’s a pleasure to work with you and a joy to wish you a merry Christmas!

Bonus! If you want to be extra creative with how you’re sending your Christmas greetings we’d suggest sending a message in a candle. Yes, you read that right! A message in a candle 🕯✨ Click here or on the image to buy now.

This is a fun way to send a Christmas greeting to your family, friends or colleagues as they’ll be sure to remember you each time they light up this candle ❤️

If you’re looking for gifts to go along with your Christmas cards be sure to visit our website at anahanaflower.com and browse our gift category.

If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to contact us via our website, email, Instagram (@anahanaflower) or via Whatsapp at +65 98569650. We’re based in Singapore but can also deliver non-living items overseas. We also do same-day deliveries locally.

Love,

Ana Hana
International Friendship Day
By: Ana Hana Flower
Tags: Friendship, Mood Board, Aesthetics, Singapore, Flowers

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust

This International Friendship Day, let’s show appreciation to our friends. To the ones who always manage to put a smile on our faces; to the ones who always listen to us enthusiastically whenever we share something; to the ones who are always there for us. These people are those we call our ‘sister/brother from another mother’ and our ‘soulmate’.

For many of us, each of our friends have a different personality and we’re bound to interact with each of them differently. Every one of them makes us feel a certain type of way — some may make us feel confident with their encouraging words while another may make us feel comforted because of their warm presence. But we know one thing for sure — they make us happy! Sometimes, no words are even needed. Just them by your side is enough to make things better.

There are many gifts out there that you can get for your friends to show your love for them, but if you’re looking for something classic and that always manage to make the recipient happy, why not try getting flowers for your friends? If you’re unsure what kind of flowers to get for each friend, check out the different mood boards we’ve created for different kinds of friends!

Check out our mood boards here:

We tend to take the people around us for granted. But this year, thank your friends and show them that you appreciate them!

If you’re looking for the perfect gift, be sure to visit our website at anahanaflower.com and browse our gift category.

If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to contact us via our website, email, Instagram (@anahanaflower) or via Whatsapp at +65 98569650. We’re based in Singapore but can also deliver non-living items overseas. We also do same-day deliveries locally.

Love,

Ana Hana
Celebrate Your Christmas With Christmas Flowers Winnipeg
By: In Full Bloom Florists
Tags: Christmas, Canada, Winnipeg, Flowers

Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in the world. Everyone celebrates this festival with their family and friends. We are here as “In Full Bloom Florist” to make your Christmas more memorable with Christmas flowers Winnipeg. We provide a wide variety of Christmas flowers, some of these are given below:

1. Thomas Kinkade’s Festive Fire Station Bouquet

This holiday season, celebrate the heroes among us! Set off a stunning bouquet of festive roses and fresh Christmas greens, this hand-painted, light-up Thomas Kinkade sculpture vintage fire station is bursting with charm! This charming gift includes Red Roses, White Carnations, Red and White Miniature Carnations, Oregonia, Noble Fir, and White Pine.

2. Winter Wonderment — Beautiful Christmas Flowers

This wonderful winter arrangement brings the WOW together with orchids, mini spray roses, dianthus, carnations, and cockscomb flowers and makes your Christmas more memorable.

3. Teleflora’s Merry Mercury Centerpiece

Capture the magic of Christmas with this lush winter rose centerpiece, arranged in a stunning crosscut mercury glass bowl with glowing tapers that will be a holiday treasure for years to come. It is delivered at Teleflora’s Merry Mercury Bowl.

4. Crimson Christmas Flowers Winnipeg

This charming Christmas bouquet is packed with red tulips, red roses, red carnations, and plenty of holiday styles! Let us distribute this beautiful gift of fresh flowers along with your warm and joyful Christmas wishes.

5. Teleflora’s Vintage Sleigh Bouquet

It is delivered in a rustic metal sleigh, this succulent mix of fresh flowers and winter greens delivers classic Christmas style! This delightful arrangement includes red carnations, red miniature carnations, flat fir, Douglas fir, a variety of holly and noble fir.

Call us today to order your favorite flowers in Winnipeg. We deliver your flowers to your doorstep on the day. our helpline number is 800.267.5961. To order Christmas flowers in Winnipeg, visit our website.
Stylish Spiral Design Dozen Roses “Royal Twist”
Tags: Roses, Melbourne, Flower Delivery, Florist, Flowers

Stylish Spiral Design Dozen Roses “Royal Twist”

Buy Now! (Click)

This unique and luxury spiral design arrangement, consists of one dozen roses stepping up and twisting into a spiral, and filled in with seasonal flowers and greenery. A sure eye catcher and showstopper work of art! Sending one dozen roses is romantic and traditional, but if you want to stand out from the rest and be that tad bit different, we recommend selecting The Royal Twist.

Featured is our hot pink blush roses but can be customized into any colour. For example, Red, white, yellow, orange, light pink. This design is exclusive to Neydin.com and can be gifted for many occasions including but not limited to, birthdays, Valentine’s day, Mother’s Day, Anniversary. This is a perfect choice for many reasons. It is different, and it doesn’t require any care. The recipient can just place it on their favorite table or mantlepiece and enjoy it. It is a 360-degree design so it can be placed anywhere.

