text:
Across the bridge
December 31, 2014 December 31, 2014 by khorhmin, posted in Fiction, Poem, Story poem, Terza rima
I've been really busy since October 2014, so I did not have time to think of any ideas for poems and short stories. However, since 1 Jan 2015 is a public holiday, I thought of writing a poem to start off the year. 🙂
The title of this poem is 'Across the bridge', because the December 2014 theme for The Writer's Tower is BRIDGE. I decided to write a story poem for this theme.
So, here's to a fruitful and creative year ahead. I wish all of you the very best in everything you do. 🙂
Bridge in Dungun, Terengganu
Was where I first saw her
As I was coming down the ridge
Was she one of them? The thought did occur
In the wind, her wispy locks fluttered
Not that there was anyone to refer
As I walked quietly; not a word she uttered
But just as I passed; I caught her eye
A grudging greeting she muttered
'Hello' and 'Goodbye'
Was the length and breathe of our conversation
For weeks, I wondered – who, where and why…
What would I say? I wondered in frustration
Now, there were only 'them' and 'us'
Where did 'we' go? I thought in consternation
There was no longer any trust
What was I to say?
Be always on guard, we must
Across the bridge every day
Days turned into weeks, months and then a year
Over the divide, we did find our way
Was she one of them? I never did fear
Life was busy; so many other things to consider
I only cared that she was a companion and a peer
One day, it wasn't the same. Was it the water?
Was it the clouds, the wind or the rain?
No, leaning on the beam, she faltered
Crimson streaked her shirt; she was in pain
To the doctor, I insisted
I tried to convince her in vain
Slumping down; weakly, she resisted
I held her steady, trying to sooth her frantically
Her downward spiral persisted
At last, she whispered in my ear softly
"My name is Karen, please remember me fondly."
An original poem by
Fishing boats in Dungun, Terengganu
Poetic style
This poem was written in the style of a terza rima – an Italian form of poetry first used by Dante Alighieri.
A terza rima consists of stanzas of three lines (or tercets). It follows an interlocking rhyming scheme, or chain rhyme – the middle of each stanza rhymes with the first and last line of the following stanza. However, there is no set length to this form, as long as it follows the pattern as follows:
The last stanza will be a couplet rhyming with the middle line of the previous stanza. In this case, EE.
So here is my poem again with the rhyming scheme shown:
(A) Across the bridge
(B) Was where I first saw her
(A) As I was coming down the ridge
(B) Was she one of them? The thought did occur
(C) In the wind, her wispy locks fluttered
(B) Not that there was anyone to refer
(C) As I walked quietly; not a word she uttered
(D) But just as I passed; I caught her eye
(C) A grudging greeting she muttered
(D) 'Hello' and 'Goodbye'
(E) Was the length and breathe of our conversation
(D) For weeks, I wondered – who, where and why…
(E) What would I say? I wondered in frustration
(F) Now, there were only 'them' and 'us'
(E) Where did 'we' go? I thought in consternation
(F) There was no longer any trust
(G) What was I to say?
(F) Be always on guard, we must
(G) Across the bridge every day
(H) Days turned into weeks, months and then a year
(G) Over the divide, we did find our way
(H) Was she one of them? I never did fear
(I) Life was busy; so many other things to consider
(H) I only cared that she was a companion and a peer
(I) One day, it wasn't the same. Was it the water?
(J) Was it the clouds, the wind or the rain?
(I) No, leaning on the beam, she faltered
(J) Crimson streaked her shirt; she was in pain
(K) To the doctor, I insisted
(J) I tried to convince her in vain
(K) Slumping down; weakly, she resisted
(L) I held her steady, trying to sooth her frantically
(K) Her downward spiral persisted
(L) At last, she whispered in my ear softly
(L) "My name is Karen, please remember me fondly."
To read more about the terza rima poetic style, visit the Young Writers' Website.
Tagged disharmony, distrust, divide, friendship, warLeave a comment
Cerebral Palsy is the Scientific Term for Super Human
October 5, 2014 October 5, 2014 by khorhmin, posted in Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult
Good evening! I wrote another short story right after finishing 'Summer Time', but did not get a chance to upload it till now. This short story is also for the STORIES FROM… series by Taylor's College. This is the 2nd book in the project, and it aims to raise awareness about people with special needs. The story is based on a real person, but it is a work of fiction. So, here it is…
I met him on his first day in the company. I joined a group of colleagues in the cafeteria for lunch, and he was sitting at the end of the long table. Since he was new, a few colleagues were asking him all kinds of questions to find out more about him.
"Where did you study, Justin?"Ai Li, the chatty admin executive, asked.
"I went to Taylor's, then the UK. After I got my degree, I worked there for 2 years before I came back," replied Justin.
The murmurs of a few impressed people were heard.
"Where do you live?" asked Chee Leong.
"I live in Selayang, with my parents," answered Justin politely. There was no getting away from the customary questions and answers.
"Why is your hand shaking?" asked Lily, the young receptionist, who was fresh out of college.
Suddenly, there was an awkward silence.
"It's called a tremor. I get them when I'm nervous. What to do? This is the first day of work and I'm meeting all of you for the first time," Justin answered nonchalantly.
"Why do you have tremors?" continued Lily, ignoring the nudge from Aini.
"I have tremors because I have cerebral palsy. It affects my nerves, so sometimes I can't control myself very well, especially when I'm nervous. Sometimes, I might do certain things a bit slower because of this. Other than that, everything's fine."
"Oh, really? I've never heard of it," replied Lily, unaware that a few people were glaring at her.
"Yeah, don't you know? Cerebral palsy is the scientific term for super human."
Everybody laughed. The tension in the cafeteria dissipated as quickly as it had built up. The ladies started to talk about buying a wedding present for a colleague. Justin looked like he was used to handling questions like this all his life.
I took a good look at my new colleague. He was slim, but not scrawny. He was neat and tidy, dressed in what looked like a brand new short-sleeved white and blue checkered shirt and grey long pants. His hair was slicked back with some gel. He made the effort to look smart, pleasant to the eye. He wasn't suave like Mike, or an incessant talker like Devina, but when he said something, he made sure he got his point across. He was serious about work. When he did something, he made sure he did it properly. I thought he was all right.
A year ago, Justin had come back from the UK. He had a good job as a research assistant at Newcastle University, and a good life there, but his parents were not getting any younger. He decided that ultimately, family was more important than all the money in the world. So, he took a plane back to Malaysia and never looked back. Once in a while, he did miss the steak, salmon and lobsters though, which he could get for a good price for his dinner, because he knew where to look to get the best deals in the grocery shops and supermarkets.
Justin was born with cerebral palsy. But instead of feeling sorry for himself like so many other children who were born different, he believed wholeheartedly that he could achieve anything, if only he put his mind to it. To him, nothing was impossible. With this mindset, he worked very hard throughout his school life, scoring A's consistently, graduating top of his class in his final year of secondary school. He then enrolled in Taylor's College and signed up for a twinning programme at the end of which he earned a degree in mass communication and business, majoring in economics. He finished off his final year in a prestigious UK university. He was very proud of the fact that he was the first in his family to go so far away to the UK to study for a world-class degree. For this, he was most thankful to his parents. He felt that their love, support and unwavering belief in his abilities helped make him what he is today. They knew the importance of a good education, and made sure he got it.
Justin was in marketing, I was in sales. Our paths crossed frequently. Over the next few months, I got to know him better. For a young man, he was quite matured and philosophical. We would hang out during lunchtime, at promotional events or after work to chill out and talk about anything and everything.
We both studied business. While I majored in IT, he majored in economics. He was into the latest technological advancements, gadgets, e-commerce and the like, and I found great satisfaction in discussing these topics with him. I was not very good in economics, but was impressed with his knowledge in this area.
"I believe that economics plays a very important role, not only in global markets and countries, but also in our daily lives," he said, looking very earnest. We were hanging out at a café after a long day at an international trade fair at the Putra World Trade Centre.
"Oh, really?" I said with interest, sipping my hot latte.
