Turbotax 2010 rapidshare windows

CLOV and Understanding Upcoming SaaS Potential v2

2024.05.16 17:40 DieterDrydigger CLOV and Understanding Upcoming SaaS Potential v2

Here was my first post looking at the potential from a 30K foot level:
So as I mentioned in my first post, my brain was racing last night as I really began analyzing what Toy said in his LI post yesterday. I started looking at what the potential could really look like if Clover Health became a hybrid Insurance/Healthcare + Software/Technology company and was able to monetize the tech side of it more effectively.
Valuations are significantly more robust in tech for good reason- they're predictable with much more linear revenue model.
Brief history of software licensing- SaaS stands for Software as a Service and has revolutionized the way software has been managed since the early to mid 2000s. Prior to ~2004ish, for consumers you had what was called perpetual software licensing that was installed by the buyer and was licensed to use in perpetuity, never again seeing any fees. You also had VERY expensive (mainly for larger corporations) on-premise software, allowing companies much more control and security over their software instances, but with heavy infrastructure costs capital investments (servers, etc).
So what software vendors did was release new updates every year or so, trying to entice users that they needed the new version (think Windows 4.0 and Windows 95, 98, etc, if you really want to throw it back) and kind of similar to iPhones now a days, many people will skip 2-3 generations before buying new.
However, many consumers opted to skip multiple versions in order to save some money, until theirs became so obsolete, they had to. It was much more unpredictable to forecast for wall st. There were also massive amounts of piracy around the world (China specifically) costing many of these companies literally billions in revenue each year that was difficult to prevent or stop. Enter drastically higher Internet speeds and the much improved infrastructure requirements needed for SaaS circa 2003-2005.
I worked for a startup company on the cutting edge of SaaS around 2007 that was acquired by Adobe specifically because we were very good at our SaaS model, and Adobe wanted to figure out how to switch their Creative products over to a SaaS model.
After the acquisition, during one of the first few all hands meetings, Adobe's CEO expressed how excited he was to learn from us during their transition of their licensing model and how big of an issue licensing fraud/piracy was and how switching to SaaS would likely fixt that. When we were acquired ~2010, Adobe's stock price was something like $14 a share from what I remember following the acquisition, and hit nearly $700 roughly in 2021, roughly 8 or so years after making the transition off of perpetual licenses. I had thousands of RSUs and it was a fun run, though it's been some time since I've worked there.
The reason why SaaS is great (for a consumer), is because there are never any updates to buy, companies manage all of that now and push updates on a regular bases, but instead of a one-time purchase, you pay on an ongoing basis for your "seat" every month.
Some of the largest SaaS vendors are companies like Salesforce, Adobe, Autodesk, Oracle, SAP. They way they scale is by number of employees within a company logging in to their CRM or one of their many other services.
For example a small company with say, 200 employees has 25 seats (aka, 25 different people) can log in and they may be paying $100 per seat, per month. However a company with 10K employees and 1000 users may only be paying $25 per seat... these are all arbitrary figures, but show how it scales.
Adobe, on the other hand may have a single product for $50 a month, or their entire creative bundle for $100 per person. College or HS students may get it for much cheaper like $25 a month.
You also have up front implementation fees that can be in the tens of thousands or even millions of dollars depending on the size of the org.
Anyway, I've gotten much deeper into the details than I anticipated when I sat down and started typing, but I've been trying to figure out how Clover's model would work, i.e., who are they selling to and how?
Ultimately, it's the insurance providers that are looking to reduce their MCR rates, so they have to play a role in all of this, but you also have a ton of doctors that are on the front lines needed to make all the data work.
I'm sure Andrew knows exactly how they want to go to market, but if I had to guess, they would sell some sort of access license to the large insurers (United, Humana, etc) and then there would be a second component pricing out these "seats" or "lives under management" is probably how it would translate in the healthcare field, to the doctors. Doctors that are then rewarded with some sort of kickback if the insurers see they're using is properly, costs are decreasing or something like that.
This is where it get's a little fuzzy for me and I'd love to hear Toy's next update on how they plan to go to market.
In terms of TAM, I read that there are somewhere in the range of (edit:) ~60M for ALL of Medicare w/ 30-35M being Medicare Advantage actively enrolled currently in the US.
UnitedHealthcare, alone, accounts for 29% of all Medicare Advantage enrollment in 2023, or 8.9 million enrollees. Together, UnitedHealthcare and Humana account for nearly half (47%) of all Medicare Advantage enrollees nationwide. By comparison, CLOV has just shy of 80K enrollees mainly in NJ, some in GA and fewer in SC, TX and Philly area of PA. That's it.
So if, CLOV could tap into these markets that United and Humana (and Cigna and Centene etc) are already established, show them the proven savings benefits Clover Assistant can provide, it could get real interesting, as long as they don't fumble the GTM.
Now people are asking, well, why doesn't a United, with close to $400B in Rev per year just buy a tiny little company like Clover Health (~$500M market cap)... well, it's because I don't believe they can, because Vivek has 120M Class B shares with 10x voting power, meaning he has 1.2B votes vs. the remaining float which is roughly 375M Class A, w/ 1 vote each, if Im not mistaken. Meaning, only if Vivek wants to sell, will they ever sell. A hostile takeover cannot happen under his watch.
And if United and Humana and all the large players are struggling to keep costs under control, where they're talking about shrinking their footprints, but CLOV has an industry-leading MCR in the mid-70s. They will have to either build it themselves, acquire another company with a similar tech or will have to pay to get access to it, implement it all while CLOV will be a huge beneficiary.
This could get very interesting... I'll start working on a v3 follow up and dig into some potential numbers...
submitted by DieterDrydigger to CLOV [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 17:00 alda452 [2010-2019] [PC] 2D game about raising humans into a factory

Platform(s): Windows PC, Web (not completely sure about this, probably saw in a stream)
Genre: Point & click, drag and drop, Horizontal 2D
Estimated year of release: Between 2010 - 2019
**Graphics/art style:**Was it a gloomy grimdark factory. The "humans" are not too cartooned, placed i.e in something like candy vending machine. Mostly colors are blue & grey as I remember. I'm sure that humans are naked or dressed with rags
Notable characters: Your control a kinda of god, that you need to raise humans, and procreate them to create more human variants(?)
Notable gameplay mechanics: You can drag & drop humans from a bottom toolbar to reproduce them or sent to work in some labors to get resources
Other details: The game isn't Fallout shelter, Human Farm , Sims or Black & White
submitted by alda452 to tipofmyjoystick [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 16:01 ElephantThen2185 SharePoint 2019 SMTP

Hi Everyone,
I been trying to set up the SMTP for SharePoint 2019 but with no luck. I followed as many online forums and step to see how they have done it and see if I can make it function with no appeal.
My SharePoint server has the following:
Windows Server 2022
SQL 2019
SharePoint 2019 server with Workflow Manager and Service Bus
Workflow from previous SharePoint 2013 - Workflow Manager 2010.
I have done the following implantation with no luck:
Tried to use SMTP from office 365 with an email address that has been tested and we know it can be used as SMTP with no luck. Tried to test the workflow individually on the SharePoint section as it would shows onto the workflow testing part of SharePoint that "Outgoing mail has not been set up on the server" but on the admin panel of SharePoint there is no issue with the way I set up the SMTP from SharePoint itself. I had tried to use IIS(but it seems not work on Windows Server 2022).
If I am tying to send out an message test from SharePoint PowerShell I get back
"Send-MailMessage : The SMTP server requires a secure connection or the client was not authenticated. The server response was: 5.7.57 Client not authenticated to send mail."

At this point in time I am not sure what to do and how to approach it.
As I tried to:
Use SMTP from IIS, Office365, on prem mail server and Google but still nothing.
Ping the port 587 and came back as open.
Tried to send emails out from SharePoint using test email with PowerShell script; nothing.
Tried to recreate different workflow; nothing
Open both 587 & 25 port on the Firewall just in case: nothing.
Is there any alternative option to set up SMTP, as on the previous version of SharePoint (2013 and 2016) of workflow that we had was functioning. The entire issue with setting up SMTP is causing a nightmare for myself and my college as no notification are being set out. but it seems to be related back to the outgoing emails not been set up by not wanting to work properly.
submitted by ElephantThen2185 to sharepoint [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 15:54 s-e-b-a What's the deal with these partitions?

I bought a new SSD (Kingston A400 - 240 GB) to put in a really old (bought in 2010) Asus laptop and installed Windows 7 on it. I installed Windows 7 from the recovery disks that I created when I got the laptop new.
I also bought some software at the time that are not supported on newer versions of Windows, and that's why I need 7. Don't worry, I won't use it to go on internet or anything else. But I do want to do a dual boot with Linux on that SSD.
Disk Management shows that there's an almost 15GB partition that is empty. I know about recovery partitions, but those are usually called Recovery Partition and have some file system. This one is just Primary Partition and no file system. When I right click on it, the only option is "delete". Also I think usually they would be to the right of the C partition, and this is to the left.
Could it still be a recovery partition? Would it be so big? What else could it be? I assume it was created when I installed Windows 7, but what for? Could I just delete it? It's quite a lot of space to be sitting there empty.
Now the other thing is that I've been told that since System and Boot are on the same partition, I won't be able to dual boot. Is that true?
https://preview.redd.it/qqzrtydqns0d1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7462cfe8fcecd3cd2a706acb0725f4d736d2dd7
submitted by s-e-b-a to pchelp [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 15:45 Educational_Size4079 Need Help: Car Emitting White Smoke and Strong Odor of Exhaust Fumes When Cold

Hi everyone,
I have a 2010 Megane III ST 1.5dci 110hp.
When the car is cold, in the morning, it emits some white smoke and smells strongly of exhaust fumes. I've removed the DPF, changed two injectors that were flagged by the diagnostic machine, and replaced the spark plugs, but the car remains the same. The diagnostic machine doesn't show any issues... it only happens when the engine is cold; once it warms up, the car runs perfectly. However, it's very frustrating to have to keep all the windows closed in the morning until I start driving to avoid being exposed to smoke and smells with my child in the car. Does anyone have any idea what it could be? My mechanic, who is quite competent in the area, doesn't know what it might be. The next step will be leaving the car with him overnight so he can connect the diagnostic machine to it in the morning to see if it detects anything. I'm not very hopeful, and I'm already considering selling the car, but I don't want to do it like this...
Does anyone have any ideas or similar issues?
Thanks.
submitted by Educational_Size4079 to MechanicAdvice [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 14:49 ya-boi-benny Respect Dmitri Smerdyakov, the Chameleon (Marvel, 616)

The famous baseballer, Jackie Robinson, he once said: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” I could not agree more. That is why I try to make as much impact on my faces’ lives as possible. After all, they have done so much for me. It is the least I can do. Unlike them, I need not fear what people think of me. So I can be brave where they are weak. For I will just be someone else tomorrow.
Born in Russia to the Grand Duke Nikolai Kravinoff, Dmitri Nikolaievich Smerdyakov was treated like trash by his noble father and his working class mother. Young Dmitri was approached one day by Gustav Fiers, who was impressed by the boy's impressions and paid for a trip to Karl Fiers academy. There, Dmitri would learn to master the arts of disguise, vocal impression and infiltration, becoming the Chameleon upon his graduation.
He'd move to America and use his talents to pull off high-scale burglary, working for any group that could afford his fee, including the Communist party, Hydra or the Green Goblin. His elicit activity brought him into conflict with the Hulk, Iron Man and most often Spider-Man, all of whom had to act with great caution when the Chameleon was in town. After all, which one of them could tell if that unassuming civilian or their own ally was preparing to stab them in the back?
Dmitri has some mental hangups over his time with the Kravinoffs. He’s managed to repress the memories and considered himself good friends with his half-brother Kraven. In reality, he was more like a whipping boy and slave to the Hunter, and when he has to wrestle with those feelings, he can mentally revert to that scared little boy with no strong sense of identity or independence. But when he’s able to move past these feelings, the Chameleon has proved himself as a powerful, manipulative force, finding his place as temporary Crime Master of New York and member of the Sinister Six.
Scaling
Notes
During one of Dmitri’s mental breaks, he began to believe that he was his deceased half-brother, Kraven the Hunter. So exact was the Chameleon’s performance that he moved and fought with the hunter’s skill and agility. This was an extreme fringe case and there are no other examples of a disguise altering Chameleon's capabilities like this. Physical and skill-related feats from this period will be marked with [KH].
Hover over a feat to see which issue it's from.

