As a non-EU national, here are some notes from my personal VFS experiences:
Online appointment

1. You don't need to provide all docs when booking a Schengen visa appointment. You can do it parallelly i.e. secure an appointment, and use the days leading up to it to gather and print all necessary docs + copies of everything including expired passports + visas.
2. Be careful NOT to keep refreshing the page (no matter how tempting it is) because there's a limit and if you cross it, you will be penalised. You will be asked to refresh your browser cache/cookies and/or wait for 2 hours. You can try to use a dummy email for the refreshing so that when you see a slot open up, you simply log in with your real one and then book the slot. Sometimes when you log in repeatedly, it doesn't let you log in for a while. Don't be alarmed. Try using multiple devices or network connections.
3. Slots open up randomly and it's hard to predict the pattern. I noticed it opened up 1x every 15-17 days in the evening around 6 pm. If you can afford to go to another city, you may be able to find slots at other VFS centres in the country that receive less volume. I had been checking everyday for an entire month and a half before I managed to get a slot.
4. It will NOT show you all available slots but they do exist (!!!). Don't fall for this terrible UI/UX dark pattern. The moment you see it a slot is available on XXX date. Click on the button because they actually have more slots in a calendar once you progress to that page. A lot of people don't realize this and wait for all dates to show up on the first screen. So even if you are not sure about the date it shows, that's fine. You will be able to see calendar availability for the next ~2 weeks and also be able to choose the time slot in the morning, afternoon, etc.
5. Appointment confirmation takes time once you reach the payment page and you may not get an email right away. The first attempt was rejected and no money was deducted thankfully. But it told me to check in 5 hours. When I did, I had no confirmation on my Dashboard. I tried again and used another payment method which deducted my money. But still not confirmation. After about 2 hours, I checked my dashboard and it was confirmed. Still no email confirmation. I had to manually re-send the booking confirmation.
6. The DOB on my appointment confirmation on VFS portal was incorrect even though I put the right one. The code is messed up because it showed the date of booking minus 1 year as my DOB. Don't worry if this happens. Go to your appointment. (All the money they take and they can't fix this bug). This happens if you don't book their Insurance - and I didn't. The poor design might make it seem like that's a required step, but it's not.
7. Once you get an appointment, the window to reschedule is small but you will not lose your existing slot if you do click the button to explore the options.

At the centre

1. Poor design extends IRL where they don't have clear signages making people think that the Premium Lounge is the only option. The person told me that I would have to pay a horrendous amount of about 155 EUR / 168 USD (which wasn't listed on the website). I said no thanks. They tried to convince me by saying that lounge doesn't have a queue. I told her to tell me where the regular booth was. Surprise surprise. There was no queue there either. It's just a trick for you to pay as much money as possible.
2. Queues for uncommon or less mainstream countries like Luxembourg, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland were practically empty for the first 2 hours in the morning and less crowded. Popular countries like France, Italy, and Germany were packed by 10.30 am with only a few seats available. This is also the section that has more seats and more booths due to the volume of applicants.
3. Even if you have all copies and all documents, be prepared for them to stump you because it's unlikely the experience will be frictionless. Your photo won't work if you are wearing glasses or the background isn't white etc etc etc. It seems like their mandate is to not accept applications on the first go. Even when I have had all the documents and all copies, there's been something that they bring up. Eg. "the visa processing time is 60 days" but when I booked my appointment, it was 15-20 days on the website (I still have 45 days though). The person told me that they would have to ask the manager (but that never happened). They made me write a declaration stating I was made aware of this by the personnel. I mean, it's a bit ridiculous. As it is, you barely get an appointment, when you do the instructions differ from when you actually go there. So, there's really no winning.
4. Apparently their Trustpilot feedback is fake. Even if you write something, chances are it will get overshadowed by bots. There was a case about how they manipulated this overnight.
5. Make sure your docs and bookings have YOUR NAME on everything, dates, locations (with addresses for accommodation), and phone number and email of the places. Once you submit this, they will "verify" and make you wait. I literally saw one of the dudes behind the counter playing with my passport smh.
6. Your name will be called and you will get a slip (this means they have accepted your application) which includes tracking information etc. You will need to go make the payment. After this, go BACK TO THE COUNTER where you submitted docs. Collect your folder and proceed to the biometric room. Don't sit, give the person your receipt/slip and wait in the queue. Your name will be called to do the biometric stuff. After this, you have to, once again, GO BACK to the counter and submit your folder with your documents and passport. Then, we wait and hope for the best.
7. Do your research and get receipts and printouts of EVERYTHING because I wouldn't trust the people behind the counter to do their due diligence. I mean EVERYTHING. If you intend to take an internal train or a public bus, print out the train schedule and put it in there. If you intend to go to another country that allows visa-free entry for valid Schengen visa holders, take a printout of that Embassy's notice and put it in. I can't stress this enough. Get proof and documentation for everything you possibly can.
8. FYI Some countries say it has to be your "first" port of entry and/or "main destination". Some countries will only accept if it is your MAIN destination i.e. longest duration of stay. Check relevant sites and be careful!

IDK if this goes to show how cumbersome the process is but it is almost always unpleasant and borderline traumatic. I feel for the people who don't know any better, who have to rely on some agent, or in general are unable to see through the BS. The monopoly enables them to play God and while their job should be to pass on your docs and application, they seem to exercise their own discretionary power to make it hell for people who don't know better. Meh.
I have never left a VFS appointment feeling good about anything. I don't think the Premium Lounge would have helped to solve this either. I hope the VFS monopoly dies and the Schengen Visa digitisation makes this easier. Good luck and hang in there.

I was a student at SJC in 2020, and have been waiting years to no avail to receive my actual final degree certificate. Finally received a document shared on the alumni group saying I need to apply for convocation and all those details. Got it. BUT it's saying I need the following:
"(Postgraduate students who did their undergraduate programme in this college and had already paid the alumni fee need not have to submit the alumni application form and pay the fee for alumni registration again. However, they must submit a photocopy of the undergraduate PDC or consolidated marks card as proof of study in this college) Candidates must download two challan forms. One for Convocation and the other for the Alumni registration. They must pay the required fee in the South Indian Bank, St.Joseph’s University campus branch. Documents to be submitted: (i)Filled in application form for the convocation (ii)Fee paid Challan for Convocation (iii)Filled in application for alumni association (iv)Fee paid Challan for alumni association (v)Two passport size photographs (vi)Self attested semester wise marks card copies (Download from the Linways portal and take printouts. The marks card should have the title “ STATEMENT OF MARKS”. The marks cards with the title “ PROVISIONAL MARKS CARD” will not be accepted (vii) Self-attested consolidated marks card/".
Stupidly, in first year at KJC where I'm doing my masters in english lit and they were verifying documents, I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE OR COPY of my PDC NOR consolidated marks card and it went straight to some filing cabinet in bangalore north university and so help me GOD.
All I have with me are the application forms and challans and stuff that I need to print out and fill in with the fees or whatever, and luckily A "Statement of Marks" with all the marks of all the semesters that I spent in Hell *cough*- I mean SJC.
Will that, the fee payments, fee payment forms, the challans and godknowswhatelse and the application forms be enough to get me the fruit of three months of toil?
Last date to apply without an extra fine (Academics=Capitalism) is the 23rd of May..

Embark on Your Amazon Reselling Adventure

Step into the dynamic realm of Amazon reselling, where opportunities abound, and innovation drives success. This comprehensive guide will reveal the strategies to navigate guidelines, overcome restrictions, and master best practices for unparalleled achievements.
Picture a vibrant marketplace where your entrepreneurial dreams can take flight—a space where small and medium-sized businesses thrive. In 2022, independent sellers in Amazon’s U.S. store sold over 4.1 billion products, with average sales reaching an impressive $230,000. This isn't just an aspiration; it's a reality waiting for you to grasp.
Your journey begins with essential questions: Where can you source items to resell on Amazon? How can you turn branded products into profitable ventures? This guide serves as your roadmap, offering a step-by-step approach to building a successful reselling empire in the expansive Amazon marketplace.

Understanding Reselling

Reselling goes beyond a mere business model; it's a refined craft. It's about unearthing valuable items from unexpected sources and offering them to eager buyers. Here’s your strategic guide:

1. Research Product Demand:
   • Market Analysis: Dive deep into current market trends and consumer preferences. Use tools like Jungle Scout, Helium 10, and Google Trends to identify products with high demand and low competition.
   • Competitor Analysis: Study your competitors to understand their pricing strategies, customer reviews, and sales volumes. This will help you identify gaps in the market and potential opportunities.
   • Seasonal Trends: Keep an eye on seasonal trends and upcoming events that could boost demand for specific products.
2. Procure the Products:
   • Reliable Suppliers: Establish relationships with reputable suppliers and wholesalers. Websites like Alibaba, SaleHoo, and local trade shows can be excellent sources.
   • Quality Control: Always inspect the quality of the products before purchasing in bulk. Request samples if possible to ensure they meet your standards.
   • Negotiation: Don't hesitate to negotiate prices and terms with suppliers to maximize your profit margins.
3. List the Products Online:
   • Product Listings: Create detailed and compelling product listings. Use high-quality images, thorough descriptions, and relevant keywords to improve your visibility on Amazon.
   • Competitive Pricing: Research the pricing strategies of similar products and set competitive prices. Consider using dynamic pricing tools to adjust your prices based on market conditions.
   • SEO Optimization: Optimize your product listings for search engines by incorporating relevant keywords, bullet points, and customer reviews.
4. Handle Shipping and Fulfillment:
   • Self-Fulfillment: If you choose to handle shipping yourself, ensure you have a reliable system in place for packaging, labeling, and dispatching orders promptly.
   • Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Alternatively, you can use Amazon’s FBA service, where Amazon handles storage, packing, and shipping. This can save you time and provide faster delivery options to your customers, but consider the costs involved.
5. Manage Inventory and Customer Service:
   • Inventory Management: Keep track of your stock levels to avoid overselling or stockouts. Use inventory management software to automate the process and forecast future needs.
   • Customer Service: Provide exceptional customer service by responding to inquiries promptly, addressing issues efficiently, and ensuring customer satisfaction. Positive reviews and ratings can significantly impact your sales.
   • Returns and Refunds: Have a clear policy for returns and refunds. Handle returns professionally to maintain a good reputation and build trust with your customers.

By mastering these aspects of reselling, you'll be well-equipped to transform your business into a thriving venture on Amazon.

Decoding Profit Margin

Profit margin isn’t just a figure; it’s the heartbeat of your reselling venture. It determines whether your business merely survives or truly thrives. Here’s how to strike the perfect balance between competitive pricing and maintaining a healthy profit margin to ensure your reselling dreams stay afloat:

1. Understanding Profit Margin:
   • Gross Profit Margin: This is the difference between the selling price and the cost of goods sold (COGS), expressed as a percentage. It reflects the profitability of your products before accounting for other expenses.
   • Net Profit Margin: This includes all expenses, such as shipping, fulfillment fees, advertising, and other operational costs. It's the true measure of your business’s profitability.
2. Calculating Your Profit Margin:
   • Formula:
     • Gross Profit Margin = [(Selling Price - COGS) / Selling Price] x 100
     • Net Profit Margin = [(Selling Price - Total Expenses) / Selling Price] x 100
   • Example: If you sell a product for $100, and the COGS is $60, your gross profit margin is 40%. After including $20 for other expenses, your net profit margin would be 20%.
3. Balancing Pricing and Profit:
   • Competitive Pricing: Research your competitors to set a price that is attractive to customers while still allowing you to make a profit. Avoid the temptation to underprice your products significantly, as this can erode your profit margins.
   • Value Proposition: Justify higher prices by emphasizing the unique value your products offer, such as superior quality, better customer service, or additional features.
4. Reducing Costs:
   • Bulk Purchasing: Buying in larger quantities can lower your COGS due to discounts from suppliers.
   • Streamlined Operations: Use efficient inventory management and fulfillment processes to reduce operational costs.
   • Shipping Options: Explore various shipping methods to find cost-effective solutions that do not compromise delivery speed.
5. Monitoring and Adjusting:
   • Regular Reviews: Frequently review your profit margins to identify trends and make adjustments as needed. This could involve tweaking prices, negotiating better deals with suppliers, or finding ways to cut operational costs.
   • Dynamic Pricing: Consider using dynamic pricing strategies that adjust based on market demand, competition, and inventory levels.

By carefully managing your profit margins, you ensure that your reselling business remains profitable and sustainable in the long run.

Is Reselling Your Calling?