"Definitely. Economics is a basic tool. With a good grasp of economics, we can develop better reasoning when doing stuff like buying things and doing our personal budgeting." He ordered a glass of iced tea. He kept away from coffee because it did strange things to him. Sometimes it made him feel hyperactive, and at other times, it made him depressed.
"Oh, cool. I never thought about it in that way," I said.
"Well, we should apply the knowledge we have picked up in our daily lives to make it work for us." He smiled his megawatt smile.
"That's so true. I'll keep that in mind," I replied.
"This is fun. We should do this more often," he added.
"Yes, I totally agree." We laughed.
After that, I did not see him again till three months later. It turned out that he had been busy helping out with a marketing campaign gearing towards an important product launch. He had to travel to different states to help promote the new product, and even give talks. I bumped into him in Sarawak, when we were doing a major promotional event at a tech fair.
"I like your T-shirt. It looks smashing on you," he said by way of greeting.
"You don't look too bad yourself, Justin," I replied.
We laughed out loud. We were both sporting our brand new company T-shirts. The bored people at the other booths glanced at us, wondering what the joke was about.
"I heard you gave a talk yesterday to a bunch of industry professionals. Did you get nervous?" I asked.
"No, not really," he said, looking smug. His confidence bordered on arrogance sometimes.
"How did you do that? Not get nervous, I mean," I enquired.
"Well, I actually psyched myself up by thinking – what would Obama do? How would he do it? I would put myself in his shoes and ace it."
"Wow, that's quite something. Is Obama like your idol?"
"Yup. I really admire him because he's the first black American president. He faced a lot of pressure, but he succeeded. I followed him in the news when he was campaigning – he had the best set of policies. Also, he's the only president who is standing for change. In fact, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009. The Act makes sure that women have equal opportunity for work and pay. No other US president has done it."
"You don't look like a women's rights activist," I joked.
"Well, more and more women are now working and contributing to their families. They are educated and skilled, so they deserve equal treatment and equal opportunity. They are an emerging economic force all over the world."
"I concur," I said in agreement.
"I also think he did the right thing by focusing on improving medical care. He inspired me to think out of the box to solve problems."
Just then, the VIPs came by, and we busied ourselves explaining about our new product. We only got the chance to talk again after 6pm.
"You know, this might sound totally random, but do you intend to remain a marketing exec for the rest of your life?" I said, looking busy by rearranging the products on display.
"Actually, I have an open approach to life. People usually have one big ambition, but I'd like to think – why stop at one? Why can't we have more? So, the answer is – I'll keep my options open and see where the opportunities take me."
"I know. I also don't intend to be a salesman all my life."
He looked thoughtful. "You know, we should start something. A new start-up company."
"Doing what?" I asked, with excitement.
"Well, we should do some brainstorming to find out," he said slowly. "With my knowledge in marketing and economics, and your know-how in sales and IT, we could actually come up with something workable. Plus, don't forget I'm super human, you know. Superman better watch out."
At that, we both laughed to our heart's content.
We got busy thinking of possible business ideas and what consumers were into these days. We met up once a week to brainstorm, but no idea was good enough for him. He kept throwing all of them out. His perfectionism was getting in the way, and it was getting on my nerves.
Finally, when I thought I had ran out of feasible ideas, we settled on an online tech business idea, which was totally paperless. Environmentally friendly was the way to go. We were going to offer a suite of products and services that complemented each other. But first of all, we were going to start by selling useful mobile apps. Then, we would progress to offer mobile games. We thought that was the way to go.
"Are you ready for the rest of your life?" he grinned from ear to ear.
"The rest of your life starts now," he announced theatrically, like a royal court herald.
"All right, partner!" I said, enthusiastically.
We spent all our extra time on our new business venture. We thought that starting something that had no connection to our present company's business made it all right. Kak Yati operated a catering business with her sister, and it was all right. Pak Zam painted oil paintings for sale in his spare time, and his boss was okay with it. But to be sure, we discussed it with our bosses. They told us it was fine as long as it did not affect our performance at work.
We started off with a market study. Then we did a consumer survey. With all the information we collected, we tweaked our business proposal and came up with a five-year business plan. Being first-timers at this, we wanted to do everything right.
Then, I set up the web portal for our business. The first thing we developed was a budget-making app to help people plan their monthly budget or activity budget. Then we offered a calorie counter app, for people who were on a healthy eating plan. We progressed to offering how-to apps, where people could download little modules on how to start up a garden, how to troubleshoot car problems, how to play the piano and so on. Because we did not have a big budget, all our promotional activities were done online. We placed ads in Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, and other well-known sites. To increase the hype, we did festive promotions, and special offers in conjunction with public holidays. To make sure our customers were happy, we set up dedicated chat and e-mail accounts just to answer questions and help troubleshoot problems.
After 12 months, we sat down during lunch to review our performance. How did we do? How did we think we did? Were we ready to start phase two, our mobile games section? I thought sports games and racing games were the first things we should look into. Just then, my boss came up to us.
"Hey, J and J," he said. I was sure he was trying to be funny.
"You mean Johnson and Johnson?" Justin cracked a joke immediately in response. "I thought their warehouse sale ended yesterday."
That wiped the smile off my boss's face in a flash. "There's a management meeting at 3pm, Justin and Jason. We would like to see the both of you. Don't be late."
"Okay… sure," I gulped. Why did I feel something bad was going to happen?
Three o'clock arrived in no time. Justin was pacing up and down the corridor outside the meeting room, while the top management deliberated on important things, like staff performance and operational issues. When were they going to call us in? My insides felt all twisted up in tension.
Finally, the CEO's personal assistant came out to get us. We went in and sat down in front of all the big bosses. Sweat was beading on my forehead, as if I was in a sauna. Justin wore a poker face. The only indication of tension was the slight tremor in his left hand, which he hid under the table. Justin's boss was the first to speak.
"Over the past year, we have observed your 'activities' with interest," he said.
My thoughts were a mess. What did he mean? What was he getting at? If they had found out I was using the company printer to print stuff after work…
Next, the CEO spoke. "It's not every day that we see two enterprising young men working very hard at something else, right under our noses."
Oh no, is it about us using the company laptops to work on the portal?
"We want to make you an offer. We want to buy over your business and turn it into one of our subsidiaries," the CEO continued.
What the…
"We think your business idea has great potential and fits in very well with the current trends," Justin's boss added.
"If you agree, we will make your company our subsidiary, and you will stay on to run the business, like what you are doing now."
Justin spoke up. "This is a very important decision. We need some time to discuss it. Is that okay?"
"We understand that. We would like you to consider our offer carefully and come back to us in a week's time," the CEO said.
I walked out of the meeting room in a daze. The scene kept replaying itself in my mind over and over again. I was in a state of disbelief.
"But they are going to buy our company. After that, we won't be the owners anymore," I protested.
"Then we'll start up another company," Justin said simply. "And if somebody wants to buy it, we'll sell it too…"
"Oooooh… We'll be like super entrepreneurs," I beamed. "I like it!"
Justin turned to look at me.
"Are you ready for the rest of your life?" He gave me his megawatt smile.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"The rest of your life starts now!" he announced, with a flourish.
We both laughed out loud…
Suddenly, Justin put on his serious face. "You know, 'Managing Director' seems to suit me very well."
We laughed again. The corridor echoed with our loud antics. We did not care. We were on top of the world.
An original short story by
Tagged cerebral palsy, people with special needsLeave a comment
September 22, 2014 October 5, 2014 by khorhmin, posted in Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult
Good morning! It's Monday, but I'm not having the Monday blues because I was part of the Kordel's Walk for Healthy Joints 2014 yesterday. All that energy probably carried forward to the next day. 🙂 The distance we walked was 7km, which is the longest distance I know for a walkathon in Malaysia. It had rained the night before. The ground was soaked and puddles were everywhere at Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur. But thankfully, we had good weather and a nice breeze during the walk. Imagine having to walk 7km in the rain. Bummer.