Physicals

General
Strength
Unarmed Striking
Striking with Weapons
Grip
Other
Durability
Scaling with Spider-Man
Scaling to Others
Blunt Force
Gunfire
Vehicle Crashes
Other
Agility

Skill

Impersonation
General
Voices
Limits
Combat
Other

Disguises

Realistic Masks
Malleable Flesh
Other Methods

Weapons

Non-Lethal
Guns
Injectables
Other
Lethal
Guns
Injectables
Other

Other Equipment

Field Gear
Base Installations
Other

Miscellaneous

Monica Rappaccini: I apologize for the delay in initial payment, but we first had to verify your identity. A.I.M.’s intel had been that the Chameleon was dead- or in an insane asylum.
Chameleon: Yes, well. That would be exactly what I wanted you to think. Faded into the background, imperceptible… that’s where a Chameleon is most comfortable… and where I shall now return.
submitted by ya-boi-benny to respectthreads [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 10:34 Remarkable_Elk1163 Big Bordeaux Bash – 1 July 2024 – Cloth Restaurant, London

New event in London to coincide with the end of the EP season.
When: Monday 1 July 2024
Where: Cloth Restaurant, [44 Cloth Fair, London EC1A 7JQ], run by u/penzer.
Who: Max 11 places. Intended in particular for newcomers to the Discord, who want to get familiar with the different styles of the chateaux.
What: An introduction to left-bank Bordeaux. The wines will be supplied at cost, with £5 corkage per bottle.
The wine list will be confirmed once we have certified numbers.
The proposed wines are structured around four main BDX flights: one of which is mature; and three based around recent vintages which are entering their drinking windows. I have focussed on three Chateaux in particular (Batailley, Langoa Barton, and Leoville Poyferré) so that attendees can track vintage variation.
The intended wine list is:
**Champagne**
**Mature BDX**
**2014 Cru-Classé BDX**
**2016 Cru Classé BDX**
**2017 Cru Classé BDX**
**Sweet wines**
**Pricing**
If we get 11 confirmed attendees, I will take a **£105** deposit from each attendee. The breakdown is:
We will be ordering from the set menu below. The balance of payment on the food and service charge will be payable at the restaurant.
The set menu comes to £65 per person, so the following will be payable on the balance at the restaurant: (i) £35 pp for food; (ii) service; and (iii) any supplements from the menu.
submitted by Remarkable_Elk1163 to WineEP [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 04:19 fganniversaries Fighting Game Anniversaries: Week 20 (May 13 - May 19)

Hey, yall. This is fganniversaries and apologies for missing last week; I genuinely thought that I posted for the week but turns out that I didn't upon looking. As per usual, I will be recapping anniversaries relating to fighting game announcements/releases this week. Like always, if I missed one, do please let me know in the comments. Here would be the following anniversaries:
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
May 18
May 19
May 20
submitted by fganniversaries to Fighters [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 04:18 fganniversaries Fighting Game Anniversaries: Week 20 (May 13 - May 19)

Hey, yall. This is fganniversaries and apologies for missing last week; I genuinely thought that I posted for the week but turns out that I didn't upon looking. As per usual, I will be recapping anniversaries relating to fighting game announcements/releases this week. Like always, if I missed one, do please let me know in the comments. Here would be the following anniversaries:
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
May 18
May 19
May 20
submitted by fganniversaries to FGC [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 04:18 fganniversaries Fighting Game Anniversaries: Week 20 (May 13 - May 19)

Hey, yall. This is fganniversaries and apologies for missing last week; I genuinely thought that I posted for the week but turns out that I didn't upon looking. As per usual, I will be recapping anniversaries relating to fighting game announcements/releases this week. Like always, if I missed one, do please let me know in the comments. Here would be the following anniversaries:
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
May 18
May 19
May 20
submitted by fganniversaries to u/fganniversaries [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 23:11 xnixss_nairod Colors being wrong in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS running on a Mac Mini (mid-2010) with a GeForce 320M graphics card ?

Hello. Today I installed Ubuntu on my mid-2010 Mac to experience Linux a little more than just a few minutes in a VM. I flashed Ubuntu using Balena etcher on my Windows PC. Booted fine into the usb drive after 10-15 seconds of waiting. Then I saw the Ubuntu logo normally, with everything showing up right. When the desktop environment displayed with the Ubuntu installer, all my colors were and still are off, even after the installation process and a few reboots. Black displays as purple, white as green and every other color is faded. I tried searching for a driver using the embedded driver downloader in Ubuntu but nothing showed up. When using the Nvidia website, it downloaded me some ".run" file which opens like a text file. Has anyone found a fix for this ? I'm sorry if anything seems unclear, I'm new to Linux and I don't understand everything yet. Also, drop-down menus are buggy, they keep flashing or being ridiculously small.
EDIT : Putting the mac to sleep fixes the weird colors issue, however drop-down menus are still buggy
submitted by xnixss_nairod to Ubuntu [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 22:17 JCWalrus [PC][2000-2010] Pastel Cutesy Q*Bert-like game

Platform(s): Windows PC - I believe I played it on XP - specifically accessible through Windows Media Center. At least, that's where I always played it.
Genre: Isometric Action Puzzle Game
Estimated year of release: I believe 2000-2010 Almost certainly wasn't after 2010
Graphics/art style: The whole art direction was very pastel, "cutesy", and cartoony. Every level was made up of a grid of tiles, typically pastel yellow or pink. The camera always centered on your character hopping up and down around the level, with the tiles changing color as your little character hopped on it. I think the score and title was written with big bubble letters. Everything was clearly drawn with pixels but it wasn't 8 or 16-bit. The SFX were also very light cartoony - getting hit by an enemy would make a high pitched "oh" noise
Notable characters: There were many different enemies, but the only character I remember is the main character. You would play a purple little blob with purple ball feet, big black cartoon eyes and a sort of head stalk that ended in a bright yellow star that would swing back and forth.
Notable gameplay mechanics: The game was kind of like Q*bert but flat. Your main character would hop/bounce around on a grid of square tiles that make a sort of level floor - not a pyramid like in Q*bert - and as they hopped on each one it would change color. The goal of each level was to change all the tiles of one color to the other, like from yellow to pink, and avoid whatever enemies there were moving around the stage at the same time. You could play the game with the arrow keys, just pick a direction and your character would hop that way on each tile until you hit an enemy, changed direction, or fell off the stage.
Other details: I always played it through the Windows Media Center application - I would click on that and be able to navigate to a game section to play it. I don't believe it was bundled with it, I can find no information about any WMC bundled games online.
submitted by JCWalrus to tipofmyjoystick [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 22:01 Agreeable_Income3763 Summer of Adventure Sale – 15% off some of Exodus Travels most popular trips