Reselling appeals to those with a keen eye for lucrative opportunities, particularly in the following areas:

1. Limited-Availability Items:
   • Scarcity Power: Capitalize on the limited availability of certain products. When demand outstrips supply, prices can soar, allowing you to turn a tidy profit.
   • Examples: Limited-edition sneakers, concert tickets, or special collaboration items.
2. Exclusive or Rare Items:
   • Rare Collectibles: Seek out and sell rare collectibles, vintage treasures, and unique artworks. These items often attract discerning buyers willing to pay a premium.
   • Examples: Antique furniture, rare coins, vintage clothing, and limited-edition art prints.
3. Seasonal Products:
   • Seasonal Waves: Leverage the high demand for seasonal items, such as holiday decorations, outdoor gear, and summer accessories. Timing is crucial to maximize sales during peak seasons.
   • Examples: Christmas lights, Halloween costumes, summer camping gear, and winter sports equipment.
4. Clearance or Discounted Items:
   • Discounted Deals: Purchase items on clearance or at a discount and resell them at market value. This strategy allows you to profit from the price difference.
   • Examples: End-of-season clothing, overstock electronics, and discounted home goods.
5. High-Demand Products:
   • Trending Items: Maintain a steady supply of trending products that are in high demand. Selling these items at competitive prices ensures a consistent flow of sales.
   • Examples: Popular tech gadgets, fitness equipment, beauty products, and fashionable accessories.

If you possess the knack for identifying these opportunities, reselling could be your calling. It’s about recognizing value where others might not and delivering that value to eager buyers, ultimately transforming your skills into a profitable venture.

Setting Sail with an Amazon Seller Account

Embark on your reselling adventure by choosing the right Amazon seller plan to suit your needs:

1. Individual Plan:
   • Cost: $0.99 per product sold plus applicable selling fees.
   • Ideal For: Those just starting out or selling in smaller quantities.
   • Advantages: Low upfront cost, making it perfect for testing the waters without significant financial commitment.
2. Professional Plan:
   • Cost: $39.99 per month plus applicable selling fees.
   • Ideal For: Sellers with higher sales volumes or more extensive inventory.
   • Advantages: Access to advanced selling tools, eligibility for top placement on product detail pages, and the ability to sell in restricted categories.

Choosing the Right Plan

Evaluate your inventory size and sales expectations to determine the best plan for you. Here are some key considerations:

• Sales Volume: If you plan to sell more than 40 items per month, the Professional Plan may be more cost-effective.
• Advanced Features: The Professional Plan offers additional features like bulk listing, detailed sales reports, and promotions.
• Category Restrictions: Some categories require a Professional Plan to list items.

Utilize Amazon’s Tools

To maximize your profitability, leverage Amazon’s free tools:

• Fulfillment Cost Calculator: Use this tool to estimate your revenue potential by calculating fees for storage, fulfillment, and shipping. This helps you make informed decisions about pricing and profitability.

By carefully selecting the right seller plan and utilizing Amazon’s resources, you can set sail on a successful reselling journey, navigating the vast Amazon marketplace with confidence.
The Art of Retail Arbitrage
Retail arbitrage is the thrill of the hunt, buying low and selling high. Navigate this path with care, adhering to Amazon’s selling guidelines and securing necessary documents like invoices. Calculate margins meticulously to ensure your efforts yield treasure, not toil.

Launching Your Reselling Business: 6 Steps

1. Gauge Product Demand

To ensure your product offerings resonate with your target audience, it's crucial to stay ahead of market trends and continuously adapt. Here’s how to gauge product demand effectively:

Stay Ahead of Trends

• Monitor Trends: Regularly track market trends to understand the evolving desires of your target audience.
• Adapt Offerings: Be flexible and ready to adjust your product lineup based on the latest insights and trends.

Market Research Tools

Use a variety of tools to gain comprehensive insights into product demand:
Google Trends:

• Track Search Interest: Utilize Google Trends to monitor the popularity of different products over time.
  • Trend Analysis: Identify upward or downward trends in search interest to forecast potential demand.
  • Comparison: Compare search trends for multiple products to determine which ones are gaining more interest.
  • Spikes and Trends: Identify spikes in interest that may indicate growing popularity.
  • Regional Insights: Understand where certain products are more popular geographically to tailor your marketing efforts.

Social Media Analytics:

• Platform Insights: Leverage analytics tools available on social media platforms to see what's trending.
  • Instagram Insights: Analyze engagement metrics, popular posts, and trending hashtags related to your niche.
  • Facebook Analytics: Track audience demographics, post reach, and interaction rates to understand what content resonates most.
  • TikTok Analytics: Monitor trending videos and hashtags to identify emerging product interests.
  • Trending Hashtags: Track popular hashtags related to your niche to discover emerging trends.
  • Influencer Posts: Observe what influencers in your industry are promoting and which products are receiving the most engagement.
  • Audience Insights: Use analytics tools on social media platforms to gain insights into audience demographics and preferences.

Industry Reports:

• Comprehensive Market Insights: Review detailed reports from reputable sources to get a broader understanding of market dynamics.
  • Statista: Access a wide range of statistics and reports on various industries and consumer trends.
  • Nielsen: Gain insights into consumer behavior, market performance, and emerging trends.
  • IBISWorld: Utilize industry reports to understand market size, growth prospects, and competitive landscapes.
  • Market Analysis: Read reports from companies like Statista, Nielsen, and IBISWorld to understand broader market trends.
  • Consumer Surveys: Look for surveys and studies that reveal consumer preferences and buying habits.
  • Product Performance: Identify which products are gaining traction and why, helping you to make informed decisions about your inventory.

2. Competitive Analysis

Conducting a thorough competitive analysis is essential to understand the landscape of your niche and to carve out your own space. Here’s how to do it effectively:

Study Top Sellers

• Identify Leaders: Find the top sellers in your niche by browsing Amazon’s best seller lists and top-rated products.
• Analyze Listings: Examine their product listings to understand what makes them successful. Pay attention to:
  • Titles: How they structure their product titles for SEO.
  • Descriptions: The level of detail and key points they highlight.
  • Images: The quality and variety of product images used.
  • Pricing: Their pricing strategies and how often they change prices.

Identify Gaps

• Product Offerings: Look for gaps in the market where top sellers may not fully meet customer needs. This could be in terms of product features, variety, or price points.
• Customer Feedback: Read reviews on competitors’ products to identify common complaints or suggestions. These insights can reveal opportunities for improvement.
• Niche Segments: Explore niche segments within your broader market that are underserved or overlooked by major competitors.

Learn Best Practices

• Effective Tactics: Incorporate successful strategies from top competitors into your own approach.
  • Listing Optimization: Use similar high-impact keywords and structure your product listings based on the best practices you observe.
  • Marketing Strategies: Adopt effective marketing tactics such as targeted ads, promotions, and social media engagement.
  • Customer Engagement: Implement customer service strategies that resonate well with buyers, like prompt responses, clear return policies, and follow-up emails.
  • Inventory Management: Learn how top sellers manage their inventory to maintain stock levels and avoid stockouts.

3. Source Products to Sell

Finding the right products to sell is a critical step in building a successful reselling business. Here’s how to source quality items effectively:

Vet Manufacturers and Suppliers

• Quality and Authenticity: Thoroughly vet potential manufacturers and suppliers to ensure the products meet your quality standards and are authentic.
  • Background Checks: Conduct background checks on suppliers, including reviews, ratings, and business history.
  • Certifications: Verify any certifications or licenses the supplier claims to hold.
  • Samples: Request product samples to inspect the quality firsthand before committing to large orders.

Wholesale Suppliers

• Bulk Purchasing: Establish relationships with reputable wholesalers to buy products in bulk at lower costs, improving your profit margins.
  • Networking: Attend trade shows and industry events to meet potential wholesalers and establish direct connections.
  • Negotiation: Negotiate terms and prices to get the best deals possible.
  • Reliability: Ensure the wholesaler can consistently supply the quantities you need and meet delivery timelines.

Liquidation Sales

• Overstock and Returns: Purchase overstock or returned items from liquidation sales at reduced prices, which can offer substantial savings and higher profit margins.
  • Reputable Sources: Use trusted liquidation platforms and sources to avoid low-quality or damaged goods.
  • Inspection: Inspect items closely to ensure they are in good condition and can be resold at a profit.

Online Marketplaces

• Unique Products: Use online platforms like Alibaba, eBay, and Etsy to find unique products and reliable suppliers.
  • Alibaba: Great for sourcing bulk items directly from manufacturers, with options for custom orders and private labeling.
  • eBay: Ideal for finding deals on individual items, overstock, and liquidation products.
  • Etsy: Perfect for sourcing handmade, vintage, or unique items that can differentiate your product offerings.
  • Supplier Verification: Utilize marketplace verification features and read reviews to ensure supplier reliability.

4. List Products for Sale Online

Effectively listing your products on Amazon is crucial for attracting customers and driving sales. Here’s how to make the most of Amazon’s tools to optimize your product listings and pricing:

Utilize Amazon’s Tools

• Amazon’s Resources: Take advantage of Amazon’s robust suite of tools designed to help sellers enhance their listings, manage pricing, and improve visibility.

Product Listings

• Detailed Descriptions: Craft comprehensive and engaging product descriptions. Highlight key features, benefits, and any unique selling points to help potential buyers make informed decisions.
• SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords strategically throughout your product titles, bullet points, and descriptions to improve your search ranking. Research popular keywords related to your products using tools like Amazon Keyword Tool or Helium 10.
• High-Quality Images: Invest in professional-quality images that clearly show your product from multiple angles. Ensure images are high-resolution and adhere to Amazon’s image guidelines.
• Strategic Keywords: Identify and incorporate high-impact keywords in your listings to enhance discoverability. Use backend search terms to capture additional relevant keywords without cluttering your descriptions.

Pricing Tools

• Automate Pricing: Utilize Amazon’s Automate Pricing tool to keep your prices competitive. This tool allows you to set rules for automatic price adjustments based on various factors, such as competitor pricing and market trends.
  • Dynamic Pricing: Adjust prices in real-time to stay competitive without the need for constant manual updates. This helps ensure your products remain attractive to potential buyers while maximizing profitability.
  • Competitive Edge: By automating your pricing strategy, you can respond quickly to market changes, maintain a competitive edge, and potentially increase your Buy Box win rate.

5. Handle Shipping and Fulfillment

Selecting the right fulfillment method is crucial for the efficiency and success of your reselling business. Here are the two primary options:

Choose Fulfillment Method

Merchant Fulfillment:

• Overview: You handle all aspects of storage, packaging, and shipping yourself.
• Advantages:
  • Control: You have complete control over your inventory, packaging, and shipping processes.
  • Customization: You can customize packaging and include personalized notes or branding materials in your shipments.
  • Cost Management: Potentially lower costs if you have an efficient system and low overhead.
• Considerations:
  • Time and Effort: Managing fulfillment can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially as your business grows.
  • Scalability: As order volumes increase, handling fulfillment in-house can become challenging.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA):

• Overview: Amazon takes care of storage, packaging, shipping, and customer service on your behalf.
• Advantages:
  • Convenience: Amazon handles the logistics, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
  • Prime Eligibility: Products fulfilled by Amazon are eligible for Amazon Prime, which can increase your sales by attracting Prime members.
  • Customer Service: Amazon provides customer service and handles returns, improving the overall customer experience.
  • Scalability: FBA can easily scale with your business, handling large volumes of orders efficiently.
• Considerations:
  • Fees: FBA comes with storage and fulfillment fees, which can add up, especially for low-margin items.
  • Less Control: You have less control over the packaging and shipping process, which might affect how your brand is presented.

6. Drive Sales

To boost your sales and make a mark in the competitive Amazon marketplace, follow these key strategies:

Differentiate Yourself

• Know Your Audience: Take the time to understand who your customers are, what they want, and how they shop. Use this knowledge to tailor your product offerings and marketing efforts.
• Stand Out: Use advanced ecommerce tools and unique selling propositions (USPs) to set your business apart from the competition. Whether it’s exceptional customer service, unique product features, or a compelling brand story, make sure your business has something special to offer.

Amazon Advertising

• Sponsored Products: Increase your product visibility by investing in Sponsored Products ads. These appear in search results and on product detail pages, helping you reach more customers.
• Sponsored Brands: Showcase your brand and product portfolio with Sponsored Brands ads. These banner ads appear at the top of search results, highlighting your brand and multiple products.
• Sponsored Display: Use Sponsored Display ads to target customers both on and off Amazon, keeping your products in front of potential buyers as they browse the web.

Social Media Marketing

• Instagram: Share visually appealing posts and stories about your products, engage with followers through comments and direct messages, and use Instagram Shopping to make it easy for users to buy directly from your posts.
• Facebook: Create a Facebook Page for your business, post regularly to keep your audience engaged, and use Facebook Ads to target specific demographics.
• TikTok: Tap into the viral potential of TikTok by creating fun and engaging short videos that showcase your products. Collaborate with influencers to reach a wider audience.

Customer Reviews

• Encourage Reviews: After a purchase, kindly ask customers to leave a review. Highlight the importance of their feedback in improving your products and services.
• Enhance Credibility: Positive reviews build trust and credibility, making potential buyers more likely to choose your products.
• Respond to Feedback: Engage with customer reviews by thanking them for positive feedback and addressing any concerns or issues raised in negative reviews. This shows that you value your customers and are committed to providing excellent service.