To top off my Sunday morning buzz, my name was called as one of the lucky draw winners as I was walking to the car to drive home. I had to run all the way to the stage, which was quite a distance to run after walking for 7km non-stop. They gave me a pretty peach-coloured passport holder and 2 boxes of herbal supplements (60 tablets each). I don't quite know what to make of the supplements, but I like the passport holder. Somebody up there must want me to travel. 😀 2014 is the 4th year I've joined this walkathon, but the first time I won something from the lucky draw. 😀
On the day before the walkathon, I wrote a short story for a charity book project. I started it on Friday night and finished it on Saturday afternoon. The book is a project by Taylor's College and the series is called STORIES FROM… This is the 2nd book in the project, and it aims to raise awareness about people with special needs. The story is based on a real person, but it is a work of fiction.
To kill two birds with one stone, I also wrote the same story to be submitted for The Writer's Tower FB Group September theme, which is SUMMER. If one were to include the bonus words 'ice bucket' or 'chewing gum' in the submission, that would qualify the piece for a Writer's Tower Medal.
So here it is. Hope you like it. 🙂
The sun was rising at the beach. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm feeling of the sun's rays on her skin and listened silently to the waves as they crashed and foamed on the sand. She loved the sun, the sea and the beach. It was 'Summer Time', as we liked to call it – Summer's time or Summer's moment. We were enjoying quality time with her at our friend's family's beachfront home after our SPM exams.
Her name was Mei Li (which means 'beautiful' in Chinese), but we coined her Western name 'Summer' because she was such a warm and loving person. Summer was a bright and warm season in the West, and her friends thought the name fit her perfectly. She was petite and pretty, sporting a trendy short hairdo. I loved her eyes, which were eloquent and emphatic. Most of the time, she was an affectionate friend who was always concerned about the people around her.
However, she was in pain because of her C-shaped spine, the result of her condition. She has suffered from muscular dystrophy since childhood, which is a genetic disorder which can also occur spontaneously in a mother's egg or developing embryo. Her condition was classified as the latter, because nobody in her family or extended family suffered from the disease.
However, as Summer liked to say, 'Life goes on, come what may'. Life was full of opportunities and possibilities. We just have to go out and find them. That was how she viewed life. She hoped that brilliant doctors will one day find a cure or design effective treatments for the disease. In the meantime, she just lives one day at a time. She believed that everything happened for a reason, and has accepted her situation. She had a lot of faith in the larger scheme of life, and it has helped her immensely.
Summer felt she was blessed to be surrounded by loving and understand family and friends. She felt their unyielding support helped her get through the rough patches, like on days when the pain was exceptionally bad. I would help to carry her school bag, while Danny would push her wheelchair. If she had to take MC, we would lend her our notes, and bring homework assignments to her house, so that her studies and homework would always be on track. She went to a normal school, because that was the only available option in our little town. Nobody was going to douse her resolve and enthusiasm like an ice bucket. She would make sure of that.
She was advised to quit school and stay at home, and her doctor advised her to undergo a risky operation to insert a metal rod into her spine to keep it straight, but she vehemently opposed both. So, she went from primary school to secondary school, and soldiered on. Sometimes, she wondered if her life would begin and end in this sleepy town. Was there more out there for Summer?
SPM came and went. She geared her life towards getting passes in all her subjects… and succeeded. We threw her a surprise party to celebrate her achievement. But after years of thinking only of passing her SPM, she found that her life had abruptly screeched to a halt. What now? What next? The future seemed ominous and elusive.
One by one, our classmates set off to pursue their dreams. Sheela went to Kuala Lumpur to study at Taylor's College. Suraya took up an accountancy course in Penang. Wing Hock flew off to Taiwan, where he had an uncle. Devi decided to go to Form 6. Summer was at a loss. Her family could not afford to send her to a private college, and the nearest school that offered Form 6 was very far away.
But Summer was not one to be idle, so she decided to take up a short public speaking course at the community centre in town. She was not a shy person, and the prospect of talking with people and sharing her thoughts and opinions was exciting for her. She enjoyed herself very much, and spoke eloquently during her presentations. Even the trainer was impressed by her positive outlook, humour and general knowledge.
She called me up one day soon after that, all bubbly and excited. I was waiting to go to college too. In the meantime, I was my mother's little elf.
"Slow down! Tell me what happened from the very beginning," I said, the cordless phone sandwiched between my left shoulder and left ear while I helped my mum to cook dinner.
"Do you remember the public speaking course I attended last month?" she asked.
"Yes, I do. You enjoyed yourself very much. You said the trainer complemented you on your final speech," I said, in between stirring the soup and checking the rice cooker.
"Well, the trainer, Mr. Thiam, called me just now. He asked me to be the MC for the mooncake festival event at the multipurpose hall next weekend," she said excitedly. "The organisers will pay me for it. He said they wanted somebody who was young and spontaneous. Someone who can connect with the younger generation."
I almost dropped the phone. "Wow, your first paid job! We should celebrate!"
"Not so fast! I have to be a good MC and live to tell the tale."
I laughed out loud. "Do you think Mr. Thiam will eat you if you don't live up to his expectations?"
"Shhhhhh…! Don't jinx it! Promise you'll come to the event?"
"Of course I will. I'll bring my whole family too. See you next week."
I e-mailed all our former classmates who were still in town and we all planned to meet up at the event to show our support.
The mooncake festival was one of my favourite cultural events from childhood, and I always adored the colourful lanterns and seasonal mooncakes. Summer and I had good times together playing with candles and lanterns when we were in primary school, and I always cherished those memories. Back then, she was not in a wheelchair yet.
When we arrived at the event, Summer was already in action. She was a sight to behold, decked out in a lovely pink cheongsam decorated with magnificent peonies in full bloom. Her light and bubbly voice was pleasant to the ear, and the guests were enjoying her witty banter and funny jokes. The fact that she was sitting in a wheelchair did not seem to hinder her performance.
Summer went through the evening effortlessly, just like a pro. She ticked off the items on the programme, one by one. At last, the event finished without a hitch and we all gave her a standing ovation. Mr. Thiam came out on stage to surprise her with a bouquet of roses.
As I was leaving the venue, I heard her calling my name and I turned around.
"I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Errr… The good news," I said, mildly worried.
"I'm going to DJ school!"
"Say what?" I was in disbelief.
She smiled from ear to ear. "I'm not joking. Mr. Thiam's friend is a producer for a radio show. He was at the event just now. He said he runs a DJ course and offered me a place in it."
"What's the bad news?"
"He's based in Penang. That's where the DJ course is. And that's where you are going to study. So I'm going to hunt you down there. You'll never be free from me. Muahahaha…"
"That's the bad news?" I said, overjoyed. "It's wonderful. Flipping fantastic. I'm so happy for you!"
So, Summer and I went to Penang together two months later, in her old family van. We managed to rent a modest three-room flat, on the ground floor. Suraya occupied the master bedroom, I took the middle room, while Summer took the back room. While Suraya and I drowned in our books, Summer immersed herself in the world of music, talk shows and events. She was really enjoying her DJ course, and she paid for her rent by working as an MC at various events, ranging from cultural shows to company CSR events, to product launches.
Eventually, she finished her six-month DJ course, and became a full-time MC. Slowly but surely, she gained popularity and built up a fan base in Penang. Sometimes, I would moonlight as a waitress at the events where she was the MC to make some extra money. It was great to see her shine, as she was in her element.
One day, as I was coming back from college on Bus No. 337, the bus driver, who was busy chewing gum, turned up the volume on the radio. He mumbled something about a new radio programme. Just then, a familiar chirpy voice drifted through the airwaves…
"Hi, everybody! This is my first day on the show… It's Summer Time!"
By golly, Summer made into the mainstream media! I always knew she had it in her. She is an inspiration to us all. I rummaged through my backpack to find my phone to tell all our friends…
Tagged muscular dystrophy, people with special needs, STORES FROM...Leave a comment
The namer
August 5, 2014 August 6, 2014 by khorhmin, posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult
Here's a bit of fun with ficton and fantasy. I'll write the ending soon. 🙂
This short story was written for The Writer's Tower FB Group, according to August's theme of NAME. If one were to include the bonus words 'asylum' or 'mustard' in the submission, that would qualify the piece for a Writer's Tower Medal! 🙂
The start of a new semester was normally a painful ritual, one that Eddy was more than familiar with. He was the one who wanted to go to college, so he had to grit his teeth and go through the motions. Three more semesters to go, then it will be all over, he kept reminding himself over and over again.