Rose Delivery Melbourne

All roses are preconditioned and wired to maintain longevity and shape. Freshness is guaranteed as the roses are designed into wet floral foam, which provides water supply to each bloom. All the recipient needs to do is water it every second day to make sure the foam remains wet. It comes in a classy, re-usable ceramic vase. (subject to availability, the vase style may differ slightly.) Melbourne Flower Delivery
Luxury Gold Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Arrangement “Regale Rocher”
Tags: Melbourne, Flower Arrangements, Flower Delivery, Flowers Online, Flowers

Luxury Gold Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Arrangement “Regale Rocher”

Flower Variety: Featured: Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

Buy Now! (Click)

Luxe Chocolate Arrangement- “Regale Rocher” is designed like a flower arrangement and decorated in gold. A regal gift that speaks for itself. Bold and edible luxury designed Chocolate box.

Not your ordinary chocolates in a box. Regale Rocher screams, “I am not an add-on! I am the Main Event!” Who doesn’t love a Ferrero Rocher? How can you not love the rich milk chocolatey taste, The crunchy hazel nut pieces, the crispy wafer and the smooth and delicious hazelnut milk chocolate in the center?

Melbourne flower & Chocolate Delivery

This royal treat can be gifted for many occasions, especially celebrations like; graduations, weddings, engagements, birthdays, anniversaries, valentine’s day, mother’s day, father’s day, get well soon and to cheer someone up, Christmas, new years eve, New job, New home, New baby, just because and just about everything!

If the celebration is a milestone or a very big one or just spoil your loved one by upgrading to even more chocolatey goodness! See your options below. (Balloon for illustration purposes only, is optional as an add-on and not included.) Melbourne Flower Delivery
Connectivity between hearts- fragrance of Love
By: Giftz Bag
Tags: Online Flower Delivery, Online Flower Shop, Flowers

Personification of flowers

Flowers are the indication of love for the people. It personifies the love, affection, emotion and infatuation of people among each other. The flowers are the preeminent birthday gift idea for the girlfriend as it denotes the emotion and love of the giver. The flowers can be sent or delivered online to the girlfriend in Jaipur. Online romantic flowers arrangement delivery in Jaipur is best option for surprising the loved one. This also makes the long distance relationships strong by delivering the flowers on time to the people in Jaipur. Numerous types of flower arrangement are available in Jaipur that can be delivered to the loved ones at the time when they need. The flower arrangement can be made as per the requirement or specification provided by the customer as per their choice. The focus is on the feelings that are accrued with flower not on the price or cost of the product.

Spreading cologne of love

The online romantic flower arrangement delivery in Jaipur is developed to make the people reach out to each other through the fragrance of love. We focus on the demands of the customers and value their feelings, this makes us to deliver the product of their choice to them. The price of the product is not our priority as we give priority to the smiles of the people that can be given by us to them. The delivery of online romantic flower arrangement can be delivered at all the place to Jaipur from any place in India. This is made to generate the connectivity of the girlfriend with the giver by our support. We deliver all types of flower arrangement to the people at trifling rates as per the convenience of the customers. Our main motive is spread happiness and love for the people by online delivering of flower arrangement to the people.

Read more about Best Online Cake Delivery in Jaipur
Top Online Gifts Delivery Service In Faridabad With Same Day
Tags: Cakes In Faridabad, Online Flowers Delivery, Online Gifts Delivery, Online Cakes Delivery, Flowers

Gifts are a physical manifestation of your love and more than just an obligated gesture one needs to perform on special occasions. These wonderful items wrapped with love are meant to strengthen bonds and compensate for your presence when you cannot be physically present. From classic red rose bouquet to a cliche cake, gifts are meant to express your feeling when words do not seem enough. For your loved ones who reside in Faridabad, you can now surprise them with online gifts delivery to Faridabad on the same day itself. These wonderful presents are meant for special occasions mostly and are responsible for half the anticipation one feels for birthdays, anniversary and every other festivity.

online Gifts Delivery in Faridabad

Flowers, Cakes And Many More Gifts To Be Sent Via Online Gift Delivery

Online Flowers Delivery in Faridabad

However, there’s nothing more foreboding than distance when you are away from your loved and this gap becomes a looming void when you miss them when special occasions roll on. To bridge this gap modern day digitization has given way a number of online gifting services to send flowers to Faridabad. With these online gifting stores, you can send gifts anywhere, anytime. These online gifting stores and websites are like virtual stores with thousands of gift items to their name which you can buy online and send anywhere across the world.

Online Cakes Delivery In Faridabad

Besides flowers, you can also opt for cake delivery in Faridabad and delight your loved ones with a range of flavors that will excite their taste buds. From traditional go-to flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and pineapple to exotic ones like red velvet and butterscotch, a cake in your loved one’s favorite flavor is the sweetest gesture ever. To keep up with the trend you can order tiered cakes or themed fondant designer cakes which will be the life of the party leaving everybody awestruck. Also, these sumptuous treats can be ordered via midnight cakes delivery in Faridabad to surprise them and make their special day extra special.