Embark on Your Reselling Adventure
Reselling on Amazon isn’t just about making money; it’s an adventure waiting to be explored. Whether you're just starting out or you’ve been in the game for a while, the journey is full of excitement and potential. Here’s why you should dive in and how to make the most of it:

• The Thrill of Discovery: There’s nothing quite like the excitement of finding that perfect product at a great price and knowing you can sell it for a profit. Every day brings new opportunities to uncover hidden gems, from rare collectibles to trending items.
• Profit and Growth: With smart sourcing, great listings, and the right tools, you can turn reselling into a highly profitable business. Many sellers achieve impressive revenues, turning their side hustles into full-time successes.
• Build Your Own Brand: Think about the long-term benefits of creating your own brand. It’s not just about selling products; it’s about:
  • Building Customer Loyalty: When people trust your brand, they keep coming back.
  • Increasing Profits: Branded products often yield higher profit margins.
  • Generating Passive Income: Enjoy steady income from repeat customers and subscriptions.
• Leverage Amazon’s Power: Amazon’s vast reach and powerful infrastructure can help you scale your business. Here’s how:
  • Brand Registry: Protect your brand with Amazon’s automated protections, get access to detailed reports, and benefit from dedicated support.
  • Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Let Amazon handle the heavy lifting of storage, packaging, and shipping, so you can focus on growing your business.

So, what are you waiting for? Your reselling journey on Amazon is an exciting path filled with opportunities for growth and success. Jump in, explore, and make the most of what Amazon has to offer. Your adventure awaits—grab it with both hands and enjoy the ride!

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/work/s/gyNkreIeT7 TLDR: In January 2024, The COO at my employment (account opener at a financial institution) told me that I (22m) "got to stick around for a couple of months" when I got a promotion. Since then, I believe my supervisor (~40f) and manager have been trying to make me quit.
For the past 5 months I have been ignoring tactics used by the superiors at my work to force me out. This has been done by simply putting my head down and producing my best quarter at the company since I joined in January 2023. Because of this, I had begun to convince myself that I could maybe save my job (not that I would want to after everything that has happened). This hope was dashed when, a few weeks ago, I overheard the COO telling my manager and direct supervisor saying "he has to be cut off by May." With this in mind, I had began/hoped for a typical layoff. I'd just be given less and less work, not be invited for a few staff meetings, and then eventually terminated. Unfourtunetly I was wrong, as the toxicity has gotten worse and worse as the days have passed.
There have been plenty of insulting and inappropriate behaviours over the past months, but my favourites have to be:

• The organization taking 3 months to give me the applications needed to complete the responsibilities of my new role (there is still a couple that I do not have access to)
  
• A supervisor saying "let me guess, you have a question about account openings because you are absolutely terrible at them" while I was in the middle of opening an account
  
• The manager mocking project managers (knowing that my mother has been a project manager for 10+ years)
  
• The supervisor openly discussing and joking about my sexuality with coworkers and even some customers (I accidently revealed I am bisexual, which I had been trying to hide from my coworkers for this exact reason)
  

I have learned to block out this behaviour over the past 5 months, but the tactics took a strange and dark turn in the past weeks. It began with my supervisor telling me "I could just lick the crumbs out of that bag right now" while I was eating a bag of chips. This made me extremely uncomfortable, so I cut my break short and immediately walked back out to the front of the building. The next week, she spent an hour telling me about how a coworkers daughter (~21) is a smokeshow, and that I should never pass up a chance to sleep with her. This could be seen as just gross and nothing more, however given her history of thinly veiled sexual remarks it was incredibly disturbing. While the behaviour is Incredibly gross, I had more or less learned to ignore it. Perhaps because of this, my supervisor has increased the toxicity from disturbing to borderline harassment.
It began on a Monday morning, when my supervisor was telling a supervisor she was close with to "keep looking through that camera's footage, hopefully we can find it" While pointing to a camera. At first I had thought nothing of it. After all, it was common for supervisor's to look through camera footage to find an outage in a tellers cash drawer, or if a customer had not been behaving properly in the branch. Later that day, as she was passing me a notebook, she stood right under the same camera, and held the notebook directly in front of her chest as I went to grab it. I found this odd, but still I did not think much of this. The next day, a different supervisor was showing me how she accidently printed a poster double-sided. Rather than just simply holding the poster above the counter so I could see it, the supervisor had me walk around the counter (and coincidently underneath the same camera), and told me to look at the poster she was holding against her stomach. This caused alarm bells to go off, and I began putting the pieces together as to figure out what sort of mental gymnastics I was participating in. I started to think that maybe I was being set-up, but I also did not believe it. After all, surely these people were above trying to have me depicted as a creep.
Soonafter, there was further confirmation that I may actually be correct in my suspicions. Friday of that week, I asked my supervisor if I could borrow a pen to sign a receipt. Rather than just passing me the pen, my supervisor grabs the pen, holds it directly in front of her chest, and waits for me to grab it. Because of my previous suspicion, I did not immediately try to grab the pen. I stood there, with my hand out, waiting for her to place the pen in my hand. We froze for a couple of seconds, before I accidently glanced up and smirked. When my supervisor saw this, her facial expression changed from confident to confused, and then from confused to upset. She handed me the pen, and then moments later, she told the supervisor she had discussed the cameras with "not to worry about the footage."
Again, I could be wrong. Maybe this is confirmation bias from knowing I am going to be let go soon, but regardless I feel incredibly disturbed, and scared to go into work tomorrow. Perhaps the worst part about this is that I understand why I could be let go. I am infamous for showing up late (nothing egregious but up to 10 minutes late at least once a week), and I have made mistakes that, while not severe, could be twisted into justify a termination, especially since I know the termination is imminent. I do not understand why they would waste time, money, and effort trying to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. Regardless of why the supervisor is scared of the impending layoff, I will continue to play dumb and keep myself employed with the financial institution for however much longer I can.
But that is simply my perspective on the matter. Am I paranoid in thinking everything mentioned is part of a plan to force me out? Have you seen or experienced similar behaviours by a management team? Is it perfectly normal for people to hold items close to their chest while showing or giving them to someone? Whatever your thoughts may be, I would love to hear them.

I recently applied for a Data Entry Clerk position that I found online. After submitting my application to other companies, I was contacted by someone claiming to be from Trinity Healthcare (A company I did not apply for that was offering WAY more than the normal rate). The initial contact was via email from [annpersonalbox@gmail.com](mailto:annpersonalbox@gmail.com) and [kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org](mailto:kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org), and then continued through a phone number (251-538-2686) on the Signal messaging app.
The scammer, identifying himself as Mr. Jameson Lusby, conducted a text-based interview through Signal. After the interview, I received an email detailing the supposed job offer, benefits, and next steps. The email included a PDF document that looked legitimate. However, I became suspicious when asked to provide personal details and noticed inconsistencies in the information provided.
The scammer instructed me to deposit an E-Check using my bank's mobile app, which raised further red flags. When I attempted to clarify the discrepancies in my provided address, the scammer responded aggressively and ended the communication with a rude message after I proceeded to waste 2 hours of his time with fake information and dead ends.
Below are the emails and phone number used by the scammer:
Emails:

• [annpersonalbox@gmail.com](mailto:annpersonalbox@gmail.com)
• [kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org](mailto:kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org)

Phone number:

• (251) 538-2686

Messaging app:

• Signal

Names used:

• Kimberly Berke (alleged)
• Jessica Ann (alleged)
• Jameson Lusby (alleged)

1st Email: " Jessica ann [annpersonalbox@gmail.com](mailto:annpersonalbox@gmail.com)
Hello, I hope this message finds you well.
My name is Jessica Ann, and I represent Trinity Healthcare. I wanted to personally reach out to you regarding your recent application for the positions of Data Entry, Customer Service, and Administrative Assistant, all of which are remote opportunities. Your application has caught our attention, and we are impressed by your qualifications and experience.
Currently, Trinity Healthcare is in the process of conducting interviews, and we believe that your profile aligns well with our requirements. The compensation for these positions is set at $31 per hour.
To proceed with the next stage of the hiring process, we kindly request that you contact our Hiring Manager, Mr. Jameson Lusby, via the Signal App for your interview. If you haven't already, please download the Signal app from your preferred app store or visit signal.org to install it. Once installed, please reach out to Mr. Jameson Lusby via the Signal App using the phone number (251) 538-2686.
When initiating contact with Mr. Jameson Lusby, please mention the available position for which you are being considered and provide him with the following interview code: HR1-230. This will help streamline the process and ensure a smooth interview experience for you.
We encourage you to take this opportunity to learn more about Trinity Healthcare by visiting our website at Trinity Healthcare Website.
Thank you for considering Trinity Healthcare as a potential employer. We look forward to the possibility of welcoming you to our team and wish you the best of luck with your interview.
Warm regards, "
2nd Email: " [kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org](mailto:kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org)
1 PDF Attachment (Trinity HealthBRIEFINGS AND JOB DESCRIPTION FOR MMM brert.pdf)
Kindly notify Mr. Jameson Lusby if you can handle the duties efficiently! "
3rd Email: " [kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org](mailto:kimberlyberke@careers-trinity-health.org)
1 PDF Attachment (Trinity Health- OFFER-LETTER.pdf)
Hello Johnathan Michael (Fake Name I gave them),
Congratulations and welcome aboard our online work team. Please find attached your letter of appointment for you to review. Go through all the information provided and once clear and you are set to proceed, print out, sign, and then scan and send your offer letter form back to me along with a valid and up-to-date form of identification i.e. National ID card, Driver's License, or Int-Passport now. We expect you to be a hard-working and diligent employee and work hand in hand with your team to ensure the continuous growth and success of our company.
We look forward to working with you. "

​
Greetings; I've looked at previous posts here dealing with the issue of receiving a C+ in grad school and would conclude that simply having one on my transcript is not a sufficient condition to be outright rejected from programs. By my estimations my final GPA for my master's program will be something between 3.58 - 3.6, which I understand to be acceptable if one was doing quite a few other things besides classes during grad school (I have been). But I guess my question is a bit more specific.
For a few reasons I'm considering an economic history PhD but failed to manage time and commitments well enough this semester to grasp Int'l Econ II, hence the C+. I had the same issue with Int'l Econ I (B) though to a lesser extent.
I would certainly not go on for further study in the mathmematics of economics or to be an IMF person tasked with exchange rates; I am not inherently good at these things. I guess the older disciplines of political economy + historiography, where presentations of ideas through formulas and graph-drawing are usually optional, are more what I would pursue. From my understanding there are a few programs like this.
Anyway, my question is whether self-studying for one or either of these courses I mentioned above would help my chances if I do apply to such a program. I just totaled up my grades since fall 2022 and they are as follows:
A 5
A- 8
B+ 2
B 1
C# 1
My idea would be to study the main texts/excercises for one or both of the Econ courses in my free time over the next several months, print out the midterm and finals after I feel quite good about both, and then retake them in a controlled environment. I'd then, if my professors agree for a reasonable sum or as a favor, send off my tests to them for them to "re-grade." If results were much better, I'd then plan to share this process on future applications or in job interviews as relevant. Obviously it wouldn't be something I could put on a resume or transcript.
Does anyone actually experienced in PhD admissions actually believe such an idea has merit, or is this silly?
As I graduate next week I at this point do not seem to be able to retake the course over the summer unless academic advising changes their mind and permits me to do it remotely; even if they do, it is crazy expensive and maybe not in my budget. Hence this idea.
I truly appreciate any feedback!
TLDR: Received a C+ for a grad school class quite relevant to (but certainly not the same as ) a field I'm considering a PhD in. Would effective "self-study" in the class subject, plus verification by a professor after the study period that I had improved my knowledge, help my application?