Every college had its own private code, and the seniors called the shots. The lecturers and administrators tried their best to maintain law and order to ensure the students got a decent education, but they were not the real bosses.
The seniors who called the shots in his college were aggressive and cocky. They gave kids like him a hard time because he was awkward and geeky. Who cared that he had been scoring A's consistently? He was not fashionable, dressed in his fading baggy pants and mustard-yellow shirt that had seen better days. His somewhat crooked glasses perched precariously on his diminutive nose. He walked around with a shuffle, his tall frame stooping ever slightly so as to not draw too much attention to himself. He did not say the right things at the right time, and was snubbed by the popular guys in his year. They were athletic, suave and always preened to perfection. He shuddered to think how many hours of preening were required every day in order for them to emulate their favourite Korean pop stars.
Today was particularly bad. He arrived in college to see Leona, the most beautiful vision he had ever laid eyes on. The sight of her took his breath away, and he stood rooted to the ground, gazing admiringly at her as she joked and laughed with her friends.
The blow to his head took him completely by surprise. Brian had waylaid him from behind. He lost balance and tumbled to the floor. As he fell, Brian's helpful friends shouted, "Timber!"
Well, he was tall, and he did make a loud thud when he landed on the floor, but that was not a nice thing to do. He found it strikingly weird that he saw the whole thing in slow-mo as he fell, as if he were an observer. The pain he felt was due to the embarrassment of falling flat in front of Leona rather than the impact from hitting the floor.
"Never look at my girl like that, stick man," sneered Brian, baring his pearly white teeth. In his painful embarrassment, Eddy found time to be amused with the Korean pop get-up. What was Brian's favourite group again? Was it Big Bang or Super Junior?
At the moment when all eyes were on him, Eddy felt like a refugee that needed asylum. It was a consolation though that Leona noticed his awkward position on the floor in the middle of the corridor and pulled Brian aside to stop him from beating Eddy up. It was enough of a diversion for Eddy to make his getaway. He was not the most graceful 'stick man', but he could be lightning fast when necessity dictates it.
Eddy shuffled out of the college compound, his ears still red from embarrassment. Of all the things that could happen… darn it! The few classes today had been a muted blur. He took down notes as he usually did at lectures, but he could not focus. The incident played in his mind over and over again. He thought about how he could have evaded the blow, how he should be more careful, but at the end, he still fell to the floor in front of Leona.
He took the bus home. Once he got down at his stop, he made a detour before going home. He was going to his favourite thinking spot. It was not much to most people. A small stream surrounded by groves of old trees. The place had seen better days. He did try to do his part by picking up rubbish and putting them in plastic bags he brought and disposing them at the dumpster located about 500m away from the place every week or so, but still, it was not enough.
He walked carefully along the stream, listening to the soothing sounds of running water and rustling leaves. Eventually, he arrived at a big boulder under a large shady rain tree. That was his spot, but he was dismayed to find that somebody had had a barbeque there recently and neglected to clean up before they left. He cursed under his breath as his picked up a small piece of rusting wire mesh with bits of charred dinner still stuck to it, empty beer cans and plastic bottles and bags. He put the rubbish into a black rubbish bag he had brought along in his backpack. After that, he washed his face and grubby hands in the cool water and lay on his back on his favourite rock. Still replaying the unfortunate incident in his mind, he threw pebbles absent-mindedly into the branches of the trees across the stream.
"Ouch!" A girl's voice wailed, her form hidden by the obscuring dense foliage. Eddy snapped out of his misery momentarily in surprise. Had he injured someone with his pebbles?
A young girl not much older than Eddy stomped out from behind the trees, shouting insults at the top of her high-pitched voice. The sound was remarkably unpleasant to Eddy. Her slim, petite figure was all hard and angular in her fit of rage. Raven curls framed her fair face. Her brown eyes were daggers aimed at him. Eddy thought that if they had met under different circumstances, she might even have appeared pretty. Now, she just looked like a wailing witch itching to dig his eyes out.
"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hit you with the pebbles." That was all the awkward Eddy could think of at that point in time.
"I'm sorry!" The girl aped him, his posture, his facial expression, his tone of voice. "You aren't sorry enough!"
"How can I make it up to you? Are you hurt? Can I bring you to a clinic?" He thought his second try at an apology was somewhat better.
"You clean up my stream and my forest, but that doesn't mean you can do anything you want." She was still angry, not willing to quit the fight yet.
"What? Are you stalking me? Is that how you know what I do here?" Now it was Eddy's turn to get angry. "Don't you dare do anything to me. I'll call the police!"
"How dare you come into my home, hurt me and insult me!" The girl shouted. "You're going to be really sorry."
Eddy was surprised that she lowered her voice suddenly and muttered something at him over and over again in a language he did not understand. What was that? Was it some aboriginal dialect?
A strong gust of wind blew past. He looked up to see the leaves and branches swaying and whispering. When he looked back at the spot where she was standing with her hands on her narrow hips, she was gone. He searched behind the trees and along the river, but she was nowhere to be found. He felt a pang of guilt for causing her pain and hoped she was all right.
By that time, the sun was already low on the horizon. He picked up his bag of rubbish and delivered it to the dumpster, then walked home.
As he shuffled home, he mulled over the day's events. One sorry incident after another. Could it get any worse? He felt oddly unsettled. There was a tingling sensation all over, which he attributed to nerves.
Right before he reached his house, he came to a deserted road. Seeing that there was not a car in sight, he crossed the road on the zebra crossing. Just then, a sports car turned a tight corner and screeched to a halt just inches away from him.
"Hey, toad! Can't you see where you are going?" A 50-something Chinese man with fake-looking blonde hair shouted out from his open car window angrily.
"Another unlucky incident to add to my long list today," Eddy thought to himself. He apologised profusely and quickly made his way back home.
The house was deserted as usual. Dad was away on a week-long business trip, while mum had to work late at an event. He read a little note on the fridge door – Dinner's in the fridge. Please heat up in the microwave. I'll be home late today. Love, mum.
Evening at home with me, myself and I, as usual, thought Eddy to himself. At least there was a low possibility of another unfortunately incident occurring?
The next day, he woke up feeling like he had a hangover, except he did not consume any alcohol the night before. Groggy, he shuffled to the bathroom to brush his teeth and freshen up before another challenging day at college. It was then that he looked at the mirror… and screamed!
In disbelief, he touched his face. Then he looked at his hands, body and legs. This could not be!
For starters, he was green. That was totally the wrong colour for a human. Secondly, he had webbing between his fingers and toes. Thirdly, he had warts all over. Fourthly, he had a very long sticky tongue. This was turning out to be a major nightmare! How could he leave the house like this? Is there such a disease that turned people into humanoid frogs overnight? Even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles look better than him now, except they were fictitious characters and he was not!
He paced round and round his room. How could this be? What to do? He could not even bring himself to wake his mother up and ask her for help.
Suddenly, it dawned on him… that man in the sports car yesterday called him a toad. However, he looked just like a regular angry Chinese man with a short fuse. He did not look the type to cause hocus-pocus mayhem, even though Eddy looked like a toad now.
Maybe that strange girl who shouted at me yesterday, Eddy thought. She was behaving weirdly before she disappeared. Could the girl have this much power? Well, he has to check all possibilities now, because he did not want to be a toad for the rest of his natural life.
His mind made up, he quickly put on a long-sleeved shirt, his faded long baggy pants, a jacket, socks, sneakers, sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He pulled up the collar of the jacket high to cover his green neck and looked in the mirror. Almost covered all the major green parts, he thought depressingly. He tip-toed out of the house and hurried towards his thinking spot at the stream, his frustration and desperation echoed in his awkward gait.
Alas, the petite girl with the curly raven locks was nowhere to be found. He walked up and down the side of the stream. Crossed it and look behind the trees. Nothing. Nobody was there. He called out to her, not knowing her name, but trying to sound sincere through the madness of his predicament.
At last, he sat down under a tree, tired out. He was broiling in his thick clothing in the hot and humid weather. Not daring to take anything off, he closed his eyes and dozed off.