Summer of Adventure Sale – 15% off some of Exodus Travels most popular trips

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Andrew Larder

Summer of Adventure Sale

Summer brings longer days and endless hours of sunshine, making a European summer trip more tempting than ever. Whether you’re looking to soak up the sun in Greece, enjoy local wine tastings in Italy or take rides along countryside lanes in France, we’ve got the perfect hiking and biking adventures for you.
To help you start planning, we’re offering up to 15% off some of Exodus Travels most popular trips, so you can get that Summer of Adventure feeling! Available on selected departures between May 1st and September 30th, 2024. With over 400 trips on sale, talk to our agents today to figure out what summer adventure you want to experience.
In a couple of months’ time, you could be discovering the legendary site of Pompeii and the romantic towns of Positano and Ravello on our Highlights of the Amalfi Coast trip. Or take a journey back in time, on our Highlights of Ancient Greece, to visit the fascinating archaeological ruins of Acropolis, Epidaurus and Mycenae. If you’re interested in biking, consider Cycle Northern France: Brittany to Normandy to take you past stunning medieval villages, the historic Omaha Beach and harbor towns that are known for their oysters and refreshing apple cider.
Make 2024 the Summer of Adventure to remember forever. With tours in over 100 countries on sale, get inspired by checking out a few adventures below or contact us to find your perfect trip.
Our Top Picks for Summer 2024;
With so many trips to choose from, here are just a few to get you started. Culture, Wildlife, Hiking or Cycling; find your adventure this summer!
Highlights of Ancient Greece – Cultural Journey through thousands of years and major UNESCO World Heritage sites
Tour Starting in Athens, this tour covers significant archaeological sites such as the Acropolis, Mycenae, and Epidaurus. It also includes visits to the medieval castle town of Mystras, Olympia—site of the ancient Olympic Games, Delphi, and the stone forest of Meteora, a major Orthodox community. The journey spans the Peloponnese peninsula and central Greece, featuring stunning coastlines, forests, and mountains.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Explore the ancient sites of Mystras and Delphi •Visit Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games •Enjoy spectacular Meteora
Highlights of the Amalfi Coast – Cultural Discover one of the most fascinating and romantic destinations in the world
Tour Based in quiet Agerola, amid the green Lattari mountains, this tour explores the Bay of Naples’ famous sites, including the well-preserved ruins of Herculaneum and the legendary Pompeii. The journey extends to the dramatic Amalfi Coast, offering excursions to Capri, scenic views from the Path of the Gods, and the charming town of Ravello. Experience the region’s rich cultural heritage and breathtaking landscapes, celebrated by artists and writers throughout history.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Enjoy boat trips along the Amalfi Coast and to the island of Capri •See the romantic coastal towns of Amalfi, Positano and Ravello •Visit both Herculaneum and Pompeii •Enjoy Italian hospitality at family-run Hotel Due Torri
Cycling Vietnam – Cycling Experience the real Vietnam by bike
Tour This two-week cycling tour from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi covers diverse landscapes, from colorful fishing villages and rice terraces to jungle-clad mountains and white sandy beaches. Highlights include swimming on a tropical island, exploring the ancient port of Hoi An, and ascending the scenic Hai Van Pass for breathtaking coastal views.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Take a cycling holiday through Vietnam’s most scenic landscapes •Savour mouth-watering cuisine •Crawl through the Cu Chi war tunnels •Relax in charming Hoi An •Cruise among the limestone formations of Ha Long Bay •Overnight on a tropical island
Cycling Puglia & Matera – Cycling Cycle from the UNESCO town of Matera through Italy’s heel to Lecce
Tour Explore the cultural and natural treasures of Italy’s Puglia and Basilicata regions. This itinerary includes Matera’s intriguing Sassi houses and the UNESCO-listed trulli houses of Alberobello. The journey proceeds through idyllic countryside to Ostuni, the White City, and onto Gallipoli along the dramatic Ionian coastline. While cycling across the Salento Peninsula, experience the quintessential Italian lifestyle amidst olive groves, limestone cliffs, crystal-clear waters, and baroque towns.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Ride from the stunning UNESCO town of Matera •Enjoy gentle cycling through olive groves and past conical trulli houses •Sample fine seafood and wine from the Salento coast •Stay in accommodation bursting with character
Loire Valley: Walks, Wine & Chateaux – Hiking Discover regal estates and fine wines in the glamorous Garden of France
Tour Enjoy a walking tour in the Loire Valley, where stunning royal castles meet premier winemaking. Stay in a chateau near Tours and a country manor in Beaumont-en-Véron, ideal bases for exploring the region. Visit notable castles like Amboise and Chenonceau, and tour picturesque vineyards, sampling exceptional wines along the way.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Stay in a 15th-century chateau and 17-century country manor house •Tour Chenonceau, a magnificent chateau stretching over the Cher river •Visit wine producers to sample their celebrated drinks at source •Visit the lavish Château Royal d’Amboise, once home to French monarchs •Meet members of the Loire wine brotherhoods, practically unrivalled in their knowledge of the local produce •Enjoy tranquil walks through vineyards and along the Loire River
Iceland’s Laugavegur Trek – Hiking Hike one of the best-loved walking trails in Iceland to discover otherworldly landscapes
Tour Iceland is renowned as a premier trekking destination with its dramatic landscapes shaped by volcanic activity and glaciers. The Laugavegur Trail is a highlight, featuring a week-long trek from the colorful mountains of Landmannalaugar to the dramatic Thorsmork region, exploring craters from the 2010 eruption. All meals are included while camping. Additionally, early summer treks enjoy nearly 24 hours of daylight, while trips in late August and early September offer potential sightings of the Northern Lights.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Take the best-known trekking route in Iceland •Discover natural hot pools, waterfalls, lava fields, craters and volcanic fissures •Experience 24-hour daylight in July, chance of the Northern Lights in late August and September
Drew Larder FORA Travel Advisor – Amazing DEALS and perks of unforgettable travel. Hotels, cruise lines pay for my travel help, not you!
Andrew Larder, FORA Travel Advisor

Help Spread The Word!

Customize buttons

Like this:

Related

May Is Travel Advisor Appreciation Month

May 14, 2024
In "Travel"

Antarctic Cruise Adventure 2024

April 10, 2024
In "Travel"

Last Minute Villa Rentals – Stay And Save!

May 14, 2024
In "Travel"
TravelExodus Travels, Summer of Adventure SaleSummer of Adventure Sale – 15% off some of Exodus Travels most popular trips
submitted by Agreeable_Income3763 to u/Agreeable_Income3763 [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 18:50 KazTheMerc The Great Experiment

I think a lot of folks did something a bit crazy during Covid lockdowns, for better or worse. Me? I tried to answer a question that had been bugging me for a long, long time: Why inflation?
It was a subject I had tried to broach with friends, and even professors in my economics classes.
A random Business Insider article later, I find myself here. Because frankly? Despite the articles attempt to take a fringe-y, stop-panicking tone I think most people are getting the impression that things don't seem to be working quite right. Deep down in the nuts-and-bolts of Action and Coonsequence, the result seems to be dissatisfying for a growing majority of folks.
So! For your pondering pleasure:
A) We're currently running on an Economic Theory that has NOT been tested in any meaningful form.
B) The current Federal Reserve stance on inflation is essentially "While we know it may suck for a growing number of people... think about The Economy!"
C) We have a few hundred years of historical data suggesting that there is a 'natural rhythm to the value of the dollar that we intentionally threw out the window. Not necessarily for the express purpose of.... this.... whatever 'this' is exactly, but a deliberate decision none the less.
D) It doesn't seem to be working despite a myriad of efforts to course correct.
That, I would argue, is The Great Experiment
Can a country that was effectively 'small' in 1900, and that had been achieving a fairly normal rhythm of inflation and deflation throw off their shackles, bust onto the World Stage like the Kool-Aid Man, and do something totally different?
It would seem that... Yes.
Yes you can.
What are the economic consequences?
Despite assertations that things are fine, or that typical economic indicators put us on the 'expected' side of various different ratios... I would present a different model for analysis:
Have we done anything that would significant deviate from our country's economic course?
Initially laid down around WWI (a bit over a hundred years ago), we made some otherwise shocking decisions to participate in the war economically, but only join the fighting proper riiiiight at the end.
And WWII, far more shocking and with economic consequences beyond our comprehension, was a direct ECONOMIC result of choices made at the resolution of WWI. When I say 'consequences', I mean things like... digging up 'a hundred years worth' of iron ore, forming it into ships, and then sinking those ships rather than bother bringing them home or maintaining them. Or... Do Your Part, a political and economic governmental push to have businesses contribute cash towards the end of the war in exchange for unstated, unwritten political and economic influence 'in the future'.
Followed by the post-War Economic Boom. Probably the most devistating consequence of the War:
America came away from all of that thinking that they were, in fact, THE Burger King. Big Papa Swinging Dick of the post-war era.
So, to recap:
1700 to 1900 - still considered a 'budding industrializing nation'.
1950 - The best thing since sliced cheese
1970 - Start to panic. Something is wrong
1975 - Holy shit, something is wrong.
1980 - DontPanicdontpanicdontpanic...
1985 - Okay, I think we got this
1990 - We don't got this.
1995 - ....holy hell, this debt won't stop....
2000 - Okay. Ignore the debt. We got this
2005 - ....We definitely don't got this. Why do things keep breaking??
2010 - ..........
2015 - ....profit?
2020 - Profit, sure, but things won't stop breaking! There are literal riots in the streets, and an attempt to overthrow the government. Plus a wave of Extreme Isolationism.
So.... When are we gonna talk about the elephant in the room?
America is not the greatest country in the world.
And the only thing 'following economic predictions' is that we don't rightly know, and it's not getting better despite numerous attempts at change.
We're running off a Theory.
A very, very new economic theory.
....and it's not working.
https://youtu.be/z2HKbygLjJs?feature=shared
submitted by KazTheMerc to economicCollapse [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 09:15 deseyfashion Top 10 Corporate Photoshoot Services in Singapore 2024

Top 10 Corporate Photoshoot Services in Singapore 2024
Corporate photography is essentially about taking photos for businesses to help them showcase their brand, products, and services. These photos play a crucial role in building the company's image and promoting what it offers to its audience. They're used across various platforms like company websites, brochures, social media, and press releases. Additionally, they serve individuals who want to build a professional portfolio to highlight their skills and expertise.
Within the realm of corporate photography, there's a diverse range of styles and purposes. The most common type is corporate portraits, which include professional headshots and outdoor portraits. These portraits are often featured on company websites, employee profiles, and corporate directories, giving a face to the company's workforce and conveying a sense of professionalism.
Another popular style is capturing 'business-in-action' shots, which provide a glimpse into the daily operations of the company. These photos showcase employees at work, giving viewers an inside look into the company's culture, values, and working environment. They help to humanise the brand and build connections with the audience.
Group portraits are also prevalent in corporate photography, highlighting teamwork and camaraderie among employees. These photos often feature the entire workforce together, conveying a sense of unity and collaboration within the company.
In addition to indoor studio settings, environmental or outdoor portraits are gaining popularity in corporate photography. These photos are taken outside of the traditional office environment and often tell a story or evoke a specific mood. They provide a more relaxed and natural look while still conveying the desired message or brand image.
In Singapore, the corporate photography scene is thriving, with numerous photo studios offering specialised services tailored to business needs. However, with so many options available, choosing the right studio can be overwhelming. To assist in this process, we've compiled a curated list of the top studios in Singapore for corporate photography, each renowned for their expertise, creativity, and professionalism. Whether you require headshots, product photography, or event coverage, these studios excel in delivering high-quality images that meet the standards of Corporate Photoshoot Singapore. Read on to learn more about the Top 10 Corporate Photoshoot Services in Singapore 2024.

1. Mount Studio


In Singapore's bustling photography scene, Mount Studio stands out for its reliability and creativity. Embarking on its journey in 2017 within the cosy confines of a 1,300-square-foot studio, Mount Studio soon found itself outgrowing its original space, prompting a move to a more expansive locale capable of housing both photo and video studios under one roof.

They offer a wide range of photography services, including corporate, wedding, fashion, and event photography. They also allow others to rent their studios for their own projects.

Key Features:

❖ Mount Studio now operates three studios within a spacious 2,400-square-foot facility.
❖ With over 15 years of combined experience, the founders ensure top-quality service.
❖ Conveniently located near Marymount MRT station, Mount Studio is easily accessible to clients across Singapore.
❖ They have worked with prestigious clients like OCBC Bank, Visa, IBM, Klook, and Philip Morris.

Corporate Photography Services:

● Corporate Portraits - Professional photography at Mount Studio includes retouching three selected photos per person and the option for one backdrop. All photos are provided in low-resolution JPEG format for selection, with the final edited high-resolution JPEGs sent via Dropbox within 7-10 working days.

● On-location Photography Service: Their services include sending a professional photographer and assistant to the client's chosen location. Clients get up to three carefully retouched photos per person, with professional lighting and various backdrop options. All photos are provided in low-resolution JPEG format for easy viewing, and the final edited high-resolution JPEGs are delivered via Dropbox within 7 to 10 working days.

● Outdoor Photoshoots: At your preferred Singapore location, you'll get professional photography with editing. Expect around 30-60 edited photos per hour, all delivered in high-resolution JPEG format via Dropbox within 7-10 working days.

Contact Information:

Address: Foo Wah Industrial Building, 45 Jalan Pemimpin #07-04 Singapore 577197
Phone: +65 8875 8092
Email: [contact@mountstudio.com.sg](mailto:contact@mountstudio.com.sg)


2. Firefly Photography


Firefly Photography is a photo studio in Singapore that offers various services like corporate, family, and wedding photography. It started in 2012 with a partnership with a tech company and introduced outdoor family photoshoots, which were unique at the time. Over the years, it grew, securing contracts with big names like Nestle and Wildlife Reserves Singapore. Since 2014, it's been part of the National Day Parade.