Including my timeline. I filled out the application myself and got a passport photo at UPS. I paid for expedited and express return delivery. Travel date 5/29.
Friday 5/10 - Passport application shipped out from UPS
Monday 5/13 - Application delivered to the P.O. Box in Texas (UPS worker put in the routine address and I didn’t catch it)
Wednesday 5/15 - Application In Process at Locator 35
Thursday 5/16 - Called to mark application as urgent
Friday 5/17 - Passport Approved, Printed, and Shipped
Monday 5/20 - Passport in hand

Greetings; I've looked at previous posts here dealing with the issue of receiving a C+ in grad school and would conclude that simply having one on my transcript is not a sufficient condition to be outright rejected from programs. By my estimations my final GPA for my master's program will be something between 3.58 - 3.6, which I understand to be acceptable if one was doing quite a few other things besides classes during grad school (I have been). But I guess my question is a bit more specific.
For a few reasons I'm considering an economic history PhD but failed to manage time and commitments well enough this semester to grasp Int'l Econ II, hence the C+. I had the same issue with Int'l Econ I (B) though to a lesser extent.
I would certainly not go on for further study in the mathmematics of economics or to be an IMF person tasked with exchange rates; I am not inherently good at these things. I guess the older disciplines of political economy + historiography, where presentations of ideas through formulas and graph-drawing are usually optional, are more what I would pursue. From my understanding there are a few programs like this.
Anyway, my question is whether self-studying for one or either of these courses I mentioned above would help my chances if I do apply to such a program. I just totaled up my grades since fall 2022 and they are as follows:
A 5
A- 8
B+ 2
B 1
C# 1
My idea would be to study the main texts/excercises for one or both of the Econ courses in my free time over the next several months, print out the midterm and finals after I feel quite good about both, and then retake them in a controlled environment. I'd then, if my professors agree for a reasonable sum or as a favor, send off my tests to them for them to "re-grade." If results were much better, I'd then plan to share this process on future applications or in job interviews as relevant. Obviously it wouldn't be something I could put on a resume or transcript.
Does anyone actually experienced in PhD admissions actually believe such an idea has merit, or is this silly?
As I graduate next week I at this point do not seem to be able to retake the course over the summer unless academic advising changes their mind and permits me to do it remotely; even if they do, it is crazy expensive and maybe not in my budget. Hence this idea.
I truly appreciate any feedback!
TLDR: Received a C+ for a grad school class quite relevant to (but certainly not the same as ) a field I'm considering a PhD in. Would effective "self-study" in the class subject, plus verification by a professor after the study period that I had improved my knowledge, help my application?

Weekly Recap 05/12/24-05/18/24: 81 Posts
"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world... would do this, it would change the earth." William Faulkner
This is the weekly recap of the 81 monetized posts from Kylea and Joseph "Joe" Gomez of Kylea G Weight loss Journey from 05/12/24-05/18/24.
They have made 690+ monetized posts in 6 weeks.
Disclaimers: I am not a physician, influencer, or paid content creator. I am not affiliated with WW. I am semi-retired from the healthcare field with multiple college degrees. These opinions are my own based on social media content. I wish no harm to Kylea or Joe Gomez.
☎️ If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, please call or text 988 for assistance.
📢 To the perfectionists, Kylea has a habit of heavily editing posts 3+ times and archiving/hiding and deleting posts. I do not have a burner account for Facebook and have not viewed every comment made. She does not post receipts and is secretive about her purchases.
The tagline of Kylea G Weight loss Journey is, "I changed my entire life with prayer and a playlist of songs. No surgery, no meds. Just Jesus."
Of the 81 monetized posts last week on the topic of faith:
0/81 discussed which version of the Bible she prefers
0/81 revealed her church home, a service she attended online/in person, or how she worships when traveling
0/81 discussed a personal/group Bible study she completes/attends
0/81 were a favorite scripture or Bible verse
Of the 81 monetized posts last week on the topic of music:
3/81 referenced music Kylea prefers= she mentioned upcoming summer concerts and vague references to listening to music on a trip.
Of the 81 monetized posts last week on the topic of health:
5/81 were about sightseeing or casual walking outside on a trip
0/81 shared a food, water, or exercise log
0/81 discussed meditation, deep breathing, attending grief group, or therapy for her mental health.
0/81 shared reputable medical sources for nutrition or weight loss content. (She mentions WW points but does not list a website or how to access their app.)
0/81 shared a recommendation for another weight loss influencer to follow
0/81 shared a source for her recipes
4/81 shared a recipe. Shared recipes below.

1. Cherry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
2. Pretzel Salad
3. Taco Soup 🚨 High Sodium
4. Taco Soup Rice Bowls 🚨 High Sodium

⚠️ Disordered Eating- Daily WW Points Consumed (based on monetized content):
Sun 05/12: 4 daily WW points & 25 weekly WW points; Mon 05/13: 14 daily WW points & 0 weekly WW points; Tue 05/14: 11 daily WW points & 0 weekly WW points; Wed 05/15: 8-9 daily WW points & 0 weekly WW points; Thu 05/16: 11 daily WW points & 0 weekly WW points; Fri 05/17: 10 daily WW points & 0 weekly WW points; Sat 05/18: 4 daily WW points & 0 weekly WW points;
📢 To our friends at Meta, Kylea can consume up to 30 WW points per day, roll over 4 unused daily points, and consume 28 weekly points. She is clearly underutilizing her daily points and weekly points. This is dangerous and potentially deadly messaging for those on a weight loss journey. She has 139k+ followers. 🚨
So what was Kylea's "weight loss content" about? Let's dive into her purchases to find out.
Her subtotal from 05/12/24-05/18/24= $2,007.67 est + all applicable taxes, tips, and fees
Her 6-week subtotal from 04/07/24-05/18/24 was $19,141.21 est + all applicable taxes, tips, and fees
🚨 Per Missouri public court records, Kylea Gomez has not satisfied her current medical judgment and is only able to pay $25 per month.
This next section is long due to the volume of purchases. You've been warned...
Weekly Takeout Purchases= $430.93 est + tips and fees
Sunday 05/12/24 SalTea Sloth Tea with Energy: $8 est + tip;
Monday 05/13/24 Donut Holes for sister: $3.50 est; In-N-Out for 2: $11.75 est; Bahama Buck's Shaved Ice for 2: $9.18 + tip; Whataburger for Joe (Unknown food): $8 est;
Tuesday 05/14/24 Flor & Seed coffee for KG: $6 est + tip; Unknown Flor & Seed for sister: $6 est + tip; Kono's Surf Club Bfast for 2: $23 est + tip; Unknown Sushi Restaurant for sister: $12 est + tip; Unknown coffee shop for KG: $15 est + tip; Unknown Hibachi delivery for Joe: $25 est + tip/delivery fees; 7-Eleven Slurpees for 2: $5 est;
Wednesday 05/15/24 Parakeet Cafe latte for KG: $6.50 est + tip; Unknown beverage for sister: $6.50 est + tip; Morning Glory bfast for KG: $20 est + tip; Unknown bfast for sister: $20 est + tip; Juice Hut pressed juice for KG: $10 est + tip; Unknown beverage for sister: $10 est + tip; Arby's delivery for Joe: $25 est + tip/delivery fees; Unknown Restaurant (Salad): $15 est + tip; Unknown dinner for sister: $15 est + tip; Poppi, Quest Bar & Fresh Pineapple: $10 est;
Thursday 05/16/24 Fig Tree Cafe Bfast for KG: $18 est + tip; Unknown bfast for sister: $20 est + tip; Coyote Cafe lunch for KG: $15 est + tip; Unknown lunch for sister: $15 est + tip; Muscle Milk & Quest bar: $7 est;
Friday 05/17/24 Unknown bfast restaurant for KG: $18 est + tip; Possible bfast for sister: $18 est + tip; Starbucks for Lunch for KG: $15 est + tip; Possible lunch for sister: $15 est + tip; Muscle Milk for KG: $3.50 est;
Saturday 05/18/24 Crazy Llama takeout for 2: $16 est + tip;
🚨 These additional shopping/travel expenses do NOT reflect her rent, utilities, phone, 2 car payments, etc.
Additional shopping/travel expenses= $1,576.74 + all applicable taxes, tips, and fees
⚠️ CBD aka Shopping Addiction: Most of the purchases were due to her California trip or for her future puppy.
Sunday 05/12/24 Blue Hydrangea: $24.82 est; Fresh cut 2 dozen roses: $39.94 est; Iced cookie cake: $44.99 est; Items in Mother's Day gift bag: Unknown;
Monday 05/13/24 Barebell Protein Bar: $2.45 est; Alani Nu Energy Drinks x2: $4.96 est; Gas Joplin, MO to Fort Worth, TX: (373 mi est/33mpg) x $3.85 est = $43.52; Gas Fort Worth, TX to Dallas, TX: (33 mi est/33mpg) x $3.85 est = $3.73 est; Bocce's Coconut Macaroon Crunchy Biscuits 5 oz bag Qty 2: $12.98 est; Bocce's Sauvignon Bark Soft & Chewy 6 oz bag Qty 2: $13.58 est; Bocce's Burger & Fries All-Natural Dog Treats Qty 2: $9.08 est; PetStages Grow-with-Me Ring Dog Chew Toy: $5.24 est; Pet Botanics Training Rewards Soft & Chewy Bacon Flavor 20 oz bag Qty 2: $27.98 est; Undercoat Rake Grooming Tool: $10.25 est; Paw Print Fabric Storage Bin: $12.99 est; Baghler Airline Approved Dog Travel Bag Light Pink- A Backpack with Silicone Bowls & Food Baskets: $34.99 est; Fabric Strawberry Harness & Leash: $17.99 est; Black Nylon Training Leash: $8.95 est;
Tuesday 05/14/24 Two One-way Airline Tickets (Unknown Carrier): $98 est + fees; Airport Parking (up to 50% off with prebook): $16 est; San Diego Flyer transport (unknown if this service used or a ride share): $0; Premier Shake, Protein bar & fruit: $10 est; Unknown San Diego Accommodations: $120 est + fees;
Wednesday 05/15/24 Unknown San Diego Accommodations: $120 est + fees; Airport Parking (up to 50% off with prebook): $16 est; Barks & Crafts Dog Bandanas Qty 2: $34 est; Go City Pass All-Inclusive 3 day for 2 Adults: $488;
Thursday 05/16/24 Unknown San Diego Accommodations: $120 est + fees; Airport Parking (up to 50% off with prebook): $16 est;
Friday 05/17/24 Airport Parking (up to 50% off with prebook): $16 est; Return Flight for KG (Unknown Carrier): $82 est + fees; Possible Return Flight for Sister (Unknown Carrier): $82 est + fees; Mileage Dallas, TX to Joplin, MO: (350 mi est/33mpg) x $3.85 est = $40.83 est
Saturday 05/18/24 None
🤔 Final Thoughts 🤔
Kylea is mentally ill with a serious eating disorder. The vast majority of her monetized content is not about health or weight loss. Meta, please follow your policies and take action. It is time to demonetize and deplatform Kylea G Weight loss Journey.
All info from Reddit. ✌️

Hey there I’m filing out my passport renewal application and was wondering how it’s supposed to be signed should I sign with the pen feature in acrobat or should I print it and sign it with black ink I’ve filled out everything using their form filler so it’s all nice and neat just unsure about the signature part
Thanks!

I'm currently working on a application running on a RP2040 based system that lets the user write LUA-code but at irregular moments if i try to print out a floating point my program will cease to opperate. This also culminates in the math library not working where every floating point opperation causes the program to cease operation. I anyone could point out possible causes I would like to hear them