"You have quite a predicament there," a feminine voice said.
He jumped up in surprise. Since he was a toad now, the jump was pretty impressive.
"Who are you? How do you know what's my problem?" He said guardedly.
"Everybody here knows. You pissed off a Class 1 Nymph. That was major news," the bright-eyed girl said nonchalantly. "Nobody has pissed off a Class 1 Nymph in over five hundred years."
Why did she not speak in a language that he understood?
At last, he managed to open his mouth and the words tumbled out, "What's a Class 1 Nymph?"
"The one you hit with your pebbles yesterday." The girl looked so young and innocent.
"Did she do this to me?" Eddy said numbly, waiting for the worse possible answer.
"Well, you really pissed Ira off, so she cast a spell on you." The innocent look was getting under his skin for some reason.
"What spell is that?"
"She's a namer, so she cast a special namer spell on you."
"And what is a namer spell?" This was turning out to be some kind of scene from the Twilight Zone, the Twilight Saga and the Lord of the Rings combined.
"A namer spell makes you a shapeshifter. But you can't control what you turn into. Others who name you will hold that power over you. That is the curse."
"So the man in the sports car called me a toad and so I turned into one. Swell. Can the spell be reversed?" Eddy was not a natural comedian, but his situation seemed to have sparked some hidden talent for dry humour.
"Yes, it can be reversed. But there will be conditions for you to fulfil before Ira will be willing to undo the curse. That is the way of the nymphs."
"Can't you reverse the spell?" Eddy said hopefully.
"No, I'm afraid I can't. Only Ira is a namer in this place. The rest of us here in this tiny forest are not."
"Do I have a choice? Tell me what I have to do to not look like a toad or turn into something else tomorrow," Eddy pleaded.
The nymph took pity on the young man. "Be here at the same time early tomorrow morning. I will consult Ira and let you know what she says."
"All right, I'll be here."
Tagged curse, name, nymph, short story, story, toad, young adult, young adult fictionLeave a comment


Fiat and Grandma are going to the lion forest. They have lion costumes on and lion food in a bag. Then they see a white lion. 'We need to get Granddad,' whispers Fiat. 'He loves lions.' But when they come home, Granddad is fast asleep in his favouritechair. They try to wake him, but they can't, and he is very cold. Fiat gets a blanket. It doesn't help. 'Is Granddad dead?' Fiat asks. 'Yes,' says Grandma, crying.
Fiat and Grandma both have their own way of grieving. They ride lions, find a lovely yellow coffin, and Fiat writes a letter to Granddad which she puts under his jumper.
No one other than Iben Sandemose could write such a nontraditional book about death. The book is sad, funny, playful and clever. Sandemose's illustrations are as colourful and imaginative as ever. A great book to read for those who have lost someone they love and for those who are about to lose someone. Fiat og Farmor is an exciting and unique series for small children. Fiat og Farmor og den hvite løven is the seventh book in the series. The books have been translated into several languages.


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Rock & Pop covers Band
A really exciting, contemporary 5-piece wedding and party band based in the Dordogne in South West France.
All about that Bass - The Bonbons
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This is a really exciting, contemporary wedding and party band based in the Dordogne in South West France. Originally from the UK, they now travel all over the region for weddings, parties and events.
They have a fantastic set list packed full of great music from classic 60's to modern rock and pop hits and also offer a more laid back bluesy/swing set which is perfect for pre-party drinks or a champagne reception at a wedding.
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley, Rude - Magic, Counting Stars - OneRepublic, Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson, Locked out of Heaven - Bruno Mars, Rolling in the Deep - Adele, I Kissed a Girl - Katy Perry, I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas, Back to Black - Amy Winehouse, Happy - Pharrell Williams, Love Runs Out - OneRepublic, Wake me Up - Avicii, Stay with Me - Sam Smith, Lightening Bolt - Jake Bugg, Rehab - Amy Winehouse, Love Song - Adele, Can't Get You Out of my Head - Kylie Minogue, Price Tag - Jessie J, Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something, Get Lucky - Daft Punk, Budapest - George Ezra, Marry You - Bruno Mars, Yellow - Coldplay, Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol, Dakota - Stereophonics, Someone Like You - Adele, Have a Nice Day - Stereophonics, The First Time Ever I Saw your Face - Stereophonics, Somewhere Only We Know - Keane, Use Somebody - Kings of Leon, This Love - Maroon 5, Wherever you will Go - The Calling, Hallelujah - KD Lang, HoHey - The Lumineers, Toi et Moi - Gregoire, Will you still love me Tomorrow - Amy Winehouse, You Know I'm no Good - Amy Winehouse, Don't Know Why - Nora Jones, All of Me - John Legend, I Want to Break Free - Queen, What's Up - 4 non Blondes, One - U2, Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy, Billy Jean - Michael Jackson, Back on the Chain Gang - The Pretenders, Sweet Child of Mine - Guns n Roses, Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics, Tainted Love - Soft Cell, Time after Time - Cyndi Lauper, Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen, Three Little Birds - Bob Marley, Hotel California -The Eagles, Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rocking all over the World - Status Quo, Rebel Rebel - David Bowie, Your Song - Elton John, Superstition - Stevie Wonder, Twist and Shout - Beatles, I'm a Believer - The Monkees, Hippy Hippy Shake - Swinging Blue Jeans, Stand by Me - Ben E King, Fly me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra
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Strong Rhetoric, Less Action: Nikki Haley, Israel, and the UN
Evan Gottesman October 15, 2018
When Nikki Haley finishes her tenure as United States ambassador to the UN at the end of the year, the Trump administration will lose a vocal spokesperson who often gave it undue credibility. Ambassador Haley remained notably scandal-free among the president's inner circle, and took the White House's erratic policy and sold it with a charismatic and intelligent voice, and nowhere was she more vocal than on Israel and the Palestinian conflict. Mainstream American Jewish organizations that were lukewarm on Donald Trump praised Haley's eloquent defense of the Israeli government — and the administration's Middle East policy. But however articulate a speaker she was, Haley never challenged the substance (or lack thereof) of what she was promoting. Her actions were sometimes forceful and well-meaning but ultimately as hollow as the international institutions the United States lashed out against throughout her ambassadorship.
Two notable episodes are illustrative of Haley's overall performance in the ambassadorship: her vocal defense before a hostile General Assembly of the administration's new Jerusalem policy, and the United States' withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council.
Last December, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the controversial relocation of the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and official U.S. recognition of the city as Israel's capital.
In her rebuttal before the General Assembly, Ambassador Haley promised, in a not-so-veiled threat to other member states: "this vote will be remembered." As usual, the president was more explicit: "let them vote against us, we'll save a lot of money [on foreign aid]."
Some pro-Israel pundits lauded Haley for taking a hard line. But her approach wasn't really groundbreaking. Voting patterns at the UN were a factor in American financial assistance before Trump, and the United States has long been monitoring votes, especially pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since 2004, the State Department has been legally obligated to keep a separate listing of UN General Assembly resolutions dealing specifically with Israel in order to keep track of the body's notoriously anti-Israel bent. The State Department's 2016 annual report on Voting Practices in the United Nations shows just how few countries vote alongside the U.S. in matters related to Israel, especially with regards to the Palestinian conflict. That year, just four countries (including Israel) voted in lockstep with the American delegation on every relevant resolution.
That vote fit well into the UN's pattern of disproportionate focus on Israel. The diplomatic circus that ensued saw serial human rights offenders like Syria and Iran lecture the United States and Israel over a symbolic, if counterproductive policy. But in rebuking an American policy on Israel and not an Israeli action, the affair underscored the degree to which the administration had upended Washington's overseas relationships.
State Department reports only highlight the countries voting in concert with the United States on anti-Israel resolutions. However, after the Jerusalem vote Ambassador Haley chose to host a party thanking 64 nations for "opposing" the resolution — only the U.S. and eight other countries voted against the Jerusalem resolution (including Israel), so the confab artificially inflated the degree of support the Trump administration had in the UN by including countries that abstained or skipped the vote altogether. A significant bloc of countries, mainly U.S. allies, already tend to abstain from votes on Israel, so what Ambassador Haley celebrated as an achievement was really just par for the course. Of course, such a distortion of reality is only fitting under the current administration.