Key Features:

❖ With 10 years of experience, Firefly Photography handles corporate projects for various clients, from government agencies to small businesses and multinational corporations.
❖ They have a fully-equipped studio for corporate headshots, group photos, and commercial shoots. You can also choose to shoot at your preferred location.
❖ Their professional team ensures a comfortable experience during the shoot.
❖ They offer a 360 Virtual Tour service to enhance your brand's online presence.

Corporate Photography Services:

● Professional Corporate Photoshoots: Tailored photography sessions designed to meet the specific needs and branding of corporate clients, ensuring high-quality images for marketing and promotional materials.
● Corporate Headshots: Expertly captured portraits focused on individuals within the corporate environment, ideal for professional profiles, websites, and marketing materials.
● Group Corporate Photoshoots: Sessions designed to capture teams and groups within the corporate setting, promoting unity and teamwork through visually engaging images.
● Lifestyle Photography: Photography sessions that capture the essence and atmosphere of the corporate environment, showcasing the culture, values, and daily life of the organisation.
● Commercial and Stock Photography: High-quality images suitable for commercial use, including advertising, marketing, and editorial purposes, available for licensing or purchase.
● 360 Virtual Tour: Immersive virtual tours that provide an interactive and engaging experience, allowing viewers to explore corporate spaces remotely and gain a comprehensive understanding of the environment.
● Corporate Video Production: Professional video production services tailored to corporate clients, including promotional videos, training videos, interviews, and corporate event coverage.

Contact Information:

Address: 1 Yishun Industrial Street 1, A'Posh Bizhub, #07-19, Singapore 768160
Phone: +65 9147 3301
Email: [info@fireflyphotographysg.com](mailto:info@fireflyphotographysg.com)

3. Memoire Photography

https://preview.redd.it/0xonmzusij0d1.jpg?width=597&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b10c8765aaf3d1e91cc009f1e37c8d7b3c7ea6c1

In the dynamic world of corporate photoshoot, where professionalism meets creativity, Memoire Photography emerges as a beacon of innovation and excellence. Nestled in the heart of Singapore, Memoire Photography isn't just a studio; it's a testament to the fusion of artistry and business acumen. Specialising in corporate photo shooting, as one explores what makes Memoire unique, they invite you on a journey where every picture tells a powerful story of corporate identity and success.

Key Features:

❖ Strategically situated in the bustling heart of Singapore, Memoire Photography enjoys a prime location easily reachable for clients from all corners of the city.
❖ Memoire Photography has a really advanced studio with the latest technology. They're great for corporate headshots, team photos, and commercial shoots.
❖ At Memoire Photography, clients can expect a seamless and enjoyable experience, From initial consultation to the final delivery, they prioritise client comfort and satisfaction, ensuring a stress-free and productive photo session.
❖ With a keen eye for detail and mastery of post-production techniques, they ensure that every image is meticulously edited to perfection, resulting in polished and professional visuals that truly stand out.
❖ Prior to the shoot, clients receive personalised style consultations to ensure that the visual aesthetic aligns seamlessly with their brand identity and objectives.

Corporate Photography Services:

● Tailored Corporate Photoshoots: Professional photo shoots are available to encapsulate the essence of any company, ranging from the dynamics of office spaces to discussions in boardrooms, aiming to generate imagery that enhances marketing materials.
● Executive Portraits: Catering to companies seeking to exhibit their team's professionalism, expertly captured executive portraits offer an ideal solution, suitable for incorporation into websites, profiles, and promotional materials.
● Team Building Sessions: Fostering unity and collaboration, interactive group photoshoots encapsulate the collaborative spirit, whether involving the entire team or specific departments.
● Company Culture Photography: Lifestyle photography sessions breathe life into corporate culture by capturing its values, ethos, and daily activities, providing a window into the core of the organisation.
● Commercial Imagery: Premium-quality product photoshoot commercial imagery boosts brand visibility, serving various purposes ranging from advertising to editorial requirements, poised to augment marketing endeavours.

Contact Information:

Address: 246 MacPherson Road #02-01 (Betime Building) Singapore 348578
Phone: +65 9686 9665
Email: [contact@memoire.sg](mailto:contact@memoire.sg)
Website : https://www.memoire.sg

4. The Beautybox Studio


Since its establishment in 1998, The Beautybox Studio has been a premier destination for creative and personalised photography services. With a focus on both studio and location photography, the team at The Beautybox Studio is committed to delivering exceptional portrait photography and image styling. With a collective experience of 25 years, they aim to maintain their position as one of Singapore's top makeover and photography studios. The Beautybox Studio offers a comprehensive experience, combining a sense of luxury, visual appeal, and exceptional service.

Key Features:

❖ Their experienced photographers take the time to understand each client's needs, ensuring a tailored experience.
❖ Beautybox constantly explores new angles and expressions to make each image special.
❖ With full-time makeup artists and hairstylists, they offer convenience and expertise to enhance clients' appearance for the shoot.
❖ Their beauty professionals have at least five years of experience, guaranteeing top-notch service and confidence in front of the camera.

Corporate Photography Services:

● Headshot Passport: The Beautybox Studio takes professional headshot photos that are great for resumes, applications, and company IDs.
● Half-Body Photoshoots: They specialise in half-body photos that show off your personality for business purposes. They offer makeup and hairstyling to make you look your best.
● Lifestyle Photography: They also do lifestyle photos that are more casual and friendly, perfect for social media or professional profiles.
● Black+White Photoshoots: They offer classic black and white photos that focus on your expressions and presence.
● Premiere Photography: With professional makeup and hairstyling, they ensure you look confident in every photo. They take high-quality photos for business use.
● Group Photoshoots: They take photos of corporate teams for internal or external use, showing unity and professionalism.
● Cabin Crew Photoshoots: They provide studio-quality photos at your office, with expert lighting and backgrounds, perfect for cabin crew and other corporate needs.

Contact Information:

Address: 452 North Bridge Road #02-00 Chan Brothers Bldg, Singapore 188733
Phone: +65 6835 3012
Email: [enquiry@beautyboxstudio.com.sg](mailto:enquiry@beautyboxstudio.com.sg)
Website : https://www.beautyboxstudio.com.sg/

https://preview.redd.it/fbluzv5vij0d1.jpg?width=597&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=103db6dc180c00ee3aaf2d74789e2ba7d6ceef34
5. Shoot You SG


Highly recommended for budget-friendly professional photo sessions, Shoot You SG was founded in 2017, specialising primarily in corporate photography. Alongside corporate services, the studio extends its expertise to family, wedding, and event photography.

Adding to its offerings, Shoot You SG provides photo booth rentals for corporate gatherings.

Key Features:

❖ Collaborations with renowned corporate entities like AIA, BreadTalk, Smollan, Great Eastern, and IPP.
❖ Flexibility for off-site shoots at locations of your choice.
❖ Esteemed for its prompt and expert photography services.
❖ Spacious and cosy studio setup, including a dedicated area for outfit changes.
❖ The photographer team prides itself on being affable, approachable, and supportive, guiding clients with poses and angles."

Corporate Photography Services:

● Corporate Full-Body: Up to 20 images to choose from. 1 selected softcopy (retouched/edited) in full-body & head-crop (from same image) (3600px by 2400px), only applicable for 1 (white, grey & black) backdrop.
● Corporate Half-Body: Up to 20 images to choose from. 1 selected softcopy (retouched/edited) in half-body & head-crop (from same image) (3600px by 2400px), only applicable for 1 (white, grey & black) backdrop.
● Half-Body Portfolio: Up to 50 images to choose from. 1 selected softcopy (retouched/edited) in half-body & head-crop (from same image) (3600px by 2400px), only applicable for 1 (white, grey & black) backdrop.
● Corporate Group Photography: Expertly composed and lit portraits that showcase the unity and professionalism of your corporate team.
● Event Photography: High-quality portraits of attendees, speakers, and VIP guests, showcasing their engagement and participation in the event.
● Photo Booth for Events: The team begins its process once clients reserve the photo booth session. They tailor logos, fonts, and designs to ensure each one possesses its unique flair, aligning seamlessly with the chosen theme. The team suggests maintaining simplicity and minimalism in the designs to ensure guests remain the focal point of the event.
Contact Information:

Address: Wintech Centre, 6 Ubi Road 1, #06-01 Singapore 408726
Phone: +65 9382 8465
Email: [reachus@shootyou.sg](mailto:reachus@shootyou.sg)

6. Dato Photograph
For over a decade and a half, Dato Photograph has been the go-to destination for diverse photography needs in Singapore. With a rich history of fifteen years, they've solidified their reputation as a trusted provider of top-notch photography services.
Founded by a collective of seasoned professionals with backgrounds spanning photography, modelling, magazine editorial, and event coordination, Dato Photograph brings a wealth of expertise to every project they undertake.
Key Features:
❖ Dato Photograph's portfolio includes collaborations with renowned publications like the esteemed corporate magazine, AsiaX.
❖ Clients enjoy the perk of unlimited shots during their sessions, ensuring every angle and moment is captured flawlessly.
❖ Need to spice up your shoot? Dato Photograph provides a selection of complimentary accessories and themed costumes to add that extra flair.
❖ Convenience is key, as the studio extends complimentary transportation services for location shoots, making the entire process hassle-free for their clientele.
Corporate Photography Services:

● Passport Photo: Passport photos serve as a visual identification tool, capturing the essence of an individual in a standardised format, ensuring seamless border crossings and official documentation worldwide.
● Corporate Headshot: Skilfully captured portraits spotlighting individuals within the corporate realm, tailored for enhancing professional profiles, websites, and marketing collateral with a distinctive touch.
● Location or Outdoor Photoshoot: Capture the essence of your story amidst nature's canvas. Let Dato Photography frame your moments in the breathtaking backdrop of the great outdoors.
Contact Information:

Address 1: 12 Arumugam Road, Singapore 409958
Address 2: 115C Canberra Walk, Singapore 753115
Phone: +65 9484 4344
Email: [datophotograph@gmail.com](mailto:datophotograph@gmail.com)

7. Our Momento
Our Momento, a family-operated photography collective based in Singapore, specialises in providing a range of photography and videography services since its establishment in 2023. Their focus lies in outdoor photography, including corporate portraits, led by Jori Goh and Cynthia Lim, the studio's principal photographers.
Key Features:
❖ Our Momento offers straightforward pricing without hidden fees or extra charges per photo. They also give discounts for regular business collaborations.
❖ Specialising in outdoor shoots, they provide a fresh perspective for corporate portraits, alongside traditional studio options.
❖ Clients can discuss their ideas freely in an initial consultation at no extra cost.
❖ With a turnaround time of 7 to 10 days, clients receive edited photos promptly for their projects.
Corporate Photography Services:

● Professional Headshots: Let your team's professionalism shine with expertly captured headshots, highlighting their confidence and approachability.
● Team Photoshoots: Showcase your team's unity and spirit with group portraits that capture the essence of collaboration.
● Company Events Coverage: Preserve the excitement and success of your company events with comprehensive photo coverage.
● Environmental Portraits: Tell your company's story with portraits that incorporate your workspace or industry, adding authenticity to your brand.
● Candid Photos: Capture genuine moments of connection and laughter with candid snapshots that reflect your company culture.
Contact Information:

Address: Jurong West Street 42, Block 419, Singapore 640419
Phone: +65 8020 2902
Email: [contact@ourmomento.sg](mailto:contact@ourmomento.sg)

8. White Room Studio
Looking to capture a memorable moment? Look no further than White Room Studio. This family-owned establishment has been a fixture in the photography world since 2009. Their studio is a one-of-a-kind space flooded with natural light, ensuring your photos stand out. Whether it's a corporate event, a family gathering, or a glamorous photoshoot, their creativity and spacious studio are ready to bring your vision to life.
Key Features:
❖ Step into their studio, a quaint shophouse filled with natural light. The absence of harsh studio lighting creates a soft, welcoming atmosphere that enhances every photograph, ensuring a natural and captivating feel.
❖ Their studio isn't your typical sterile environment. It's a space meticulously designed to ignite creativity. Offering a variety of backgrounds and settings, clients can bring their unique visions to life. Whether it's a rustic backdrop or a modern setting, their studio serves as a versatile canvas for creative expression.
❖ Their studio offers a variety of photoshoot options to suit every story. Whether it's a romantic couple shoot or a playful family portrait, they've got something for everyone. Their team works closely with clients to ensure each session reflects their unique style and personality.
Corporate Photography Services:

● Headshot: White Room Studio offers corporate headshot photography that's redefining the industry. They specialise in creating professional images that enhance clients' presence on platforms like LinkedIn and within their professional networks. From CEOs and small business owners to fitness instructors, musicians, life coaches, doctors, and recent graduates, White Room Studio crafts headshots that exude confidence and professionalism for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
● Corporate Branding: They prioritise listening to clients of all sizes and industries. Whether it's in recruitment, shipping, insurance, construction, hospitality, healthcare, aviation, financial services, or banking, they ensure that every corporate portrait reflects the message represented by the business.
● Personal Branding: showcases your unique personality. Whether you aim for a warm and professional attitude or a vibrant and approachable vibe, they tailor your approach to suit your style.

Contact Information:

Address: 219 River Valley Road . Level 2, Singapore 238277
Phone: +65 6235 7037
Email: [enquiry@whiteroomstudio.com.sg](mailto:enquiry@whiteroomstudio.com.sg)

9. Lumiere Photography Pte Ltd


Meet Lumiere Photography – the premier option for partnering with leading corporations, global VIPs, and governmental dignitaries. Renowned for their prowess in crafting striking corporate photo shoot in Singapore, this team is adept at leaving a memorable mark. Their skilled crew, consistently attired with finesse and fluent in English, adds a layer of elegance to each endeavour. Lumiere Photography has adeptly captured prestigious occasions featuring influential personalities, ensuring prompt delivery of impeccable images ideal for urgent press releases.

Key Features:

❖ Lumiere Photography gets your press photos to you quickly, helping you meet your media deadlines without hassle.
❖ They create impressive videos and photos that tell your corporate story in a visually stunning way, ensuring your content stands out.
❖ With a talented team dressed to impress, Lumiere Photography not only captures amazing shots but also upholds your company's image at every event.

Corporate Photography Services:

● Portrait Photography: Are you always rushing to find a good photo for your LinkedIn, resume, or Facebook? No need to worry anymore! With lots of experience taking pictures for big companies, Lumiere Photography Pte Ltd will make sure you look great in your suit and tie.

● Studio Photoshoot: Lumiere Photography Pte Ltd offers clients the opportunity to indulge their friends and/or family in a delightful one-hour photoshoot experience within the comfort of their studio. They ensure a bug-free, sweat-free environment, allowing everyone to enjoy the session to the fullest.

Contact Information:

Address: 1 Yishun Industrial Street 1, A, #07-19/22 Posh Bizhub, Singapore 768160
Phone: +65 9023 8794
Email: [info@LumierePhotographySg.com](mailto:info@LumierePhotographySg.com)

10. Oh Dear Studio


Established in 2010, Oh Dear Studio in Blair Plain, Singapore, offers expert photography services capturing the city's timeless charm. Led by founder Melody Lin, the studio specialises in corporate and personal portraits, blending professionalism with artistic flair. Set in a charming colonial shophouse, Oh Dear Studio boasts tasteful decor, abundant natural light, and a serene rooftop oasis. Melody's passion for photography and dedication to storytelling ensure that every moment, from family gatherings to corporate events, is immortalised with authenticity and warmth. Oh Dear Studio is more than a photography studio; it's a sanctuary where memories are transformed into timeless treasures. For corporate photoshoots Singapore, Oh Dear Studio offers unparalleled expertise and creativity, capturing the essence of your brand with finesse.

Key Features:

❖ They're experts at taking professional photos for businesses and individuals, having done it for over 15 years.
❖ They specialise in business photos but also do pictures for couples, grads, and families.
❖ People love their work and say great things about it. The studio is in a neat old building with a stylish inside that makes for great photos.
❖ They have a private rooftop with lots of plants where you can take outdoor pictures in a peaceful setting.

Corporate Photography Services:

● Professional Corporate: Oh Dear Studio places a strong emphasis on attentive client engagement across a diverse spectrum of industries and company scales. From recruitment and shipping to insurance, construction, hospitality, healthcare, aviation, financial services, and banking, they are dedicated to ensuring that each corporate portrait resonates with the unique identity and message conveyed by the business it represents.

● On-site Outdoor Corporate Photography: Oh Dear Studio endeavours to deliver exceptional professional business images, whether it's an outdoor Corporate Photoshoot or an on-site Office Corporate Photography session. A minimum booking of 2 hours is required, with the flexibility for clients to choose the location or office setting. The package includes the return of all soft copies captured, ensuring high-quality images at 3600 pixels x 2400 pixels and 300 DPI resolution.

Contact Information:

Address: 87 Kampong Bahru Rd, #02-01, Singapore 169381
Phone: +65 9738 3447
Email: [hello@ohdearstudio.com.sg](mailto:hello@ohdearstudio.com.sg)

submitted by deseyfashion to u/deseyfashion [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 08:31 Prize-Dinner-7418 AITA for getting drunk and turning off my phone