Did you know that about 75,000 people go missing per year in Canada? I might’ve found another one to add to that tally, as someone by the name of Trinity Arthurs, a 20-year-old woman, disappeared seemingly without a trace on June 14th of last year, along with 19-year-old Marvin Arthurs, her brother. The question in everyone’s minds is why I’m telling you this.
It all started with a hike in the woods, on a trail, in Prince Albert National Park. I was enjoying the green, taking a deep breath from the fresh air of nature when I spotted something shining. When I looked at it, it became clearer that it was a Ziploc bag. I initially thought it was someone else tossing garbage on the forest floor, but when I picked it up, I realized something was in there. I looked closer at the bag and noticed there was a USB. I packed it into my bag and finished my hike. When I went home, I took the USB out of the Ziploc. I was very hesitant to plug it into my laptop, as I had only recently discovered it in some forest.
I plugged it in and took a deep breath, knowing of the risk of it. It didn’t affect the laptop in any way, but it did reveal only one file which says TRINITY E. ARTHUR’S ENTRIES. I clicked on it and it seems to be a bunch of Word documents, each noted as ENTRY. I couldn’t find anything else other than those files.
I decided to look up, only to find a single news article back then relating to Trinity’s case. I tried to send it to the police, but they thought of it as some sick fanfiction I wrote, so I am going to post it here, leaving it as is. To clarify, I did not write this. I hope this gains the attention of her case as it deserves.
_________________________________________________________________________
Entry 1 - Sepember 24th, 2023
Hello there, my name is Tris and this might be the very first time I have typed something personal on this laptop, like ever, maybe since elementary school, where we would write how we would feel for the day. Not really the type to socialize and not the type to write a journal, let alone digital, either, because what’s the point of it? I guess I’m just spilling out my thoughts, especially after what I’ve seen, so might as well put this to good use.
For context, this is about my father, Micheal Arthurs. I remembered him, at least before all of this, to be this big, strong guy who just simply had a nice hobby. In that case, that hobby is all about caves. He would spend some of his work money on these trips with one of his work buddies to explore cave systems. The reason? Maybe because he was fascinated with them, god knows when, maybe since he was a child. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about me and my two younger brothers, Marvin and James, as well as our mother, Martha.
He cared for us like any dad would, he would take us camping, tell us about his adventures in the caves, and spoil us with gifts we didn’t need but appreciated anyway. From time to time, he would give us shit if one of us tried to burn the house down by putting paper in a toaster, thinking we would automatically make some kind of magical spell, which actually happened. Hell, my middle name Edward came from him, strange for a girl like me. He used to tell me that he accidentally thought I was a boy when I was born, so that stuck. His trips also, I guess, strained his relationship with Mom, who always complained about him going somewhere for a week, worried sick for him and leaving her to care for us.
That was, until a few years ago, on the morning of May 8th, 2018 - about less than five years ago, when I was fifteen. He said that he’d be back in a week because he was going to explore a cave somewhere in Ontario. The last time I remembered him was when he and Mom made pancakes, bacon, and hashbrowns, of which the pancakes were made for me, even though I could’ve had toast instead. We joked around the table and asked what he’d be doing at the cave. Of course, he would tell his usual, like going into new passages and finding any cave paintings, if any, in the caves themselves. I could imagine the cave paintings he might discover depicting mammoths and saber-tooth cats back then, with people hunting them. After that, we cleaned up and Dad was ready to go. He each gave us a big, warm hug and shared a quick but gentle kiss with Mom. He waved us goodbye before stepping into his big grey Ford truck, all packed up, and drove through the streets of Saskatoon.
We waited. Hours turned to days, and we knew when he’d return. Those days then turned to weeks and we began to think there was something wrong. Mom was first to notice, so she called the RCMP to file a missing persons report. What we didn’t know was it became a whole mystery in itself. At first, they contacted his coworker, who usually caves with him, only to find he was equally as confused as us. That coworker was asked by my Dad if he wanted to go caving with him, only for him to abandon that plan due to a medical emergency relating to his wife. They then put up alerts for him so that anyone would come forward for his whereabouts. Some said they saw him at a local Costco store, others said he was going north, baffling us in the process as he would not go north for Ontario. At that point, there were no leads for a while.
At that time, we were waiting for him to go home. I did some investigating myself, along with my oldest brother Marvin, to find out where our Dad at. We thought this might be some alternate route he took, or that he might be going to Prince Albert to meet family. James, our youngest, seems to care less about the fact Dad is missing and more about talking to his friends. Looking back at it now, I guess this was his method of coping with the situation. Mom was not doing well. She would constantly ask the police to simply find him, but understandably they just couldn't without any new evidence.
That was until a surveillance camera at some gas station store in Blaire Lake spotted Dad. At first, he got out of the truck and put the nozzle in to fuel up. Once his truck was fueled up, he went inside the near-empty store, saved for a few guys, grabbed a few beef jerky and Gatoraids, and went to the cashier to pay for them. After that, he went through the door and back to his truck, driving off. That blew our minds and the crazier thing was that his truck was found, abandoned at a campsite in Martins Lake. The truck was later towed for investigation and found no evidence that he was killed or kidnapped at the truck, meaning he went somewhere. A few more people said they saw him carrying his bags and went into the woods to the west, assuming he was going on a hike. Hearing that news, they searched the woods, looking for any signs he was there without any sort of luck. The search was called off and the trail ran cold.
During that time, I was exhausted and realised I felt like nothing without him. I was in a spiral, always mad at everyone and expecting everyone to find my Dad, but at the same time, I was also beginning to be one of those people. The same people I expect to find my Dad. I then felt defeated and helpless, without purpose, begging whatever god was up there to bring my Dad back, hoping he was not hurt, at least alive. I hoped he found his way out of the woods. I hoped he survived an animal attack. It was only as days went by that I realised this was taking over me, wasting my life and mentality, and that was when I decided he wasn’t coming back. I decided that he might be dead, somewhere in those woods. I hoped that someone would find his remains one day. I guess I did move on, without knowing what happened to him.
Marv, on the other hand, never really accepted. He continued to find him, even to this day. He would do other things, of course, but would argue with someone once our Dad’s name was heard, saying he might still be alive. He did get into a few fights because of this. He now accepts he is dead, but holds onto the belief we should still look for him, to relieve us. Mom was doing worse than the rest of us. She would blame herself for not being with him and usually buys drinks to forget about it. Eventually, she would put a lot of pressure on me and criticize everything I did, putting a lot of stress on me. It got to the point where we would go into screaming matches about the simplest of things, drawing me down to regret ever getting mad at her in the first place. It was so bad that my aunt had to take me out of there for my safety. That was nearly three years ago and I didn’t even hear a word from her. One side of me hoped that she would get arrested for drunk driving, and the other hoped she’d get help.
James seemed to be the one least affected by this, surrounded by friends we didn’t have. The last time I heard of my little brother after his high school graduation, he was beginning to do some cave stuff, like our father. Matter of fact, he began his own small club of cavers a few years before he left. I never really knew what went on in his mind, but I guess he felt just as fucked-up as the rest of us, just that he had enough distractions to easily get away from those thoughts.
As for me, I eventually moved into an apartment with Marv and got a job as a security guard at some mall, at the suggestion of my aunt’s friend, a few years ago. Working there has improved me, even though I worked nights. It has given me some purpose and gets my mind off of the things that happen during the day.
You might ask me, mind to mind, why I’m giving myself some sob story to talk about. This morning, I was riding my electrical tricycle from work to my apartment in the frigid air. I went in there and saw an odd package that was under Marv’s name, although without an address. The box seems to be a cereal box, sealed with package tape. The name that it’s sent to seems to be written in Sharpie in printed form. I thought it was odd that somehow this package made its way inside and at our mailing station. Thinking that it might be someone attempting to play an odd prank on my brother, I initially thought about leaving it alone. Curiosity got the cat, however, so I picked up the box and lightly shook it. I felt and heard what seemed to be something inside of it, like one big thing and a few smaller ones.
I then took it to my apartment, where I opened the door and entered, closed the door, removed my boots on the mat, and set the box on the somewhat clean kitchen counter. Looking at it, I was initially hesitant about opening it because it was under his name. I left it alone, he was home most of the time, on his computer doing a few things. Going into my room, I took off my uniform and changed my pants to a pair of boxers, turned on the TV to sit and relax on my bed. Looking through the streaming service, I tried to look for anything relating to volcanoes, one of those topics I was very interested in at the time, but the content was lacking. I went for a documentary and sat back, watching.
A few minutes in and I can hear knocking on the door. I was annoyed initially, knowing it was my brother. I opened and I could see confusion yet a look of needing to know on his messy, bearded face as he stood at eye level, staring at each other.
Marv: What’s the cereal box in the kitchen?
Me: The cereal box?
Marv: Yes, the cereal box.
Me: I just found it in the mailroom when I came in. No address, nothing other than your name, so I brought it up.
Marv: Do you know what’s inside?
Me: Your guess is as good as mine.
We looked at each other with an equally confused expression, sharing the same thoughts. The only difference is that I looked in the area beside him, empty of thought except for that little mind that reads why would someone send us this package? He was wide-eyed albeit stone-faced and standing still.
Marv: Well, I will be looking inside anyways.
We then went into the kitchen where he grabbed a knife and put it in the box.
Me: Hey, should we use the scissors?
Marv: Why? This is good enough. Not like I’m going to cut myself with it.
He then slowly cut the seams of which the packaging tape sealed, eventually cutting the tape. He then opened it to reveal a USB, an SD card, and a video recorder.
Me: That’s odd.
Marv: I don’t know who sent it, but I hope it is someone who got the wrong address, to the wrong person with my name.
Me: Should we look what's inside them?
Marv: Well, let’s find out.
We then went to his messy clothes-ridden room and he went to his PC to turn it on. There, I began to get concerned about the mysterious USB.
Me: I think we shouldn’t plug it in.
Marv: Why?
Me: Viruses, bugs, the whole deal? We don’t know wha-
Marv: Don’t worry, this PC has antivirus on here. Besides, if it did shut down, we could at least wipe out the memory.
We plugged in the USB, anticipating some sort of pop-up from an unknown digital virus. Instead, nothing happened, maybe other than the notification that a device was plugged in. Marv then sat down to look into the files and see what he could find on the PC, but it felt wrong like we were snooping around. In those files, we could see a folder that says CAVE GIANTS. He clicked on it and there was just a collection of pictures, of cave paintings. The setting all of them seemed to take place in was dark and wet, only the walls of which the cave paintings are on. The paintings themselves, which are in black, depict what seems to be somewhat stick-figure men, some holding arrows and spears, others just standing. Some of those men hunted the animals on the walls, like bison, deer, and mammoths in a group-like manner. The predators seem to be treated with a little more respect, like cougars, wolves, and bears. That was the first few pictures until we met with the first odd thing about those paintings.
The picture in question has every human on the wall holding spears and arrows. No animals were visible. In the next few pictures, we see men without spears or arrows, which said men were upscaled, massive. Long, black legs and arms attach to small bodies and small heads, of which all have un-painted orbs, depicting their eyes, which harrowed us as they stared at us through the screen. It seems some of those tall men have extra or lack of arms and legs. The saying can be said for the eyes, but most are in that somewhat humanoid body plan. The smaller men with the arrows and spears look to be battling the tall men, with some tall men holding the smaller men. In a few more pictures, below the battle scene, were red handprints, unlike those of the black they used. There are no more pictures from here, but we were stunned at whatever we stumbled upon.
Marv: What the fuck. What was that?
Me: I don’t know, maybe an archeologist's USB?
Marv then looked at the screen and saw a second file that said GIANT DOCUMENTARY.
Marv: Giant documentary? A documentary on, okay, what? Giants?
Me: That’s what seems to be like.
We clicked on the folder to see the one mp4 file with the same name. We clicked on it and it started its intro with one of those songs you’d play on a nature educational video. It was black, until it slowly faded into a scene of a forest, with the video panning across gradually and with nature sounds. There, a man with a gruff voice began to narrate.
Narrator: Ever wondered what happened here? You would assume that in a far distant time, this was a different place.
It then transitioned to a scene of a tundra, along with a slideshow of all the animals that existed during the Ice Age. It seems the documentary was made by someone using the Moviemaker application.
Narrator: A cold tundra during the Last Ice Age, of which large mammoths ruled the plains, thick-furred camels gathered in herds, and American lions roamed in their respective pride, along with the large grizzlies, the roaming caribou, and the wolves that hunt in their packs.
I then showed pictures of a tundra landscape, along with a few of the creatures mentioned.
Narrator: That was the scene until man, or Homo Sapiens came along at the end of the Ice Age, ten thousand years ago. The large glaciers that used to cover a third of North America began to melt, causing a whole dramatic series of climatic events. Man took that opportunity to hunt down the prehistoric life that existed. Eventually, those mammoths and camels became extinct, along with the American lion, who relied on them for food, along with a whole plethora of prehistoric beasts that once roamed North America. Eventually, all the ice melted and mankind settled, creating what we know as Native Americans, the Cree, Aztecs, Iroquois, and many more, telling and passing on stories as history marches on.
It then showed a slide show of historical pictures of the tribes themselves, along with depictions of a few of them taking down mammoths and going face to face with sabre tooth cats.
Narrator: I may sound reasonable, based on the evidence found by archeologists and paleontologists alike. Besides, it is only plausible that man is the only species that could drive these wonderful species to extinction. What if I told you all, watching this, that another species used to exist in North America alongside Homo sapiens?
A picture, presumably from the 1800’s or something, showed up, and later a slide show of a few news articles about them. I then began to recognize the voice, a voice all too familiar… my father’s voice. At this time, we were shocked, as this was not what I remembered him and probably not even Marv. We were more shocked at how he took this secret with him and had this under our noses. Despite that, we kept on watching.
Dad: Giants, creatures supposedly of myth and legend, larger yet primitive versions of man, have walked the Earth for many years. Most of that so-called evidence comes in the form of huge, perhaps human-like, bones discovered by farmers and amateur archeologists alike all across neighbouring America. They would claim they built the massive mounds, like the famous Serpent Mound, all across the Midwest.
The slideshow of various examples of these mounds, frame by frame, went by until it stopped at a map of the Midwest, showing where they were.
Dad: Of course, most of these skeletons would either be misidentifications of ancient animals or hoaxes. As for the mysterious mounds, they are now discovered to be built by the good ol’ Hopewell societies, the Mound Builders, who made them as burials and ritual sites. Since then, there has been no new ground evidence of their existence except for the mythologies and legends captivating our cultures. At least, until now.
It then changed to a video recording of Dad, who is sitting in a chair and began explaining it like an explorer that has seen it all.
Dad: One day, while I and John were looking for a cave at Wells Grey Park somewhere in British Columbia, sometime during July of 1994, I saw this tunnel in the snow, somewhere on a high hill at the foot of a glacier. We grabbed our gear, went up to the cave, and we just went in. It took us a few minutes underneath all of that snow before we saw this stream enter this system, melting the snow. We climbed our way down there and reached the floor. We thought we were the first humans to ever set foot in this cave.
Now, as far as I know, to the naked eye, the cave itself is pretty much invisible, especially during winter. Even if anyone did find it, it would require them hours to climb loose rock and steep valley walls. What we found in this cave is quite unusual.
The frame then shows the cave paintings - the very same cave paintings we saw in those other pictures.
Dad: We found these cave paintings on the walls. They are painted in some kind of charcoal paint mix, likely used in the creation of them. At first, the scene depicts the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of the earliest settlers themselves, hunting the woolly mammoths, bison and caribou at the time, along with the bears, cougars, and wolves that are treated with respect. Going further down the cave, we began to see fewer animals and more people with spears and bows. That is when we found the tall figures, likely exaggerated by the artists to depict their size and how they saw it. How they depicted them is very long limbs attached to a smaller body and their eyes they didn’t paint over, a hollow gaze. I felt a harrowing feeling, seeing them and gazing into their eyes. There aren’t just a few, instead, there are many of them, some have extra limbs and eyes and a few even pick up the men depicted in the paintings.
By that time, the battery went dead but we marched on deeper into the cave. We found artifacts, like pottery and arrowheads. We then stumbled upon the remains of a campsite beside the bank of the stream. As I was taking it all in, my friend pointed at something with his flashlight. The scene I saw hit me like a ton of bricks, still haunting me to this day.
There were a few human remains, so decayed that only the bone remained. I seemed to be a family of four, still wearing their fur clothes. They seem to be trying to escape a threat, and ended up here to paint this mural, only to die the hard way. I could only imagine what they went through and looking back as a family man, that fate would be worse than death, waiting for the threat to be over, which never came.
I can see him tear up, in the video, crying. Amongst the muffled cries, he said this:
Dad: I wouldn’t wish that on my family. Not even my worst enemy.
He then continued that way for a few minutes, while my initial shock slowly turned to that of sympathy for him, as this was his first time finding something like this.
Dad: Sorry, I guess I should move on.
He waited a few moments to regain composure, wiping his tears away before speaking again.
Dad: Well, after that, we climbed out of the cave. We did not tell anyone of the exact location, because we wanted to respect the people who died up there a very long time ago. My point is, that there was something that scared this family so much they made the effort to climb to the cave and paint out what is their story. There are just too many coincidences for me to think that they just went in here for the sake of it and too many of those tall beings.
That is when I believed that, long ago, something roamed these lands with us. Not some upsized human who are like us, but a horror so savage it horrified the first settlers and forced them into hiding. Now, I asked myself where they went, besides they would’ve still walked amongst us. I was looking through the libraries and saw nothing. That is when until one day, when I stopped at a gas station somewhere in Rosetown. A Cree elder was taking a smoke and told me he had a story to tell me, out of the blue. It was a weird gesture, as he had no reason to talk to me anyway. Besides, why would a Cree elder tell a white man a story?
We sat on a bench and he told me this story his tribe passed around for a very long time. He told me that, in the beginning, his ancestors feared this monster known as the Witiko. Now, today it is known as the wendigo, a solitary monster that corrupts the human soul and forces them to partake in some horrific act, usually cannibalism of their family members. Once they do that, they turn into basically thin, pale corpses with antlers on their heads and have supernatural abilities. This version also has a knack for being always hungry, constantly looking for something to eat, a metaphor for greed in most of the tribes surrounding the area.
These wendigo, or Witiko, are different. They are not the corpse zombie monster thing that was once human, but rather giant, twisted beings that came from the underworld and invaded the overworld. They ate anything for the sake of greed and malice while tormenting life on the overworld for their pleasure. It got so bad some even took it upon themselves to take their own lives. One day, their good-old Creator decided to send out his best warrior, Wisakedjak. Wisakedjak saw what the Witiko were doing and devised a plan. He banded up all the tribes and went to war with them while luring them in the process. Most, if not all, of the Witiko, were where Wisakedjak wanted them to be. The Creator then split the earth, sending them back to the underworld to which they belonged. To ensure they won’t escape again, the Creator eventually sealed the entrance of which the Witiko fell in.
I was shocked at the story, and even asking where the entrance was, only he would tell me this is a secret and that he didn’t want anyone to look for it, in fear they might be released again. After meeting him, I tried to look for genuine proof of these giants, but all I have is a few photos and a story. That is when I thought about who would cover it up, steal the bones and hide them. I guess some of those crazy conspiracy theorists might be right about the Smithsonian Museum covering them up. So I might have to cover my tracks and finish what I started. This is the show, bye.
We sat in shock, looking at each other and realising our Dad might be a nut job.
Marv: Giants? Really? This whole time?
Me: Seems like it.
That is all I could mutter out, confused at what I saw.
Me: They might be connected to his disappearance…
Marv: Okay, how is this related to his disappearance? We still don’t know where he is. Besides, he seems to be a crazy person anyway, like, he listened to one story from a random man and instantly believed him?
Marv’s inner rage became noticeable and understandable, knowing that he saw Dad as a person who cared for him through the hardest of times and now he felt like he was betrayed, like Dad went missing all over again. He eventually went to a wall and slumped against it, eventually sitting on the ground, legs carelessly splayed out and head looking down.
I felt the same way, but I was contained. I felt really sorry for him, though. I took that moment to sit beside him and hug him.
Me: It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.
He then started to cry, giving me some urge to shed my tears. I began to think about my father. He left us, lying that he was going to Ontario and disappeared, only to find out he was secretly some conspiracy theorist who was chasing what seemed to be thin air. At the same time, he was a caring father, who cared about us, taught us and tried to be with us at the biggest moments of our lives. I then stared at the video recorder at the counter.
Me: Hey, should we take a look in the recorder? See what we could find?
He then looked up at me, looking at me in seriousness.
Marv: I guess, we are in this rabbit hole now.
He then took the dead recorder, took the memory card out and plugged it into his adaptor, plugged into the PC. The files showed up and there were multiple recordings. I was staring at the dates, only to realise that the final of these recordings was on May 8th, 2018. Marv then clicked on the recording.
At first, we were in a vibrant, evergreen forest, casting shadows upon the pine needle floor under an afternoon sun. The sounds of birds chirping dominated the soundscape until we heard a nudge, assuming the camera moved. We then saw Dad walk in front of the camera and stand there, he seemed to be nervous.
Dad: Hey all, I am at the cave, where I was when I was twelve. Took a bit of time to find it, but here we are, at the Childhood Cave. Now, John couldn’t come because his wife is having their child, which I understand. So, that is why I am here alone. Not a worry, I’ve been caving for most of my life, so this is nothing new.
He then came to pick up the recorder to show around the site. I can see the rope wrapped around a tree that descends into this hole. I can describe it as being similar to a well, except flat, stoney protrusions stick out of the walls like platforms, with the center being pure black.
Dad: Well, this is the first time entering the system. I hope to find anything down there.
He then buckled up his gear, making sure the rope was tight and the gear was in working order. He then walked over to the hole, recorder in hand, only to kneel to put the camera on the first platform.
Dad: Well, here we go.
He then began climbing down, feet first, holding onto whatever rock he could grasp, grunting as he went. As soon as he was at chest height on the first platform, he reached towards the camera. He suddenly disappeared into the hole, faster than the blink of an eye. One moment, he was there, then another moment he wasn’t. At that point, I was shaking and felt weak, but my brother sat still, like a stone, waiting for something else to happen. All that I heard afterwards was silent, very long and antagonizing silence until the camera ran out of battery, turning the screen black.