Then there was the American exit from the UN Human Rights Council. Ambassador Haley rightly admonished the Human Rights Council, whose membership — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China, Venezuela, and Cuba, among others — hardly reflects its name. The Council voted in 2006 to make reviewing the situation in Israel and the occupied territories a permanent agenda item, ensuring the Jewish state faces inordinate attention. For a few years before Trump took office, Western member states were already boycotting debates under that stipulation. But the complete U.S. withdrawal, which took place under Haley's watch, ensures that there is one less country to hold the line against the Council's bias. Moreover, the move was undertaken outside a constructive process, ensuring that it would receive no outside support except from Israel itself. Israelis understandably resent being treated like a pariah in the Human Rights Council while rogue states receive relative amnesty. The U.S. could have leveraged this, using a potential exit from the Council as a carrot in exchange for serious progress from Israel, such as an explicit recommitment to a two-state solution or a settlement freeze east of the security barrier. Such a tough position could have been best defended by a more conservative United States administration, and it just might have won the backing of some American allies who also support the peace process.
No matter how tough her rhetoric on the UN's endemic problems, Haley was ultimately toeing the Trump line, though she did it in less vulgar terms than the president. Her charisma lent a false sense of legitimacy to the Trump administration's most ill conceived and extemporaneous policies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as the U.S.'s sudden slashing of all funding for UNRWA and USAID projects in the Palestinian Territories, and obstructing moderate Palestinian ex-Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's bid to be UN envoy to Libya. Nikki Haley gave a veneer of normalcy to an abnormal presidency and did her best to stand apart from the parade of White House scandals. But her resignation is likely a signal of higher ambitions, not a retreat from the political scene, and when she returns to the public stage, the entirety of her record should be remembered for what it was: strong rhetoric, short on effective action.
Evan Gottesman
Evan Gottesman is Associate Director of Policy and Communications at Israel Policy Forum. His work has been published by Ha'aretz, The National Interest, World Policy Journal, The Diplomat, The Jerusalem Post, and ETH Zürich's Center for Security Studies.
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Best for companies with 50+ employees, Multiview Financials is an advanced financial management solution with: Financial Reporting and Analytics, General Ledger, Budgeting & Forecasting, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Purchasing with Requisitions, Inventory management, Sales/Bid Order Entry, Project Management, and Fixed Assets. Dashboards, Alerts, Workflow, Imaging and ViewSource360 allow end-users, with no IT intervention, to easily monitor and control processes within the company.
Pros: This product has greatly improved my work flow and enjoyment. Features I like best include the search options that can be performed on a multitude of items such as an amount, invoice number, key word, etc. Another great feature is the easy functionality of customizable pivot tables. The customer service I have received has also been incredibly remarkable. Timely answers and solutions to any problems encountered have added to my appreciation of this wonderful product.
Cons: I feel certain that this software has fantastic functionality that I have yet to learn. I have been unable to attend a user meeting as traveling to Canada is difficult and costly from Texas.
Recommendations to other buyers: My recommendation to anyone evaluating this software is to contact a current customer and user of this product as well as view a demonstration of the software.
Pros: Browser based application eliminating the need for messy local installations and roll-outs to end users.
Cons: Creating custom reports can sometimes be confusing and difficult, but the support for building these reports often makes up.
Pros: Purchasing a new accounting software can be a little intimidating. The staff at Multiview made the experience painless and left our accounting staff feeling confident in our decision. Everyone we talked to had extensive knowledge of accounting. Our sales contact was also a member of the implementation team prior to changing roles so she was able to answer all of our questions!! The software had everything we were looking for and there was no additional programming needed to accommodate our needs.
Cons: No complaints so far! It has been a lot of work but the staff has helped us along the way.
Recommendations to other buyers: We evaluated 4 different software products and put a lot of time into researching. We eventually went with the vendor that we felt most comfortable with both the product and the support staff. They offered multiple references in industries similar to ours as well as others. Go with a software that fits your needs without extensive modifications if possible for a seamless implementation.
Cons: It can be a little glitchy at times, but this isn't a big deal because customer support is able to resolve issues right away.
Comments: Our selection of Multiview 4 years ago was an excellent decision for us. They have a superior product, and expert staff who implement it. The implementation process was a good experience. Since we have been operating on Multiview now for quite some now, the excellent first impression, has only grown. The upgrades to the software are valuable, and developed through thoughtful listening and feedback from users. Upgrades are true and measurable improvements for the user. The staff are responsive, and fun to work with. Most of all, I enjoy working in Multiview every day, all day. 5 stars!
Comments: I have worked with Multiview software for over 15 years and have never been disappointed in the product or the service. Multiview provides a quality product for an extremely affordable price. The product is very customizable and Multiview has always found a way to intergrate with our in house systems to aid in our business solutions.
The customer service is by far the best I have ever encountered. The customer support team is responsive, knowledgeable, and timely. They listen to the needs of the customer and provide quality responses. I would highly recommend Multiview Financial Software.
Comments: I would like to go for the support team.
Pros: Good financial solutions provider. Web-based application eliminating the need for complex local set up and roll-outs to users.
Cons: They could make it easier for the user so that users don't need to go to the support team but the support team can handle it.
Pros: The basics are relatively easy to figure out without much guidance, but anything more involved often requires an outside consultant.
Cons: Setup is very involved and difficult, however, if it is done right, it is easy to navigate through. Setting up security is somewhat complicated, but doable.
Pros: It is highly customizable and able to suit the specific nuances of our business.
Recommendations to other buyers: I would recommend adding Multiview to the top three products under consideration.


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President-elect Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, about innovation, Gates told CNBC on Tuesday.
"A lot of his message has been about where he sees things that aren't as good as he'd like but in the same way that President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that, I think that whether it's education, or stopping epidemics, other health breakthroughs, finishing polio, and in this energy space there can be a very upbeat message that his administration is going to organize things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership, through innovation, be one of the things that he gets behind," Gates said.
Gates' new business, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, is investing in renewable energy companies that could provide solar and wind energy for the entire continent, build mechanisms that allow natural gas emissions only when renewable energy isn't working, turn sunlight into fuels directly, and make nuclear fission safer and cheaper.
Trump and Gates hadn't spoken before; however, Gates thought it was valuable to speak to Trump in order to pull for the budget and staff necessary to focus on innovation in government.
Trump is meeting with technology leaders at Trump Tower on Wednesday including Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The industry leaders will talk about technology issues such as encryption and cybersecurity.
Gates said that Trump could focus on ways to use technology to streamline government.


Audiology is the science of hearing, balancing and taking care of "ear" related disorders. A career in this field is excellent because there are hosts of opportunities and scopes for the individual pursuing career in this field. It goes without saying that lots of people in today's date deal with wide varieties of health issues, and many of them are uncomfortable in seeking treatment. On the other hand, some people choose to ignore their issues of hearing. This is unfortunate today's date, especially when science and technology have progressed immensely. If you or any of your family members suffer from any kind of hearing issues, you should approach an audiologist.
Why Should You Visit the Professional?
There are several reasons for which you might have to visit a professional in the context of hearing and other similar disorders.
The first thing that an audiologist will do is to identify the problem. In fact, there are several causes for the problem and diagnosing the cause is the main task.
He will conduct some tests thoroughly in order to get an idea of the exact parts of the ear that are not functioning properly.
Once identified, he will be able to tell the exact name of the issue and the cause of the same.
Following this, he will offer the treatment. In fact, he can give you wide varieties of treatment options on the basis of the problem. These can include anything from surgery to hearing aid.
You can do rest assured that your hearing issue will either be completely treated or get better in the course of time. In addition to that, you should make sure that you follow up with the professional from time to time, as per the needs. This will definitely give you benefits.
It is important to note that the audiologist cannot do surgery or prescribe some medicines, but he can perform a series of tests to diagnose the exact problem. In addition to that, he can also identify if a particular problem can be treated with the help of hearing aids in both adults and infants.
He recommends the right type of hearing aid required for a person.
He also recommends other types of hearing devices like amplified phones.