TW: Alcoholism, drug addiction, violence, suicidal ideation, sex abuse
This is going to be a LLLLLOOONNNNGGGGG one. This story goes back quite a way, but yesterday was the tenth anniversary of the ending to this story and I'm feeling it, still got some guilt about everything that happened, wondering what I could have done differently and I just want to vent it out and hope to get some closure from it.
This story started in 2010.
Characters in this story (names are fake, duh!):
Background and intro
I had known Stephanie for many years and we had the kind of friendship that made her BFs and my GFs uncomfortable to put it lightly. We had never crossed that boundary and I wouldn't consider us in the friendzone, we were just friend, but the kind of friend where she would sit on my lap with her arms around my neck or her head on my shoulder.
At the start of 2010, Stephanie met her then boyfriend, Stephen. He tolerated me and my friendship with Stephanie because I also had a gf back then. She liked Stephanie, wasn't at all jealous of my friendship with her, so he didn't deem me too suspicious. Then my gf and I broke up for reasons unimportant and all hell broke loose for Stephen. He became convinced that I would try and steal Stephanie from him. He insisted that Stephanie introduce me to her female friends or female friends of his. Thus began what I called the year of the 50 blind dates. It was probably closer to 20, but still I like saying the year of 50 blind dates. Most of them were unremarkable and never went beyond the first date. There are some fun stories in there if anyone wants to hear them eventually!
In July of that year, I had to switch gears because I had to focus up and study for a professional exam for a certification important to my career. This exam required close to 600-800 hours of study over a 3-4 month period. So I hunkered down, told Stephanie to stop the blind dates for now because I had to focus on that. She respected my wishes and, other a text here or there, we went low contact for the last two months before the exam.
Except for one fateful night in September. Her birthday was in September and she always threw these big bashes at her house. She would throw a big pool party that started around noon and would go on to the wee hours of the morning. I knew she would harass me to go to her party, so I made some quick math and figured I would lose more energy and time trying to dodge her calls, texts and most likely visits at my place than by just going to the party itself. So when she called me to ask, I just said: "Okay I'll go to your damn party, now git." I texted her I would get there in the evening probably around 8. She texted back "Great, can't wait. Now study, bitch!"
So I ultimately get there around 8PM. Basically everybody is already drunk off their gourd. Stephanie sees me, squeals in excitement and runs to me in her bikini and just jumps in the air and slams into me, wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist and gives me a big hug. I hug her back and just keep walking back to the pool where she had started, carrying her with me. I just duck my head around hers and say hi to Stephen, who just glares at me.
She drops back down and I give her her gift. We chat for a few seconds and says "There's beer in the fridge and food in the dining room." I told her I'd be right back.
I go inside and grab a beer from the fridge. I head to the dining room and the table is against the wall with a buffet of sandwiches, tomato pizza, salads, etc. I grab a plate and start putting food on it. I was focused on the task because I was starving. I barely noticed, sitting at the end of the table one of the most stunning woman I have ever seen. I just see her in my peripheral vision and I do a quick double take, quick glance at her and back to the food. I do that a second time. And finally a third time. At that point she is just straight up staring at me and I can't help but chuckle and whisper under my breath "Subtle Guy, sub-tle".
Thankfully she starts laughing too, saving me some embarassment. I look at her and greet her. She says "Hi, I'm Maryse and I'm guessing you're Guy?" I just nod and we start talking. At that point, I just thought I have no shot with her, she's so far out of my league that I'm just gonna talk to her until she sees one of the "models" hanging out by the pool and ditches me for him.
So I'm not feeling like I'm playing for anything, so I'm just myself and not nervous, just talking to her as I would any friend. We chat and she laughs at all my jokes, she gets all my cultural references. She never gets up or ditches me. The plate of food I had made and the beer I had gotten are sitting on the table next to me untouched, I was too busy with the convo to think about food or beer anymore.
After what felt like only 20-30 minutes, Stephanie comes in and tells me, fake grumpy: "So that's where you disappeared to. I invite my best friend to a party and he spends the whole night talking to someone else." I laugh and go: "What do you mean the whole night? I haven't been here that long." She says "Dude, it's 2AM. You've been here for 6 hours..." My jaw dropped and I just said: "Wow, time flies when you're having fun." Maryse chimes in, with a big smile: "It sure does!" That made me happy as you can imagine.
Now I was a little stuck because where Stephanie lived, there's no night service for the bus and the subway had been closed for an hour or so. I figured I would cab it. So I turn to Maryse and tell her: "It was absolutely lovely to meet you and I enjoyed our conversation very much." She says that she did too. I continued with "At the moment, my schedule is incredibly hectic. I'm basically working full-time, studying full-time and sleeping part-time. So I don't have a lot of free time, but if she was interested, whatever little free time I had, I would love to call her or text her to keep on getting to know her."
I see Stephanie in the backgroudnd, looking like a proud mama at how smooth that came out, knowing I was always anything but smooth with women, as proven by the string of blind dates! Maryse has a big smile and we exchange numbers. I go to Stephanie to wish her a happy birthday again. While I'm talking to her, my phone buzzes with a text from Maryse: "Just checking!"
I asked Stephanie "What's the best cab company to call in this area?" Maryse chimes in: "Where do you live?" I tell her where I lived and she goes "It's on the way to where I live, I can give you a ride if you want." Stephanie raised an eyebrow in surprise. I learned later, she did it because it absolutely was not on the way to her place, like, at all. I say that I would love that as it would give us a chance to keep talking.
We get in her car, driving to my place. We talk, she asks me what I'm studying as I hadn't mentioned it earlier. I tell her all about the boring maths I had to study. Much too quickly, we get to my place. She parks in front of my building and we keep talking. At some point, I tell her: "Normally, this is where I would try to "trick" you into coming up to my place..." She interrupts me: "You wouldn't need to trick me. I'm willing and able!"
I tell her that "As tempting as that sounds, I know who I am and I know that if you come up and things proceed to where they're going, I'm not going to be able to study for the rest of the month. I have a kind of obsessive mind and when I find someone or something I like, I can push everything else to the side in favor of that. So to make sure I can still focus on my studying, I have to go up by myself."
She looks at me, a little disappointed but then says, half-jokingly: "We don't have to go up, there's a backseat right there!" We laugh and I give her a kiss and wish her a good night. I managed to stay strong and go back to my condo. Damn it, why did I have to stay strong!!!
My exam was at the beginning of november. During the month of october, we texted a bunch of times and talked on the phone. We went for coffee a couple of times and dinner once. She respected my boundaries and never pushed for more, which I appreciated but also hated at the same time, if that makes sense. The exam came and it was a monster of a Friday. I slept for basically 18 hours after the exam as the adrenalin dropped and my system crashed.
I texted her when I woke up at around 1PM. She was working at the clothing store Stephanie owned. She said "I'm off at 5PM, wanna meet me." I said: "Duh! Why do you think I'm texting? ;)" So I met her at the store downtown. I asked if she wanted to grab a drink, go for dinner, or what. She proposed going to her place and getting some take out. Stephanie who was closing the store at that moment, came up to us and said: "Hey, so what are we doing?" I said: "WE, that is Maryse and I, are going to her place and getting some takeout. Bye!" I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that no food was ever ordered that night!
Thus followed a whirlwind month of November where any free time we had was spent together, and I wasn't going to complain!
The troubles
By the start of december, things were still going great with us. One saturday night, we were having dinner at a restaurant and I mention that this coming Friday is my office Christmas party, that it's employees only, so we wouln't see each other that night. She tells me: "Oh sure, that's fine! It'll give me a chance to go see some girlfriends I've been neglecting lately." I said "Great! BTW I also got us a reservation at [this great restaurant she had mentioned a few times] for next Saturday, so we could go there and I'll tell you all about my party and you can tell me all about her night with the girls!"
That was settled, I thought. I was wrong. On Thursday, we had spent the evening together at her place and I was about to leave to go back to my place. She tells me: "So are you coming to meet me at the store tomorrow or do I go to your place?" I reminded her: "Neither, tomorrow is my office Christmas party and we won't see each other tomorrow." She said: "Oh right, I forgot." I asked her if she had made plans with her friends like she had mentioned last saturday. She said that they were all busy tomorrow and weren't available.
She suggested "If your party is boring, maybe you could come meet me." I retorted that it wasn't going to be, knowing who was going to be there.
"Yeah but what if?"
"But it won't"
"But what IFFFFFF?" she kept insisting and I kept saying no. After what felt like 30 minutes of that (probably only 2-3 minutes in reality), I had enough and just said to end the argument: "Okay, if it's boring, I'll come. but it won't be." She said: "Cool" with a big smile on her face. I came to learn that that smile meant "Challenge accepted".
The following night, my colleague and I were pregaming in a conference room before leaving for the party proper and my phone buzzes. Maryse was wishing me a good party. I replied. She texted me again. I replied. She texted again, but I was in a conversation with a colleague so I didn't reply or even look at the phone. My phone buzzes again. Still talking, and didn't want to be rude to my colleague. Another buzz. I just kept talking. Phone buzzes differently, she was now calling because I hadn't answered her texts.
"Why aren't you replying to my texts?"
"Hey, sorry, was talking to my colleague Patrick."
"What? you don't want to talk to me?"
"I am talking to you now."
"Why didn't you reply to my texts?"
"Because it would have been rude to my colleague to pull my phone out while talking to him."
"But you're talking to me now."
"Because I thought something was wrong, maybe it was an emergency."
"I wanted to talk to you, that's all."
"Well, gotta go back to the party. Talk to you later."
She kept texting and if I didn't reply right away, she would call after two or three missed texts. After about 2 hours of this, I stopped answering the texts. When she called back, I asked her: "Aren't you supposed to be working?" which started another round of guilt-tripping of "why are you asking me this? you don't want to talk to me?" At that point I had had enough and wanted to enjoy my party. I remembered that the Blackberry (no shaming old tech!) I had had an annoying feature, but I was hoping to put it to good use at that moment.
Whenever the battery would get really low, like less than 1%, it would let out an ear-piercing BEEP for about 3 seconds, reminiding you to charge it and giving you a heart attack all at the same time. It would do that even when you were in silent mode. It had happened a few days earlier when I was with Maryse. I figured, if I press a button on the Blackberry, it would make a beep too that could be heard through the phone. So while I was talking to Maryse, I pressed my thumb on the space bar for a good 3 seconds and sputtered; "what... the .... what?" trying to put on a somewhat believable performance.
She asked what that noise was and I tell her that it was my blackberry letting me know I was low battery and it might shut off any second. I told her "Listen I'm gonna wish you a good night, I'm having a good time at my party so I'll see you tomorrow at 5PM to go spend our evening together. I hope you have a good....." and hung up mid-sentence. I promptly shut my phone off and went back to the party. I concede that I may be a bit of an AH for that move.
The party was great, I got drunk much quicker than I expected owing to the fact that I hadn't had a drink in over two months because Maryse didn't drink so I didn't either when we were together, and we were always together. At 1AM, I went home and passed out on my bed.
This is another place where I may have been an AH. I didn't turn my cell phone back on and I unplugged my home line too, because I wanted to sleep the deep sleep of the drunkard. I woke up at around 1:30 PM, not knowing it was already too late. In my mind, I was meeting Maryse at 5PM to go out on the town that night. Maryse had other ideas as you'll see.
So like I said, I woke up at 1:30PM and was sticky with alcohol sweat, so I went straight for the shower to get clean again. While in the shower, my stomach grumbled with hunger and I started daydreaming of bacon and eggs. That pushed me out of the shower right quick. I dried myself off quickly, tied the towel around my waist and went to the fridge. No bacon.... booo. Looked at the egg compartment... no eggs... booo again. Okay then, how about a cream cheese bagel. No cream cheese, damn it. Look in the pantry, no bagels.... god. I was starting to get angry. Okay, cereals then. I pick up the cereal box, that mofo was empty and I get mad: "who's the idiot who puts the empty box back in the pantry?" I remembered I live alone.
I close the fridge dejected and see the grocery list stuck on the fridge, taunting me with everything I wanted to eat for breakfast written on it. But I felt like if I went to the grocery store hungry as I Was, I'm just gonna pay 600$ and not get one single healthy thing to eat. I then remembered there's a restaurant next to the grocery store that serves breakfast until 3PM. I get excited! I get dressed quickly, grab my wallet and keys, put my boots on, my coat on, wrap my scarf, my tuque and my gloves and go to the restaurant. If you notice, I didn't mention my phone in there.
I get to the restaurant and confirm that they still have breakfast and get even more excited when she confirms it. I order the "heart attack", at least that's how I nicknamed it: 3 eggs, 3 servings of bacon, 2 sausages, and, I guess to give one peace of mind, fruit (or to be precise, one single solitary slice of orange). Now that the food is ordered and coming I figured I would check if I have any messages. I pat the pocket where my phone always is. No phone. uh-oh. I start clutching evert pocket, no luck.
I wonder if I should go back home after the meal before going to the grocery store and decide against it, it would be too long a detour. So I scarf my breakfast down, rush through the grocery store. I get home and set my bags down in front of the fridge. I go pick up my blackberry. I turn it back on. The little tape icon tells me there are messages on my voicemail, at that time there were no red dots with a number in it to tell you how many.
I connect to the voicemail while starting to put the groceries away. The little automated voice tells me "You have 25 new messages." I pull the phone away from my ear, look at it in disbelief as if saying: "are you f'ing kidding me?" So I press 1 to start playing the messages.
Remember: Maryse knew I was at a party with a dead phone, no chargers and I probably wouldn't get home until 1AM. From 6:30PM, when my phone died, to 11:34 PM, when she went to sleep she left me 9 messages. BTW I know she went to sleep at 11:34PM because she left me a message saying "it's 11:34PM and I'm going to bed. Thinking of you." The 9 messages were in the same vein. These are the salient details, but the messages were all much longer.
She woke up at 7:15 the following day, I'll let you guess how I know that tidbit of information! She left me 5 more messages like those from the day before: 7:15 woke up. 7:35 going to take a shower. 7:55 out of the shower. 8:25 getting ready to leave for work 8:50 walking out of the subway to go to the store.
She leaves me another message at 9 that was different. She sounded very excited as if she had had the best idea in the world: "Hey it's 9AM, I'm about to start my shift. I know we're only supposed to meet after my shift, but what if you came and met me for lunch so you could tell me all about your party." I just did my best Scooby-Doo "Ruh-Roh" and chuckled that I blew that, not thinking the calamity that was awaiting me.
Another couple of messages to talk logistics: "I could take my lunch at 12 or 12:30, let me know which you prefer." "I'm taking my lunch at 12:30"
A slightly worried message: "It's 11:15 and you stil have not said if you were coming or not, are you okay?"
The first bomb goes off and I knew I was in trouble then: "Where are you? We're supposed to meet for lunch and you still haven't given me any sign of life, you're not answering your home phone either, what happened?" Reminder: we were not supposed to meet for lunch, she suggested doing so a couple of hours earlier and I never agreed to anything. I guess she told her colleagues I would meet her for lunch and it was now fact and could perhaps make her look bad in front of her colleagues.
The second bomb drops: "It's almost noon now, WHERE ARE YOU? Stephanie says you're probably sleeping off your drunk, but I don't believe her. I'm sure you got yourself a slut and cheated on me. Didn't you? didn't you, you asshole." Stephanie knows me very well, but that wasn't enough for Maryse it seems.
Ensued four more messages from 12:30 to 1:15, where she starts sounding more and more drunk and accusatory, spewing more attacks like in the message above. At that point I already knew it was over, there was no coming back from that. I can understand having trust issues, but that was nuclear. I don't tolerate jealousy because of horrible experiences with a couple of jealous toxic exes.
A final message comes in, and it's a different voice, that of my best friend being more than a little angry: "Hey Guy, listen, Maryse tells me you had a Christmas party yesterday, so I'm guessing you're sleeping off your drunk, still. But call me when you get this. I put Maryse, who's f'ing drunk, in the backstore so she can dry off and "do inventory". She can't be on the sales floor obviously and I just don't feel safe sending her home in the state she's in. Call me to tell me how you want to handle this."