Currently in the process of filling out a Paper Application for Consolidation. It says to fill in blue or black ink. Does anyone know if it's ok to autofill and use e-signature, or do you need to print, fill and scan the document? Thanks

Run your own successful business or freelance?
Need a production boost?
Teach me to set you up for success.
Spend your time making the important decisions and revisions, while I assist with the low hanging fruit/boilerplate. I have worked in both creative (copy/content creation, public event planning, curriculum development, graphics and print design) and technical (chemistry, biology and engineering) fields.
I am available starting at $15/hr, for short or long term projects and looking forward to joining your team.
Honestly, one of my odd talents is the ability to learn any app or program lightning fast. So - in addition to the most popular business software that I am already familiar with (below), I am sure there will be minimal lag while I get up and running.
Let’s chat about your needs and how I can help. https://discord.gg/AwCCSXZf. I’m always on between 9a-7p EDT to promptly respond! I also have a channel where I share what I’m working on and my progress. If you prefer phone, email or another mode - send a Reddit dm and I’ll be in touch!
Business Processes and Software

• Spreadsheets, Documents, and Presentations with Microsoft365, Google, MacOS Office Suites.
• Email, Chat and Video communication platforms; all major social media platforms
• Web hosting, Content Management Systems, Git & GitHub and Hardware Knowledgable.
• Canva, GIMP and pixel-pushing in odd places: a novice graphics designer, I have explored what is possible with whatever tools I have had at the ready!

Here are some highlights from my past projects and roles:

• Research Chemist: Developed a method for sampling in-process materials and predicting quality of final products. Conducted studies, drew and proved conclusions and presented project to both technical and business colleagues.
• Software Quality Engineer: Lucky to join the development team at the moment when the application was first able to present the user actual results - and it became my domain. Brought my chemistry knowledge to the programming team when reporting on progress and was able to assist with design and workflow for the most intricate and complex aspects of the software suite.
• Rivers Celebration Coordinator: Unique position of coordinating over 40 government, civic and non-profit groups collaborating on a 3 day event centered around two river valleys. Months of meetings, grant applications, continuous communication and comradeship was turned into hundreds of events spread over 14 days, and focused on a 3 day weekend festival in a state park.
• Quick, Quickbooks Pro: An anecdote from my freelancing journey - convinced no matter how lean my consulting business was, full double entry bookkeeping was necessary. Enter the Quickbooks Pro Certification from Intuit. Meant for mid-career professionals, I thought I was right where I wanted to be. This was a Friday. By Monday, I had learned enough accounting, bookkeeping, business management and Quickbooks software to pass the certification exam. Although I am proud of the work I did, I share this to highlight how fast I can absorb the patterns and expectations implicit in software. Use this talent for your own benefit!

Join me on this discord to chat about the ways I can make it easier for you to get your work done. https://discord.gg/AwCCSXZf. Phone and email available by sending Reddit dm!
Interested in joining me for coworking hours? Check out the discord server!
edited for formatting

I saw this post and I just wanted to update it more
I came at around 10:30am. It was a pretty streamlined process, you bring your documents, get a number and wait to be called. The office wasn't at the exact google maps address but all the people in that area pointed me in the general direction until I got closer and eventually found it. It was a different building, the entrance to the place you need to go is in front of Bellissima Spa (LK14, Tràng An Complex, Số 1 P. Phùng Chí Kiên, Nghĩa Đô, Cầu Giấy, Hà Nội, Vietnam)
When I was called, they first asked about how long I'd stay. On the form I had to write 30 days but she said if I'm planning to make a new visa there then just cross it out on paper and write 000 (cannot input this on the computer). The lady at the counter asked me to call my company and she spoke Chinese on the phone to them.
I also needed a copy of my company's business license, as well as the STAMPED invitation letter (for some reason the stamp on the letter didn't print earlier). There was also an issue because I didn't write ltd at the end of my company's name, so follow the invitation letter info clearly. Due to this issue I had to redo the form. They have computers, printers, scanners and even a photobooth there. There scans/ prints are 5k a paper. They cannot break 500k, please bring change. Yes, you can print your application form double sided and in black and white.
Luckily, I had saved the "review" page before submitting my application (press control+p then print to PDF), so I used that to help me fill in the info again, it took me 15' because I had all the info in front of me. On the computers you can log into wechat, zalo or your email. They let me skip the queue when I went to fix mistakes.
Finally I resubmitted my application and it was fine. I paid at another counter, 690k. Apparently I must come back and pay $139 USD cash to pick my passport up. If you don't know, you can get USD on gold street. In total I was there for about 2-2.5 hours. It said it will be ready in 3-5 days.
Documents needed: copy of passport bio and signature page original passport copy of your vietnam business visa or TRC 2 copies of your passport photo (I recommend going to a photo shop and having them email you the soft copies so you can get more printed and also use the same picture on the application) invitation letter a copy of your company's business license (this was NOT listed on the chinese visa website)

Hi,
Feel like to share the recent timeline and experience for applying Schengen Visa from TLS France in London. I got MEV for 90days stay, valid for 6 months (tourism).

• Appointment: Monday, 13 May 24
• Application transferred to consulate: 13 May
• Application in Process: 14 May
• Application Process completed: 17 May, also received email from TLS that application ready for collection, but opt in for delivery
• Royal mail attempt to delivery: Saturday, 18th May, but I'm out from home so at the end I received my passport back on Monday, 20th May

At the appointment, the officer actually mentioned it's approximately 21days, but I think I got lucky because it's done within a week time. The appointment itself is quite straight forward although very expensive.
Total cost £258.47, with break down:

• visa bot for available slot notification: £35
• prime appointment & courier: £125.20 (gave up to find for normal slot as it's get booked very quick or I just happened to be not in front of computer when the normal slot out)
• Insurance (a week): £29.19
• Visa application: £69.08

Although the appointment is straight forward, I found the overall application process is quite an overwhelming experience as I need to go back and forth between two website.