He can even refer you to a specialist dealing with ear, nose, and throat if he feels the need for that.
If he gives you any hearing device, he will carefully check and adjust the device to your ear so that you can get relief from the hearing issue. At times, he might even recommend you to get a combination of amplification and clarity. If you have any questions or queries, you can feel free to talk to these professionals and resolve them.
These are some of the factors by means of which you can be completely certain that you have consulted the right audiologist, who can check and diagnose your condition in the most efficient and effective way.


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EntertainmentTV Programs
When My Love Blooms Episode 9: Plot, Release Date, Streaming Details and All You Need To Know
By: Bushra
When my Love blooms is a South Korean television drama series. The romantic love story has been gaining a lot of attention because it has a sweet and romantic storyline. It airs on South Korean cable TV channel TVN and is getting decent viewership in South Korea. In this post we will be talking about When the love blooms. Get to know everything about the cast, Plot, Release Date, and streaming details of the show.
1 What is the Plot of When The Love Blooms?
2 What is the release date of when my Love blooms Episode 9?
What is the Plot of When The Love Blooms?
When the love blooms is the story about Ji Soo who is a single mother. The story takes a new turn when she meets her college first love and they both get to revive their love for each other. The drama is about the second chance that you have in your life and it also proves the point that everything has timing. Destiny can turn surprising turns sometimes and make us meet people that we never thought we would encounter again in our life. It also highlights the importance of love in life and how first love can be important in life. The drama also shows the couple's relationship 20 years ago and the flashbacks are a great watch as well. Both of them are seen falling head over heels over each other but like many first love stories they fail to stay together. When their fate collides again 20 years later they get the opportunity to make new memories together with each and get the chances to complete the love story that they left in the midway.
What is the release date of when my Love blooms Episode 9?
When my Love blooms is telecast on TVN which is a cable TV network. The 9th episode will be released on 23rd May 2020. You can catch up on the new episodes on Saturday and Sunday as two episodes are released every week. Korean television series are popular all over the world and they are available with English Subtitles too. Rakuten Viki is a wonderful streaming website where you can watch your favorite show. There are many other websites where you can watch the episodes for free. They all are offering quality videos and you can download them easily. The episode uploads are very quick and they are updated a few hours after the original telecast.
There are 16 episodes in total and each episode has a good story that can be enjoyed by all the drama lovers. Episode 8 ended with a twist and fans are discussing and speculating what will be happening next. There was a flashback in episode 5th that revealed Han Jae confronted with Yoon Ji Soo's father. The show is getting good ratings and being appreciated by fans. The cast of this series has some of the best actors and supporting cast. Fans are excited to see their favorite Jin-young starring alongside Lee Bo-young, Yoo Ji Tae, and Jeon So-nee in the cast. They all are giving great performances due to which fans love the show even more. There is still sometime before the show comes to an end so you can enjoy it till it lasts.
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Bushrahttps://www.ccdiscovery.com/
Hi There! My name is Bushra. I am a journalist and I love to gather interesting stories and write about them. I have been a journalist since my school days as I loved getting to know about people and their experiences in life. I have covered topics like entertainment, health, medicine, restaurant reviews and almost everything that a journalist can cover. I follow my profession religiously because I love to write opinionated pieces on drama, film, travel, theater and more. My favorite stories are those that can highlight an issue and which gives me the opportunity to dig into the roots. I realized that behind every story there is a human being like us who want to be presented to the world in a good light. I want to cover stories that promote positivity and peace in the world. I use social media to get real time updates about what's happening in the world and then by adding a pinch of some of my personal opinion. I create a story to share with the world. I began covering news stories and with time I fell in love with my profession to the point that I never want to let it go. I look forward to new beat of journalism and I am eager to share stories of people from different walks of life.
Ayesha - Modified date: January 17, 2021
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The MSRB is publishing for comment its plans for dealer reporting of municipal securities transactions in real time.
Comments on this notice should be submitted no later than September 30, 2001, and may be directed to Larry M. Lawrence, Policy and Technology Advisor. Written comments will be available for public inspection.
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (the "MSRB") has a long-standing policy to increase price transparency in the municipal securities market. The MSRB consistently has affirmed its commitment to the ultimate goal of the transaction reporting program, which is to collect and make available transaction information in a comprehensive and contemporaneous manner. Toward this end, the MSRB has formulated the basic elements of its plan regarding operational aspects for mandatory dealer submission of trade data to MSRB in real time. The MSRB's goal in moving to real-time reporting is to have the operational details function as smoothly as possible for dealers and to achieve the collection of real-time trade data at the lowest possible cost to dealers. The MSRB at this time is requesting comment on its operational plan for collection of data.
Although the MSRB has committed to bring about real-time price transparency for municipal securities, at this time the MSRB is not proposing a specific plan for disseminating transparency information in real time. The MSRB has previously received comments regarding real-time price dissemination and understands that there are unique issues in the municipal securities market that must be considered when devising a plan for real-time price dissemination. The MSRB intends to issue a concept release on price and volume dissemination in 2002 which will provide ample opportunity for industry discussion prior to the planned 2003 operational date. However, the MSRB believes that it is important to begin discussion of the operational plan for trade data collection now, because of the long lead time dealers will need in planning changes to their internal transaction processing systems.
In 1994, the MSRB announced a long-range plan for transaction reporting in the municipal securities market. The program was begun on a pilot basis in 1995, and has been enhanced several times over the intervening years to bring greater levels of market surveillance and transparency. In 1998, a comprehensive market surveillance database – including both customer and inter-dealer transactions – was made available to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), the National Association of Securities Dealers, Regulation ("NASDR"), and bank regulators. The transparency component of the program also has been continually enhanced to provide more comprehensive transaction information to the market. The program currently publishes transparency reports on a T+1 and monthly basis.
A primary objective of the MSRB in implementing its transaction reporting program was to keep development and operational costs to dealers low. This was done in part by using existing industry trade record formats, protocols and communication channels. Dealers can use their own internal trade processing systems to produce the trade reports for submission to the MSRB. Instead of requiring dealers to link their internal systems directly with the MSRB, the MSRB worked with National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC") and industry members so that dealers could use their existing data links with NSCC for municipal transaction reporting. NSCC's efforts in linking dealers to the MSRB's system have been very effective, saving dealers significant operational and development costs. In turn, the dealer community has supported the system and helped to make it successful.
The securities industry is planning to change its method of trade processing from the current standard of settling trades on the third day after trade date (T+3) to a next-day (T+1) standard by 2004. To achieve this goal dealers will need to adopt a "straight-through processing" approach in which trade data is input only once and the record of the trade is augmented by successive automated steps until the trade is settled and reported for regulatory purposes. The MSRB believes that the securities industry's movement to T+1 settlement provides an excellent opportunity to achieve real-time transaction reporting in the municipal securities market.
The straight-through processing methodology necessary for T+1 settlement soon will replace most of the overnight batch processes now used for confirming, clearing and settling bond transactions. Integrating trade reporting functions into the new processing systems should allow the municipal securities market to move to real-time transaction transparency without the extra expense of developing, building, maintaining and operating separate systems exclusively for real-time trade reporting. Under this model for transaction processing, transactions will need to be entered into the processing stream as they are effected and will be reported to clearance and settlement systems continuously throughout the day. The MSRB believes that the adoption of such new systems by dealers will provide the best means for dealers to report municipal trade data to the MSRB on a real-time basis. The MSRB plans to implement real-time reporting by amending rule G-14 to require that dealers report trades no more than 15 minutes after they are effected.
The Securities Industry Association's Fixed Income Transparency Subcommittee has noted that the industry's preferred model for handling fixed-income transaction processing involves the creation of a utility to serve as a central conduit for transaction data coming from dealers. The creation of such a utility is also a recommendation of the T+1 Streetside Fixed Income Matching Working Group. The planned central utility would allow dealers to route transaction data directly to regulators and clearing entities while having to maintain only one data communication link (with the utility). This approach essentially describes the current structure for municipal securities transaction reporting in which NSCC serves as the utility.