At that point I had finished putting away my groceries and had put my boots and my coat on and was making my way to the subway to go to the store. I call Stephanie and tell her I got the messages and I was coming. She was right, I was sleeping off my drunk and had just woke up (didn't feel the need to mention the breakfast and grocery store). I ask her if she knows what I'm gonna do when I get there. She says that she knows and understands. She knows my bad history.
When I get out of the subway, I call her again before getting to the store. I ask her how she wants me to do this. It's her store and I don't want to create drama in front of her customers. Does she want me to wait outside and she tells Maryse to meet me in the street or do I go in the store and she takes me to the backstore and I do it there? She says to come to the store.
I walk in the store and every saleswomen on the floor looks at me and gives me the biggest case of the stink-eye. They only have Maryse's side of the story, so they think I did all these horrible things. I see Stephanie in the middle of the store and I walk towards her. She shakes her head and points me towards the cash register. I look over there and see Julia, a salesperson that I've known for a couple of years and really like, who also happens to be the biggest gossip in the store. I understand what Stephanie is trying to do. She's gonna make me tell her my story in front of Julia so Julia can spread the "good news" to the other employees and rehabilitate my name possibly.
So I get to the register and say Hi to Julia. She barely acknoledges me. Steph joins me. She asks me:
"How are you?"
"I was better an hour ago, before I listened to those voicemails. I had gone to our office party last night, had a great night, got drunk off my ass, got home at around 2 and woke up around 2."
Julia asks "Maryse told us you were supposed to meet her for lunch."
"No we weren't. I have a reservation for tonight at XYZ restaurant. I was supposed to take the day to do errands, stuff around the condo and meet her here at closing time. She suggested that it could be fun if I came at lunchtime to meet her, but that was never the plan."
Julia asks again "But why didn't you answer your phone?"
"It ran out of battery last night during the party and when I got home, I was so drunk that I forgot to plug it back in. I only plugged it when I woke up at 2. That's when the messages came in."
Julia asks "She says she tried calling your home line and you didn't answer and your machine didn't kick in."
"Yeah, that one's my fault, I knew I wanted to sleep and telemarketers have a habit of calling me early saturday mornings so I didn't want to be awoken by a call for a rug cleaning service, so I unplugged it yesterday morning, knowing I would be drunk when I got home and forget and be angry if I was awakened by a telemarketer."
Julia gave me a hint of a smile, showing me she was starting to believe me. She asked me a few more questions and then she asked what I was gonna do. I told her that whatever I'll do, I would tell Maryse first.
I looked at Stephanie and said: "Can you open the back store so I can go see her?" So we went to the backstore. As we reached the door, it swung opened and out popped Maryse, looking absolutely terrifying, I actually jumped back when I saw her. Her usual perfect makeup was completely smeared, her mascara streaking down her cheeks from the crying. Her hair was disheveled. She was a mess. Apparently, she had had enough of waiting back there and was planning on leaving the store to go home and had put her coat and boots on.
When she saw me, she went into an unhinged rant about me being an asshole for cheating on her, me not being great in bed, me not treating her right, etc. I let her vent everything she had to say, I looked at Stephanie and apologized for creating such a scene in her store. I tell Maryse we should go outside and talk in private. She keeps on yelling, but when I grab her hand to lead her outside, she follows.
When we get outside, her anger had started to wane a little, or maybe just her energy. I was able to talk to her to explain everything, how I had gotten drunk, had overslept (alone) and woke up at 2PM. I reminded her that we were only supposed to meet at 5PM not for lunch. The anger was leaving her and a smile almost appeared on her face. Through all of this I was being very calm and patient with her, which she interpreted as me not being mad at her. I then said in a firmer tone: "However..." and let it hang for a second.
The beginning smile vanished. I continued: "When you accused me of cheating on you, that broke me. That triggered memories of toxic exes who would always accuse me of cheating, not trusting me when I would tell them where I was, snooping on me, stalking me. Because of those experiences, I have a zero tolerance policy for jealousy. I told her that if she was behaving like after only two months of dating, it didn't bode well for the future and I have to protect myself."
At that, the tears started again and she just turned and ran/waddled away. I told her to wait, but she didn't hear me. I turned towards the entrance of the store to see basically all the employees and customers milling around the door trying to catch the drama. I went back inside to talk to my best friend. The mood had definitely changed and no one was giving me the stink eye anymore, but I didn't really care. I was just sad that it had ended, but proud of myself for having stood up for myself.
So AITA for getting drunk and keeping my phone turned off?
There is a lot more to this story and if you want to learn what happened afterwards, then read on.
The immediate aftermath
So I went back inside the store and talked to Stephanie. I told her that I had a reserrvation for XX restaurant and if she wanted to go with Stephen, she could take it, I wasn't in the mood for a dinner. She said "I already have plans for tonight, but thanks for offering." Julia said she would go with me if I wanted, but I just said that I wasn't in the mood to go out. I just wanted to crash and eat a pizza and get into a food coma.
Stephanie said she didn't feel comfortable leaving me by myself and I should join them at her house. They were having friends over to play board games and it could at least distract me a little. I said why not. So brimming with enthusiasm, I went to play bored games. I left early as I wasn't in the mood. I was feeling a little better, but still a bit down. I thanked Stephanie for the invite and left. I got home and just passed out on the bed.
I woke up at around 7AM the next morning and I saw along the corners of the window the tell-tale signs of a snow-drift and got excited as it was the first snow of the season. I pushed the curtains aside and looked on to see a beautiful white carpet outside. It was early enough that very few cars had marred the whiteness. I was admiring it when I noticed that, against the red bricks of the building across the street, there was a pink blotch. As I focused, the blotch became human shaped and I cleared my eyes enough to realize that it was Maryse and she was raising her cell phone to her ear.
On cue, my phone rings. I pick it up. Still sounding drunk, she asks me if we can speak. I ask her to give me five minutes to get dressed and I'll meet her down there. She asks why she can't come up. I say that I'm not sure I want her in my apartment. She says that it's cold out. I say: "Good, then this will be quick."
I get dressed and meet her outside. I'm still bleary-eyed from having woken up 5 minutes ago, but I try to get my wits together. I tell her that we're going to walk to the subway. It 's a 10-minute walk normally, but with her drunkenness, it might take 15-20 minutes. That's how long she has to tell me what she wants to tell me.
She wants to apologize for accusing me of cheating on her. She says she knows I'm a great guy and... I may be the A-hole at this point too, but I start to drift off in my little bubble and start daydreaming about, if I go back to bed, would there still be some residual heat or would it be cold? I could take a hot shower and warm the bed that way. I could still hear her in the background making excuses, saying how she had been cheated on, but I wasn't really listening.
During the daydreaming I notice it got quite quiet. I look on my left and she's not there, I turn around she's a good 5-6 steps behind me looking angry and she says: "you're not listening" I just say: "when you're right, you're right." I tell her that I understand she's been hurt too in the past, and I hope she can work to resolve her issues, but I was done and I'm going back to bed. I was a bit harsh there, but I was tired and still down.
I walk past her and get maybe 10 paces past her when I hear a scream coming from her. I turn around and I see her messing with something inside her coat. She pulls out a chef's knife with like an 8-inch blade. That wakes me the fuck up. Byebye bleary eyes, hello wakefulness. better than a cup of coffee or a red bull I tell you!
So she's got the knife, she's screaming something that I can't quite understand. She gets quiet and then she charges at me with the knife. If I'm being honest I could have stayed where I was and she probably would have missed me anyways, but someone charges at me with a knife, I'm gonna nope out of there. I take a massive side step and once she gets to where I was and realizes that I'm no longer there, she turns her head towards me and says heyyyyy.
At that point, I have a moment of clarity and see what's gonna happen. She's drunk running one way and looking another, I know she's gonna trip. As I predicted, she stumbled over her feet and starts falling to the ground. I start praying to god and anybody who would listen: "Please don't let her cut herself. I don't want to have to explain this to the doctors, EMTs and nurses. I don't want her drunk ass deciding to take revenge on me by saying I did it."
Thankfully, she winds up in a sitting position on the sidewalk holding the knife up and it was clean. Thank god for small miracles. She starts crying and, other moment of clarity, I know she's gonna turn the knife on herself now. I jump towards her and I realize I was right, the knife starts moving towards her left wrist. I tackle her, grab her right wrist and twist it so she drops the knife. I pick the knife back up and put it in my pocket. She looks at me crying and says: "Why did you stop me?"
I pick her up and take her back to my building. In my building there was a couch in the lobby, so I take her there and I sit her down and plop myself next to her. I look at her and wonder out loud: "What am I gonna do with you? What can I do?"
She goes: "Just let me go, I'll be good." I tell her that's not going to happen. I realize I have three options and I give her the three options.
"So here's the choice I give you.
1- I pull out my phone, call 911 and tell them about the attempted murder back there and they send the police to arrest you. I don't want to do that because that could derail your life and not get you the help you need. Besides, they might not do anything anyway as it's your word against mine.
2= I pull out my phone, call 911 and tell them about the attempted suicide back there and that you need to be placed on a 72 hour hold. I could do that, but at the same time, again it's my word against yours, so maybe they don't believe me.
3- I'm gonna hazard a guess here. From what I've seen, you have alcohol problems. So I'm gonna guess you were in AA, had been sober for a while, I want to say 6 months, maybe less, when we met."
She confirms my guess.
"alright so option 3, I'm guessing you had a sponsor in AA." she nods "we call them up and tell them about your relapse and what happened this morning. Can they come get you and take care of you?"
She takes her phone out and picks a contact and calls. She hands me the phone. Someone answers and I explain the situation. They said they were coming right away. I give them my address, they get here 15 minutes later. Maryse had fallen asleep in the meantime, so I wake her up gently and help her to the car. Off she went.
I went back to my apartment and just crashed back to sleep.
A month later
Mid-january, my phone rings and I see Maryse's number on there. I send her to voice mail. Another call. Voicemail again. 5 minutes later, Private number calling. "Gee I wonder who that could be." Voicemail once more.
Afterwards, I didn't get any unidentified callers for a little over a week. One afternoon, I was at work and my phone rings and it's a number I do not recognize. I pick up.
"Hello."
"Hi, is this Guy?"
"Yes, to whom am I speaking?"
"This is Hannah, Maryse's sponsor. we spoke last month." I started fearing the worst.
"Yes, I remember. How can I help you?"
"Maryse tried to reach you last week and you rejected the calls. I think it could help Maryse if you listened to what she had to say. You're obviously not obligated to entertain her, but I think despite everything that happened, you still care about her or you would not have called me that morning."
"You are right, I do still care about Maryse. I'm just not sure how good it would be for her to meet me this soon after everything that happened. I understand wanting to work through the 9th step and making amends, but..." She interrupts me.
"So you know about the steps."
"Yes I have friends in the program. which is how I could guess that she was in the program too that morning."
"You know it's important."
"I know. I know. How about this: we meet in public at a cafe, you would have to be there. Not necessarily at the table with us, but nearby in case she needs help, in case meeting me causes her pain. Tell her I promise to be in a more receptive mood than I was that morning."
So we make an appointment for that saturday afternoon.
I get to the coffee shop. She's already there, and so is her sponsor. I realize happily that she's not wearing makeup. I say happily because that means she understands that this is not a date, but something serious. She's still stunningly beautiful, and I feel sad almost right away.
I grab a coffee and go join her at the table.
"Hey" I say,
"Hey. So this is gonna be uncomfortable, but thank you for agreeing to meet me and for coming, I appreciate it more than you know. I'm sure you heard I quit the store."
"I have, I'm sorry about that, I hope you didn't do it just because of me."
"No, I needed time to focus on myself for now."
She proceeds to tell me about how I wasn't far off with my guess. She had been sober 4 months when we met. Now she had 39 days. She tells me that in AA, if you are single, they recommend not dating anyone new for at least the first year of your sobriety as it can cause issues, similar to what happened with us. I was like her "drug" and as long as I was available, she could get her fix. But the moment I wasn't available all hell broke loose, and that is what led her back to drinking that day.
I told her I'm glad to see her back sober again this quickly and I hope she can get all the help she needs from it. I ask her if she wants to talk to me about her drinking.
She starts to share a story about how she started drinking at around 11 years old. When puberty hit her, she got into a deep depression because the sexual feelings she was starting to feel were triggering responses. As a child she had been abused by two of her uncles repeatedly and her parents never believed her. They accused her of trying to make herself interesting. That was until they caught one of those uncles red-handed.
They finally believed and took the necessary steps to protect their daughter. But they were poor and they couldn't afford therapy. So she never really got help for it. At 11, she started self medicating the depression with alcohol. When alcohol wasn't enough, she added drugs.
At that point, I was full on crying. She asked me if I wanted her to stop. I told her that she doesn't have to stop. That the tears are there because that was one more thing we had in common. I was also a survivor of sexual assault as a child. In my case, it wasn't a family member, it was only a stranger, so it only happened once. But I also self-medicated with alcohol at the onset of puberty, switching to drugs later on too. I was lucky to avoid the pitfalls of addiction, but I was still dealing with my demons, slowly making peace with them.
So there we were, sitting at a coffee shop, both crying and holding each other. I tell her that I think it's great she's getting help for her alcoholism and addicion, but was she doing anything to help with the underlying issue, the original trauma? She said no, she couldn't afford therapy. I tell her that I am a member of a survivors group and if she is interested, I could get her into a meeting and perhaps learn to heal that part of herself too.
She said that she could give it a try. I tell her I have to talk to the other members to know if I can bring someone new and I would let her know. If they said yes, we would go to her first meeting together, I would introduce her and then we would coordinate so that I never went to meetings where she was. I wanted to do that because I wanted her first few meetings to be about healing and I didn't want our own history to be intertwined or mixed in with that.
After that, we left both feeling content and, while not necesarily happy, at peace if you will. Later on, I contacted Stephanie who was one of the "pillars" of the support group (that's how we met) to ask her if it was okay for me to bring in a new member to the group. She said sure. She asked if it was anyone she knew. I told her she would have to meet her at the meeting if she decides to come.
We were having a meeting the following day. I called Maryse, told her the time and place, and she said she would be there. She came to the group meeting and was shocked to see Stephanie there but Stephanie kinda guessed that it was Maryse I was referring to.
I introduce her, we start sharing stories, talking about how we're feeling, etc. The meeting was good and Maryse liked the vibe. So for the first six months after that, I never saw Maryse and we planned which meeting we would be attending to ensure we didn't cross paths. She started feeling much better.
After maybe 2 and a half years, she finally felt ready and she started dating again. She met someone and she fell for him. They were together for about six months, she looked happy. Unfortunately after about six months, she caught him cheating on her. We tried supporting her, being good friends, cursing his name, doing all the things we could to make sure she didn't relapse. But on April 5th 2014, she ODed on heroin. She was hospitalized for 2 weeks after that.
Hannah took her in and she set up a room for Maryse. She was still in a fragile state, so a group of her friends and I started taking turns watching over Maryse, making sure there was always at least one person there with her to keep her company.
Despite our vigilance, on May 14th 2014, when Hannah was out running a quick errand, she was gone maybe 15 minutes tops, Maryse found a way to cut her wrists and she died. We found a note saying that "the OD was not an accident, and neither was that. Thanks for everything you did for me. I love you all, but I can't do this anymore."
It feels good to write that story (I'll just ignore the fat tears rolling down my face!). Thanks for reading this far and sorry for the long story, I just started writing and couldn't stop. I apologize if it was a bit of a bummer.
submitted by Prize-Dinner-7418 to CharlotteDobreYouTube [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 04:42 NickNNora Need help with 9 year old son's build