1. Filled out application on https://france-visas.gouv.fen/web/france-visas/home
2. Select the TLS branch that you want to get appointment with and filled another form https://visas-fr.tlscontact.com/visa/gb
3. Tried to find appointment in TLS contact. If you refresh the page too many times, it will pop up a box that saying you are blocked by Cloudflare firewall. I ended up frustrated and paid for the bot to notify the slot opening. The regular appointment get filled out fast.
4. Secure the appointment and paid for the appointment and courier.
5. Apparently you have to go back to https://france-visas.gouv.fen/web/france-visas/home to print out the application form. The draft watermark on the application should be gone by the time you secured your appointment.
6. Printed all the requirements and went to the TLS on the appointment date.

On the appointment date:

1. There's an officer that will ask you to line up before entering the building (he will ask to line up based on your appointment time)
2. Bag security check
3. Line up for the first check (make sure you are in the right Country queue)
4. First counter - checking the appointment date/time and also the application.
5. Wait for your application shown on the screen and go to the counter that you're directed to go from the screen.
6. Second counter - submit all the application. The officer will ask a copy of BRP and will return it back to you. I was asked another a copy of my passport, BRP, and also a copy of my photo and signed another application. I suspected because I put the resident permit expiry date as my visa expiry date instead of my BRP expiry date. I only bring a copy of share code, but they apparently asked the print out from the web that has your photo on it. This counter is the counter that will take the payment for the visa. They will return to you the application in a sealed folder.
7. Wait for biometric.
8. Submit the folder and take biometric.
9. Done

I think that's all I can think of on the experience. Hope it will be useful to some of us.
:)

The Zoo - A NoSleep story
***
Full job description:
Immediate Opening!
Night shift zoo managesecurity. All-weather foot patrol opportunity for a “night-owl”, who enjoys working outdoors and with minimal supervision.
Under general direction of the manager of the zoo, the Security Guard patrols the zoo grounds on a regular basis throughout the shift. Responds in a timely and professional manner to a wide variety of routine and emergency situations.
Requirements: BA in wildlife, biology, etc, which provides the required knowledge, skills, and background for this position. Valid Florida Driver’s License with good driving record is desirable. First Aid and CPR certification preferred.
The qualified candidate has the ability to use independent judgment in handling routine as well as the capacity to perform under stress when confronted with an emergency, unusual, or dangerous situation. Ability to oversee animals’ well-being, monitor conditions, create enrichment activities, and exercise safety precautions.
The Security Guard must be able to walk and remain on feet a full shift (up to 8 hours), and potentially up to 12 hours at a time. Must be able to exert a minimum of 50 pounds of force and able to lift, push or pull, or otherwise move objects that may exceed 50 lbs. Ability to negotiate all areas of the zoo in all weather conditions.
Note: Zoo is haunted.
***
I’ll start with the job posting, I guess. I spotted it on Indeed while making my daily check for anything and everything that would hire someone with my biology degree, and it seemed on the up and up. Their website looked decent, the guy on the phone sounded nice, and I was looking for anything even slightly related to working with wildlife. Being a night shift guard at a zoo was fine, especially when I took the incredibly generous rate of $25/hr. into account. That’s eleven bucks more than my dad makes at the local grocer, and he’s been working there for thirteen years. Then again, from the P.S. on the posting, I thought there might be good reason for the rate.
It said at the end, almost as an afterthought, ‘Zoo is haunted.’
When it comes to ghosts, they’ve never made much sense to me. Considering how badly our brains function from just getting jostled around on a football field, I’m not sure how ghosts could exist without a brain at all. I’d be excited as the next person to find proof, but YouTube videos are always fishy and the people on TV are essentially actors who only focus on the entertainment factor for their ratings. So, since I’d never seen anything that vaguely resembled a ghost, I’d say binge-watching Supernatural on Netflix last year was the extent of my experience in that department.
It seemed that the zoo hadn’t been here for long since it wasn’t even on Google Maps yet. There was a bit of a commute, it was half an hour away, but since I’d worked local jobs while I attended college online for the past four years, I’d saved up the money to buy a car. It wasn’t anything fancy, just an old Nissan sedan that I’d bought from someone in the next town over, with faded red paint and a mismatched back right door painted blue. It accomplished the job of transportation, though, which let me search the job market further away, a good thing considering how small a town I lived in. I really didn’t want to leave home yet, so moving for a job in a city or another state wasn’t an appealing option.
The website said very little. It had yet to fill in drop down menus that would excitedly describe their attractions. So far it only had some small sections about conservation and education, though that was intriguing because it mentioned that all the animals they had were endangered. I read that notation and wondered what the animals were. Mammals were always favorites of mine, which I know is a bit of a cliché, loving the furry ones. But when it comes down to it, I’ll take any animal over a person.
The employee entrance to the zoo was a door in the large steel gate that surrounded the property, a few yards down from the sliding gate that presumably opened to let visitors in. I pressed the button on a panel beside it, glancing up at the camera, and I was buzzed in. There was a short path that led to the building near the front and I knocked politely before going inside.
The interviewer, a plain metal nameplate on his desk describing him as Director of Security for the zoo, welcomed me in and sat on the other side of his desk, lounging back in his desk chair. His name was Andrew Higgs, and he had a British accent, which I thought was cool. I sat in one of the two loveseats in front of the desk.
Andrew was dressed business casual, with a blue Polo shirt, a thin black jacket, and I saw he was wearing slacks when he stood up to shake my hand. He was black, with dreadlocks that stopped just short of his shoulders, and a closely trimmed mustache. There was a tattoo, an artistic rendition of a hippo, on the right side of his neck, which bode well in my opinion. So many places hiring these days were overly uptight about their employees’ appearance, but it seemed that wouldn’t be the case here.
We went over the basics before he picked up the piece of paper off his desk, my resume, which he’d printed out. “Well, I spoke to all three of your references,” Andrew noted. “They had some good things to say. You were a great employee on the farm you worked last summer, your boss said. Punctual, hard-working, took instructions well…”
That was nice to hear. I’d spent this past summer working at a dairy farm, mostly assigned to the goats and cows they kept for milk. Aside from the staggering muscle pain that tapered from agony to merely miserable by the end of the summer, it wasn’t a bad job. I did have an old shoulder injury that I always had to work around, but it was my left shoulder and I was a righty, so it wasn’t that difficult to manage.
If anything, the muscle pain in my back and legs from being on my feet all day distracted from the typical issue I dealt with. My standard exercising day-to-day was typically either riding my bike or yoga, although yoga is mind-numbingly boring, so I need to listen to a podcast to pass the time. So, in fact, through the job, I was sort of grateful that my brain was focusing on a different area of my body that was in pain. Yeah, chronic pain is weird.
“He also said you don’t work well with others,” Andrew added, glancing up to me. “You kept submitting complaints about incompetent coworkers?”
I pursed my lips and let out a long breath through my nose, considering the most delicate way I was capable of replying to that before saying, “I dislike stupid people.”
Andrew gave me a half-smile and sighed, replying, “Well, I must confess I’m not fond of them either.” He looked back down to the paper. “This job will be a great fit for you.”
The job interview seemed like a formality, and I don’t know why. I was twenty-three and the ink had barely dried on my degree from the online college I’d attended. I’d been applying to jobs for months and had been thrilled when I’d gotten a call for an interview for this one, but also surprised. Call me a cynic, but I expected more invasive questions about any past work I’d done for a job in security, since I was a woman.
It's not like I was petite. Actually, the most common word I’d heard to describe me is ‘built’, and I fall short of being labeled overweight only because of muscle mass. One comment I recall from high school was being teased for being shaped like a rectangle. Even so, there was no good reason to look a gift horse in the mouth, but of course, me being me, that meant I examined its teeth closely.
“So, you’re hiring me? Just like that? Why?”
Andrew, chuckled. “Look, you’ve got BA in wildlife biology, and specializing in animal behavior is just the cherry on the sundae. That tells me you know animals are not people, and even if you feel like you know them, they can still be unpredictable. They can hurt you. But also, it makes me know you care.”
I suppose that did make sense, and it was true, so I’m glad he knew that. Most of my job on the night shift would be watching cameras and then walking around the place to make sure all the animals were as they should be, but it was more than that. Working at a zoo meant knowing where the line was, and sometimes it wasn’t exactly at the fence, but sometimes just putting a single finger through that fence meant losing that finger. As a whole, humans are generally idiots. Looking at you, anyone who really, honestly thinks that a bobcat would sense your boundless love enough to let you pat it.
“The website didn’t have much about the animals,” I said. “I know this place is new, so you might not have info on them up on the site yet. Do you have a map for me?”
“Oh, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Andrew said with a wave of his hand. At that point, it had seemed to be a reasonable thing for him to say, but I will tell you, the reason was not what I thought. “Just to confirm, you’re not an early bird, Miss Mason? This schedule isn’t a concern?”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m pretty talented at sleeping in, actually. I never really got past that teenage talent of staying up until five and sleeping in until three. And you can just call me Ripley.”
That made him smile. “Good. Then I won’t worry about you falling asleep on the job, Ripley.”
“Oh, no way.”
“All right. So. You saw the note at the end of the job posting?”
He just stared at me and I was forced to answer, “That the zoo is haunted.”
“Right. What are your thoughts on that?”
There was no easy answer to that question, especially depending on how seriously he took it. “Do you know the best word the Brits gave to us?”
“What’s that?”
“Bollocks.”
Andrew slowly smiled and pointed at me with the end of the pen in his hand. “I think I’m going to like you,” he remarked. “Look…this is the part of the interview where we switch gears. If this was a regular zoo, you’d be a shoo-in for the job. But we’ve got other boxes to check. This outfit is…basically a preservation society. As you saw on the site, all the species are endangered, but what it didn’t say online is that the only people who came to visit are private parties.”
“So, that means…what?” I asked. “You bring in super-rich people who feel special when they get to see the animals you’re rehabilitating and taking care of? Then they donate oodles of money so they can brag to their rich friends about their charity contributions and having seen the animals here?”
Andrew raised his eyebrows. “Pretty much got it in one. It’s just more preservation and less rehabilitation. And a lot of our patrons really do care about the animals, or else they would just donate and not visit. You’ll see tourists a couple times a week, but we decided not to have anyone until we’re settled in here, and that means a person who’s on during the night shift that I can count on. And I don’t know if I can count on you yet.”
“Wait, I’ll see the tourists?” I asked. “They visit at night?”
“Everything we have is nocturnal,” he told me. That struck me as odd, but he continued before I could question it. “Listen up, and I’ll start with the basics. Have you ever seen anything weird? Possibly supernatural?”
“Nope,” I said with a shrug.
The fact is, I got along with my classmates, but I never did have any close friends. So, I thought maybe that’s why I missed out on all those reckless teen moments that started every horror movie. Maybe it left me without a bunch of exciting stories to tell. But hey, at least I didn’t break my leg falling through the floor of an abandoned building in eleventh grade.
Yes, that happened. It was a classmate of mine by the name of Brent. And yes, he’s just as much of a moron as you would imagine.
“If you see the ghost here,” he said, his tone emphatic, “will you freak out?”
I paused. “You’ve seen the ghost?”
“All the time,” Andrew told me. “It’s a young woman in a blue shirt and tan slacks, looks like she just walked out of a lake.”
“Do you have a picture?”
“No, and absolutely no photos or video are to be taken of her,” he said, his tone abruptly turning stern. “It’s cause for immediate dismissal. We have video cameras for security, but they all record off-site in a secure location, and Suzanne Cooper, the owner, manages it herself. Firstly, the ghost deserves privacy rather than exploitation, she’s not to be displayed like one of our animals, but secondly, people believe in ghosts. One leaked photo of her connecting it to us means we get overrun by ghost hunters, and if we trace it back to you, you’re done.”
Andrew seemed next-level serious about that, so I nodded. “Understood. That makes sense.”
The animals were the priority after all, I knew. I preferred them over people anyway, and that included dead people. Even if I could get a video of this ghost doing cartwheels back and forth through a wall, I would never post it and spread word of where I’d taken it. Andrew was right; the zoo would never get the paranormally-obsessed to stay away and would definitely have to relocate.
He continued, “If you’re curious, she’s never so much as tried to hurt anyone. But the zoo has moved before, and she moved with us.”
“She moved with you?” I asked, my eyebrows rising. “Is it like one of those stories where she’s attached to something in the zoo rather than a place?”
“More complicated than that,” he said. Then he grimaced. “She died because she was too ambitious with one of our animals. It never should have happened, but she… She was foolish, you’d say. Attempted to interact with one of the animals, got too close, and honestly, she should have known better. I thought she did.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered. “What killed her?”
He stared at his hands and shook his head. “It was before my time.”
It was clear Andrew was a true believer, but I still really wasn’t sure at that point. How was I supposed to react, though? Zoos have fences and tall barriers for a good reason. Not just to keep the animals away from us, but also the other way around, and ‘death by stupidity’ is not uncommon amongst humans. So, the story wasn’t outrageous, but still, I’d never so much as experienced something unexplainable. But if I saw a ghost, I suppose that’d be that.
“I just need to know, plain and simple, if you’re the kind of person who can handle things that are terrifying,” Andrew told me, splaying his hands. “Our last night shift bloke there was with us for years and years, but we spent months going through other employees. There were six we tried before we found him.”
“Six?” I exclaimed.
He snorted. “Yes, six. Let’s see…” Andrew counted off each one on his fingers. “The first two, the first night they saw the ghost, they lost it. One called me in a panic, babbling, and I had to get out of bed and drive to the zoo to send him home, and the second quit, although at least she made it to the next morning and didn’t drag me out here,” he said, his voice thoughtful. “They just thought I was blowing smoke up their bums with the whole thing.”
He shrugged. “Then, the third one was a bloke who was asleep when I got there in the morning, so I had to fire him. Then another ghost freak-out. The fifth bloke was someone who couldn’t deal with the animals, and then the sixth was so scared of the ghost that when I got here, he was already outside the zoo, pacing, waiting for my car. Apparently he’d said some stuff, rude or mean or whatnot, to try to get her to leave him alone and she had followed him back into the security room, so he fled. I need the opposite of those folks. Alright?”
At this point, I was starting to take it more seriously. Sure, this could just be Andrew’s thing, that he believed in ghosts and then made up these sightings to ensure I believed him. But if I saw her? What would I do?
Well, this would be my job, so I would have to take it seriously. Maybe that was why the pay was so good, to make employees think twice before ditching it. From Andrew’s perspective, if it really was haunted, he was the one who had to deal with applicant after applicant quitting as soon as they laid eyes on the guest who would never leave.
“So…honestly, I can’t say I won’t freak out, considering how next level this is,” I told him, feeling compelled to go with honesty, “but yeah. I think I can handle it, mostly because it’s important for someone to look after this place, look after the animals, so I’d do my best to work around anything that freaks me out. I mean, I have to say that I’ll believe it when I see it. But if ghosts really exist, as long as it isn’t some serial killer who stuck around to keep gutting people, I’ve always thought it’d be cool to find out we can exist after we die.”
The thing is, I think I did believe him. I thought there might really be a ghost there, because otherwise, why take it so seriously? It could’ve been that Andrew had only glimpsed her out of the corner of his eye a few times and could ascribe it to lack of sleep, but he was literally worried about word getting out. I thought that being halfway to believing him would give me the mental preparation I needed if I saw her. At least, I’d hoped so.
It turned out that most of my time would be spent at the security desk in the main building, near the entrance. Real-time footage played through thirty-five cameras around the zoo, all on a large screen that was five cameras across and seven cameras top to bottom. The cameras were impressive. I would mention the resolution, say something about them being 4K, but Andrew explained some stuff about how it’s actually the lens that is the biggest selling point. Looking at these cameras on the giant screen, I could see practically every corner of the place, and if I brought up one camera in particular to encompass 2/3 of the screen, I could zoom in so far that it felt like I could use it to check if one of the animals had fleas.
The zoo was well lit, not surprising considering nighttime was apparently the zoo’s business hours, and all of the tall lamps had red bulbs. For those of you who know why, A+ to you. For those who don’t, fun fact, it’s because red is closest to the dark and your eyes don’t need to strain to adjust to it. That meant I didn’t need my flashlight all that often, and even that was red, a solid name-brand one that had been on my desk when I arrived. I kept the white lights on back in the security room, though, because I didn’t want to make my brain think it was time to get tired.
When I headed out for my first sweep on that first night, I had the folded map in my pocket, but I already knew my way around. The layout of the zoo wasn’t that difficult to memorize, since there were only eleven expansive enclosures, and after the interview I walked around for half an hour to start training my memory. I’ll admit, working in a dark environment was creepier than I thought it would be.
I do want to mention the high quality of the zoo. The size of each enclosure was considerable, and the greenery was natural, hinting that they’d hired a pricey professional just to do landscaping toward the front of the enclosures after buying the land. The backs of the enclosures backed up into forestry, and from the estimate I got from Andrew, it seemed each of the animals had plenty of roaming space, including the small lake at the northwest corner and a manmade lake for one of the animals in particular. When I considered all of that, the thought passed through my head about how horrible it would be if word got out about the zoo having a ghost and needing to relocate, because it’d be devastatingly expensive.
My orders were to walk the zoo once every hour. This was my first security gig, so I’m not sure if that’s more or less than typical, but I had my comfy hiking boots on, the ones I’d saved up for and invested in a couple years earlier and were perfect for a job where I had to do laps around an area. This job was one that I didn’t have to worry about my shoulder pain worsening, since it was mostly about being on my feet. I take one or two Vicodin a day, depending on how bad my pain is. It came in handy in high school, actually. With a flexible ‘take as needed’ prescription, I occasionally sold pills for extra cash.
There wasn’t much to step in and there weren’t even any dips in the concrete sidewalks that I followed around in a route that easily led me back and forth until I made my way back to the office. The first three nights were actually boring. I would have thought Andrew had been pranking me about the ghost, but like I said, it hadn’t felt like that. And he hadn’t been specific about when she showed up for new people, or even for him.
To keep myself busy, I’d brought my e-reader with me, and I got into a cycle of looking over each of the cameras every time I hit the end of a chapter. I’m a pretty fast reader, so it was a good system. Also, every once in a while, I looked up if something moving caught my eye, like an owl flying close enough for the camera to catch it, but that’s about it.
Then, every hour on the hour, I did a walk through. The fourth night, I was passing by the small lake at the back left corner of the property when I saw her.
People say that you can tell if someone’s staring at you, that there’s some sixth sense humans have. It’s not true; they’ve done experiments. But the thing is, all those experiments were of someone human looking at them. After this last shift, I would guess that the sixth sense that sends goosebumps down your arms, the one that makes you feel an intangible pressure, that slides your body toward fight or flight mode, might be true of…other things.
Slowly coming to a stop at the disturbing feeling, I hesitantly looked around, through the trees. Then my heart skipped a beat and my breath hitched. It was startling because she wasn’t moving. Just standing among the trees, staring at me. I broke out in a cold sweat as I stared back at her, unsure what to do. I didn’t run. I didn’t try to talk to her. I just stood there. So, there’s my answer to Andrew: I didn’t freak out. I just froze.
The woman was Latina, her skin tone pallid from death, and was dressed as he’d described her, in slacks and a silky blue blouse. And she was soaked, as if she’d just walked out of the lake. Beyond that, her shirt was drenched in blood from what looked like claw marks across her abdomen. Her eyes were dark and penetrating, boring holes into me, as if she were able to get any and all knowledge that she wanted about me simply by glaring. The fabric of her shirtsleeves clung to her skin and was dripping, as was her long black hair. Speaking of her hair, it appeared to have seaweed woven into it, or maybe she also grew seaweed along with hair. Not my area of expertise.
The look on her face was indescribable. There was something deep in her eyes, behind her closed-off expression, that made my heart beat rapidly. Maybe I would’ve projected some emotion into her face if I’d had any idea of what she was capable of, whether she could move objects, or possess me, or if all she did was hang around. As things stood, I was left just projecting my fears, which gave me the impression that she was cross with me simply for being present. It felt like I was trespassing, even though I was a dozen feet back from the fence that encircled the enclosure. And also, this was my job so I was explicitly allowed to be here.
She was disturbingly close, and remained unnaturally still. If she had attacked me, I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done. Ran, probably, but considering ghosts probably don’t follow the laws of physics, maybe she could’ve chased me at Usain Bolt speed. For all I knew, she could teleport.
After an amount of time that felt awkwardly long, I finally spoke up.
“Hi,” I croaked.
The woman slowly tilted her head but didn’t otherwise move. I’d forgotten to ask Andrew for her name, I realized, but he had mentioned her death had been before his time, so maybe he didn’t know.
Swallowing hard, I tried to take a slow, deep breath, even though it felt like there was a cinder block on my chest. “So, I, uh…I work here now,” I said slowly. “I’m night shift security.” Pausing, I kept trying to gather information from her demeanor but failed. “Is that okay?”
At that, I saw a hint of curiosity flash across her face. “Why would it not be?” Her voice sounded completely normal, which was an off-putting contrast to her appearance.
Good question. Hell if I know the answer. “I don’t know. I mean…you were here first. I don’t know if you feel like I’m…intruding…or something.”
“You’re just doing your job,” she said, her tone softening a smidge.
I waited to see if she wanted to say anything else before saying, “Right.” Can I get you anything? A towel? Some bandages? “I’ll be going now.”
The woman made no movement to come after me as I gradually took one step, then another, keeping her in my sights as I walked off. I finally had to turn to face forward, unable or unwilling to be seen by her foolishly walking away backwards. Instead of continuing my sweep, I took the path that would lead me back to the security room. I kept looking behind me and felt her eyes on me all the way back, though I didn’t see her following me. At that point, even if she hadn’t moved an inch, my brain was on red alert when it came to self-preservation and figured I would continue to feel like a wet hand might grab me from behind at any moment.
Finally, I returned to the security room, swiping my card across the panel at the back door with a beep. Opening the door, darting inside, and slamming it behind me, I walked to the far side of the room and turned around, putting my back to the wall. Until I’d gotten back, I hadn’t noticed how fast I’d been walking, how quickly I’d been gasping for air. Leaning back against the wall, my legs turned to jelly and I slowly slid to the floor.
And that was it. My first sighting of the ghost. I’d thought that if I had seen her, there would be some part of me that was skeptical, that would reason my way out of it, convinced it was a prank. But I knew. She wasn’t a person. At least, not anymore.

SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI = mysql+pymysql://user:password@host/database_name 

Need to replace with actual user, password, database_name. Unable to figure out.
The database created through app.py:

# Configure database connection details (replace with your credentials) try: config = ConfigParser() config.read("config.ini") DATABASE_URI = config.get("DATABASE", "SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI") except (FileNotFoundError, KeyError) as e: print(f"Error: Configuration file or database details not found: {e}") exit(1) engine = create_engine(DATABASE_URI) Base = declarative_base( 

Right now, created a new project on CodeSpace and added app.py and index.html files.
Error showing on terminal once flask run command given:

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/home/ubuntu/.local/lib/python3.12/site-packages/pymysql/connections.py", line 358, in __init__ self.connect() File "/home/ubuntu/.local/lib/python3.12/site-packages/pymysql/connections.py", line 711, in connect raise exc sqlalchemy.exc.OperationalError: (pymysql.err.OperationalError) (2003, "Can't connect to MySQL server on 'host' ([Errno -5] No address associated with hostname)") (Background on this error at: https://sqlalche.me/e/20/e3q8) ^C finalproject/ $ 

UPDATE: This reply by AI tool appears helpful:
I'd be glad to help you with the MySQL credentials issue in your CS50 Codespace project. Here's a comprehensive response combining the best aspects of previous responses and addressing security concerns:
Understanding MySQL Credentials in CS50 Codespaces:

• CS50 Environment Restrictions: CS50 Codespaces typically limit direct database access due to security and resource management constraints. You cannot create or manage MySQL databases directly within the Codespace environment.
• Alternative Approach: CS50 provides a virtual database service called "SQLite" that's pre-configured and doesn't require separate credentials.

Steps to Use SQLite:

1. Install and Configure:
   • If sqlite3 isn't installed in your Codespace, run:Bashsudo apt-get install sqlite3
   • In your app.py file, modify the database connection details to use the SQLite dialect:PythonSQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI = 'sqlite:///mydatabase.db' # Replace 'mydatabase.db' with your desired database name
2. Create Database (Optional):
   • If you want a new database named mydatabase.db, you can initialize it by running this command outside of your Flask application (e.g., in your terminal):Bashsqlite3 mydatabase.db ".quit"
   • This creates an empty SQLite database file in your Codespace.
3. Run Your Flask Application:
   • With the SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI set correctly, you should be able to run your Flask application using flask run.

Security Considerations:

• Avoid Storing Credentials: Never store sensitive database credentials (even for local development) in version-controlled files like config.ini. This exposes them if the file is accidentally shared.
• Environment Variables: Consider using environment variables for storing credentials in a more secure way. However, CS50 Codespaces might have limitations regarding environment variable usage.

Additional Tips:

• CS50 Documentation: Refer to the official CS50 documentation for specific instructions related to working with databases in their Codespace environment.
• Alternative Databases: If you require a more robust database solution than SQLite, consider exploring cloud-based options like MySQL on a separate platform (outside of CS50 Codespaces).

By following these steps and keeping security in mind, you can use SQLite effectively for your CS50 Codespace project without encountering connection issues or exposing sensitive credentials.