The MSRB believes that this model has worked well for overnight batch reporting of municipal securities trades and believes that it also will work well for more contemporaneous trade reporting. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation ("DTCC"), through its subsidiaries NSCC and GSCC (Government Securities Clearing Corporation), is planning to provide a service to receive reports of trades in fixed-income securities and forward the trade reports to the MSRB and the NASD to support real-time trade reporting. The MSRB supports DTCC's planned system, as it will provide the crucial data communications hub necessary for dealers to efficiently transmit real-time trade information for both trade reporting and clearance purposes.
The MSRB plans the following features for real-time reporting of municipal securities transactions.
Data about trades will be formatted and transmitted as electronic messages. Messages describing individual trades will replace the current files containing batches of trade records. Transmission of messages between the dealer's computer, the central utility and the MSRB's system will use industry-standard "message queuing" technology. The central utility is expected to use message queuing as its communication standard.
Instead of the proprietary file formats used currently for municipal securities trade reporting, standardized formats will be adopted for trade messages. For its real-time comparison system for government securities, GSCC has adopted SWIFT/ISO 15022 standards. The GSCC system is being expanded so that it will support comparison of corporate and municipal securities in the future, so the MSRB expects to require messages consistent with the same standard.
Dealers will be able to report trades by submitting trade messages to the central utility for forwarding to the MSRB. Cancellations and changes will be reported the same way. MSRB immediately will send feedback to dealers through the utility. In this way, dealers linked to the utility will not need to set up an additional telecommunications link with the MSRB.
As an alternative to the linkage with the central utility, the MSRB will provide a web browser for low-volume input, trade correction and dealer access to data. The MSRB may operate this capability alone or the MSRB may be able to have MSRB reporting functions added to NASD or central utility web browser products.
As noted, dealers – both buyers and sellers – will be required to report each trade so that the central utility receives the trade message within 15 minutes of trade execution.
MSRB's feedback to dealers will consist of reply messages. One reply message will be sent corresponding to each trade message received by the MSRB. The reply message will indicate either that the dealer's trade message was accepted or that it had specific defects. If the trade is rejected or requires correction due to defects, the dealer must respond within one hour by submitting a corrected trade message.
The data elements required for real-time reporting of municipal securities trades are similar to those now in use for end-of-day trade reporting. The MSRB anticipates that a single message specification will apply to comparison of inter-dealer trades and to reporting of both inter-dealer and dealer-customer trades. The attachment to this notice identifies the data elements that will be in the trade reporting message.
Relative to current end-of-day reporting requirements, the real-time trade message includes three new data elements. Based on information it has received, the MSRB understands that it may be possible in some cases that the price at which a transaction is reported is not indicative of the market at the time of the transaction – for example, when the sale price to a customer by agreement is the average of purchases the dealer made during the day on the customer's behalf. In that case, a special price reason code will be submitted by the dealer to identify the trade and provide a code for the reason the price is not at the market. QSR indicator indicates that a trade is reported on a locked-in basis by a Qualified Special Representative. MSRB control number is a means for a dealer to refer to a previously reported trade when the dealer reports a cancellation or change. It is an alternative to the currently used "dealer's transaction control number." The MSRB control number will be provided to the dealer in the MSRB's acknowledgement of the dealer's report of the trade.
Clearing broker identities are currently required on inter-dealer transaction reports. The real-time trade message will require the clearing broker's identity on customer trades as well. This will provide regulators with more complete data for market surveillance and audit trail purposes.
The MSRB will continue to populate its surveillance database with information reported about each trade, including dealer identities and other details that are not in transparency reports.
Specific comment is requested on the above operational system features. The MSRB asks whether linkage with a central utility provides a suitable data communications channel for most dealers. The MSRB also requests comments on the use of a uniform message specification for both inter-dealer and customer transactions. Suggestions are welcome for cases, in addition to the example given, for which special price reason codes are appropriate to explain transactions not at the market.
The following data elements will be required for real-time reporting of municipal securities trades. The MSRB anticipates that a single specification will apply to comparison of inter-dealer trades and to reporting of both inter-dealer and dealer-to-customer trades. Data elements in addition to those shown here will be specified for purposes of inter-dealer trade comparison.
Number assigned by the CUSIP Service Bureau.
Par value (quantity) traded, in dollars.
The price of the security, in dollars per hundred dollars par value.
Not required for a when-issued security when settlement date is not known.
Yield of transaction, in per cent.
Dealer's capacity as agent for the customer or as principal.
Commission, in dollars per hundred dollars par value.
Indicates whether trade is inter-dealer or dealer-customer.
Indicates whether dealer reporting trade bought or sold the security.
Indicates that trade was syndicate manager's trade with syndicate member.
The date the trade was effected.
The time at which the trade was effected.
Dealer effecting trade directly with end customer or other dealer. NASD-assigned symbol.
Clearing broker for dealer effecting trade.
Contra party in inter-dealer trade.
Clearing broker for contra dealer.
Identifier of dealer, clearing dealer, or service bureau submitting trade report.
Indicates the reason that the reported transaction price is not indicative of the market price.
Indicates trade is reported by NSCC-authorized Qualified Special Representative on locked-in basis.
Control number provided by MSRB; reported by dealer when cancelling or changing trade report. Omit from first report of trade.
Indicates whether trade is being first reported, cancelled, changed or verified.
Control number provided by dealer.
 See, e.g., letter from Robert H. Drysdale, Chairman, MSRB, to Arthur Levitt, Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission, dated November 3, 1994, and "Public Reporting of Historical Information on Transactions in Municipal Securities: Rule G-14," MSRB Reports, Vol. 20, No. 2 (November 2000) at 36.
 Comments received by the MSRB in 1999, while supportive of improved price transparency, noted concern that dissemination of transaction prices in real time might impair liquidity, particularly for institutional investors. It was stated that an investor seeking to sell a large position in a security might fail to maximize its proceeds if the first piece sold were publicly reported and if that report were to set a maximum market price for the balance of the position. The MSRB will consider this matter carefully in formulating dissemination criteria.
 See "Board to Proceed with Pilot Program to Disseminate Inter-Dealer Transaction Information," MSRB Reports, Vol. 14, No. 1 (January 1994) at 13-16.
 The MSRB publishes information on each trade in the municipal securities market, including par value, time of trade, dollar price and yield. Trades in "frequently traded" issues are disclosed on T+1 by approximately 6:00 a.m. via an FTP subscription service. ("Frequently traded" issues currently are defined as those trading four or more times on a given day.) An additional service provides a monthly CD ROM with information on all transactions, including infrequently traded issues. The daily service is free and a yearly subscription to the CD ROM service is $2,000.
 See Arthur Levitt, "Office of the Chairman: Letter to Industry, Regarding T+1" (February 16, 2001) at www.sec.gov/rules/other/levltrt1.htm.
 See letter from Noland Cheng, Fixed Income Transparency Subcommittee of SIA's Operations Committee, to Jonathan Katz, Secretary, SEC, dated December 21, 2000 (regarding File No. SR-NASD-99-65).
 See "T+1 Streetside Fixed Income Matching Working Group White Paper," Version V1.3 (September 20, 2000). This Working Group is sponsored by the SIA and The Bond Market Association and includes representatives of dealers, clearing entities and regulators.
 Message queuing is a data communications protocol first introduced by IBM and now available for IBM, Microsoft, Sun and many other computer environments. GSCC has implemented message queuing with its members in its real-time comparison system for government securities and is now developing such a system for mortgage-based securities. See Government Securities Clearing Corporation, "Interactive Messaging and Real-Time Comparison," New Service Bulletin dated December 6, 1999, and "Real-time Trade Matching (RTTM) Service Enhancements," New Service Bulletin dated August 9, 2000.
 SWIFT is the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. ISO 15022 is the International Organization for Standardization scheme for securities messages. The SWIFT/ISO standard defines messages composed of sequences of data tags and data fields.
 A Qualified Service Representative is a party, authorized by NSCC and by the NSCC members on both sides of a trade executed on an Alternative Trading System, that submits "locked-in" trades on behalf of the NSCC members. The QSR matches "locked-in" trades before submitting them. See MSRB Notice Concerning Locked-In Transactions (March 1, 2001) at www.msrb.org.