My son got an old Alienware machine circa 2010. It weighs 80 pounds, but it does it's job of most games.
However, it looks like we hit the limit - and he can't run the latest spiderman game.
We are thinking it's the GPU, but I'm worried the motherboard won't be sufficient either.
Any advice on the cheapest, minimal upgrade?
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display
Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 22H2
OS build 19045.4291
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.19056.1000.0
Motherboard
ASUS Sabertooth P67
GPU
Nvidia GTX GeoForce 770
submitted by NickNNora to PcBuild [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 04:32 AsanteSamuel33 Macbook air has been one of my worst purchases. What should I do?

Macbook air M2 15 inch 8 GB RAM has been an absolute disaster for me.
I bought it because my school was giving us a free ipad, so i thought I could use a mac instead of windows to have a dual monitor set up. Safe to say that itself has been a disaster with the screen mirroring capability constantly bugging out making it unusable. No problem I said, I will just use my laptop alone and maybe purchase a real second monitor in the future.
Then, I began dealing with the slowest loading times when using my browser, after some research, learned that it is due to chrome. Ok, weird a brand new device cant handle chrome, but no problem, I will now only use safari despite disliking it.
After a while, I began to have a glitch where I could not click any buttons when attempting to save or upload documents like a microsoft word document, unable to add files to emails, open old documents, etc. Takes like 30 minutes of relaunching finder, reloading the laptop, etc, until it decides to let me go through finder only for minutes before the problem sometimes comes back. Now I am getting frustrated, this is something I could do in 2005 without issues.
Then, when things could not be going worse, I begin to have messages pop up every couple of minutes saying “Your system has run out of application memory”.
I literally only use this device for microsoft word, safari, and Anki (a flashcard app). I think an old PC from 2010 could run this better. And everyone will say I got the garbage option from apple with the 8 GB RAM, the cheapest of the line they had to offer, and I get that. I did that knowing I would use very few apps and that any piece of garbage should be able to handle it. But not this thing, still at a price tag of 1.2k.
So now, I dont know what to do. I can trade it in for $720… should I try and upgrade, or do the better versions still have all these issues?
Or should I just call it a day, and purchase a microsoft surface laptop (my old device was the microsoft surface book, which seemed to work better than my current device. On that old device I got in 2016, I could run many things at once, use anki, play pretty heavy games like EU4 on steam, etc., and that was less expensive (1k) and purchased 8 years before this one)
In fairness - some pros of the device are how lightweight it is, how nice it looks, and how long it can hold a charge, its very impressive, but these faults mentioned above hurt way more than these pros help.
edit: I really appreciate everyone that commentmed with advice. thanks y’all
submitted by AsanteSamuel33 to macbook [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 03:22 SoulOnIce1996 Will It Run on My Laptop?

Hello everyone,
I have played various versions of WQ on-and-off since 2010. I started playing AE on a friend’s (older!) laptop about six months ago on the fastest possible graphics setting, and I love it! In fact, I love it so much that my friend actually let me borrow her computer for a week.
My own laptop is about eleven years old, Windows 10 with 8GB RAM, an extra 464GB of remaining storage and DirectX12. On the surface, it seems like it would fit the bill beautifully! But what I worry about the most is the processor. It is an Intel Pentium and as we all know, they’ve discontinued the Pentium line quite some time ago.
Would it be a waste of money to even attempt buying AE for this computer? Once in a blue moon I’ll play 2.5 on it with “fantastic” graphics for nostalgia, and I feel like the “fantastic” graphics on 2.5 are like the “fastest” on AE… Although I could be wrong.
submitted by SoulOnIce1996 to WolfQuestGame [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 22:49 BBCSportSocial Windscreen wipers scraping windshield despite multiple attempts to fix?

Hi,
For the past year or so my wiper blades have been scratching my windscreen. It wasn’t dramatic at first but has started to build up and is doing my head in.
From what I can remember, this problem started after I put the hood down whilst the wipers were up, causing the driver side wiper to buckle ever so slightly After taking it to a mechanic they said they’d managed to bend it back into place.
Since this, I have replaced the wiper blades, the wiper blade arms, and washed the window. All of which seem to fix the problem for about 5 minutes before it starts scraping again.
It looks as though the part of the drive shaft poking out to connect to the wiper arm has been pushed and distorted the rubber circle it’s supposed to be seated in onto a sort of oval (if that makes any sense). Is it possible this could be causing the problem? From what I can see the wiper is still flush with the window and looks totally normal
The car is a 2010 Renault Megane
Appreciate any help, I’m at a bit of a loss..
submitted by BBCSportSocial to askcarguys [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 22:29 jrichau 2010 Outback - Fluid under car near right rear tire

2010 Outback - Fluid under car near right rear tire
Hi,
My 2010 Outback has transitioned to my teenage daughter and I noticed an oil looking fluid near the right rear tire (pretty thick stuff, like syrup). Poking my head under there I see this. I am hoping to get an idea of both if there is an immediate issue (like don't drive it until I can get it repaired), nothing to worry about, or what I might expect if I took it to a mechanic. I have made minor repairs on this car myself (fixing a window motor, installing a backup camera) but I doubt this is one I could handle. My daughter is now driving the car so I don't have perfect insight into any trauma it might have experienced but she thought maybe a recent hard hit speed bump could be involved.
Thanks for any insight!
Passneger rear tire source of mystery fluid
submitted by jrichau to Subaru_Outback [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 21:28 Shomboli51 Office365 issue after later windows update

I had office 2010 and later bought Office365. After latest windows update all office apps that were saved on my laptop, open in compatibility mode. I can open new excel365 and then open an old file and everything thing is fine but when I save it as Excel 365, the file saves as 2010. I also re-installed office 365. Does any know what is the issue?
submitted by Shomboli51 to Office365 [link] [comments]

http://activeproperty.pl/