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2024.05.19 19:19 Subject_Actuator1280 Something brightly yellow in the water
The bright yellow terror
‘’Every now and then I would stare at the murky brown water below and see several small glimpses of bright yellow popping up from and then retreating down below the surface in rhythmic fashion. Like a dance routine. Bright deadly yellow. The rotting sweet stench of death still lodged in my nostrils.’’
I had happened upon these diary pages by mistake when I was digging through old boxes in my basement. My wife had insisted, finally, that I sort out and get rid of everything I didn’t need. Now here I was, confronted with a part of my past I had tried to suppress unsuccessfully for so many years. 24 years to be exact. 24 odd years of trying to understand what exactly happened in those days when I was trapped on a rooftop in Phuket during a deadly and disastrous natural catastrophe.
24 odd years of having to dodge around questions of my abject and unwavering fear of the ocean. Well, in truth, I guess being caught in a large tsunami and witnessing immense destructive forces of nature coming directly from the great wide ocean would be a fair excuse, but it was only half the truth. It wasn’t just the waves themselves that had terrified me.
Until now, I thought the water damaged remains of the diary I kept back then was lost. I even hoped it was. I never shared this story with anyone. Partly because the horror was too fresh in my memory back then and I wanted to focus on moving on with my life and by the time I felt my mind was stabilized I had no real interest in returning to that dark part of my past. Partly because the right words always escaped me.
Mostly because I was afraid people would think I was insane. I can no longer contain this, however. I need an outlet. I spend years running from it. But I guess I can’t lie to myself anymore. Someone once told me that writing can be therapeutic. Simply putting your thoughts down on paper, or in our times, more likely in word document, can help you compartmentalize trauma. So, I’m giving it a try. I can’t pretend the events of those days in Phuket didn’t cast a shadow over everything in my life that came after.
I often think of the beach days I missed with my son when he was a boy. Days where I should’ve done dad stuff. Thrown him into the ocean. Watched him laugh his little face of as he braved the waves. Helped him build sandcastles. Gone exploring along the sandy shores in search of beached treasure in the form little rocks and the odd piece of amber. I just couldn’t. Initially I had objected to the idea of him going at all. Naturally, my wife would hear none of that and I realized reluctantly, that my fear and trauma should not rule my son’s life. Instead, my wife would go, and I would always stay home. She understood, to some degree, what I had gone through and where my fear came from.
Only to some degree. My son did not, and I fear he resented my absence on those perfect sunny days, despite my efforts to make up for it with other activities. Both he and my wife certainly noticed how closed off I was about certain parts of my past. Secrets untold, especially those who are grounded in trauma, almost inevitably turns to toxic in our systems. I’m finally ready. I just hope it isn’t too late.
I won’t lie. I’ve always had a vivid imagination although I have never had trouble distinguishing between what is real and what is not. At least until my sense of reality was forever challenged. I know these things happened to me. I know what I saw and what I experienced was real. I just don’t have a truly rational explanation for it. Yet, I swear, there was something in the water that came with that tsunami. Something deeply, deeply unnatural. Something brightly and oddly yellow. I had no other word for it than the bright yellow terror.
I had travelled to Thailand, more precisely Bangkok late December 2000. 19 years old about to turn 20. I was on one of those infamous and increasingly popular self-discovery trips. I had caught the fever. Like so many other young hopeful adventurers at the time I had seen The Beach. I had read into the wild by Jon Krakauer.
I watched Dicaprio walk the sandy shores of paradise and read on in excitement and awe as Christopher McCandles set out to become one with nature and discover himself. Kill the false being within and all that. In simple terms, I thought I’d try and find my own slice of heaven on earth. Expand my horizon. Get to know some new people. Learn something about myself in the process perhaps. I wasn’t exactly fleeing from anything, that wasn’t it. I had a loving although cuddling and overprotective family. Especially my mom would worry about me constantly (and still does).
Yes, I admit it. My parents had paved the way for me at almost every step. Made sure I got into the right schools. Made sure I never needed for money. I guess I got tired of feeling dependent on them. I stopped taking their money and saved up for the trip myself. It was time I stepped up. It was time I threw myself into the world to see what would happen. Hell of a time and place I picked for that.
The following story is based on the surviving pages of the diary I kept during the time and my own memory.
Bangkok 23rd December 2000. 4 days before the tsunami.
‘’My first day in Bangkok. Quite overwhelming but in a nice way. No one here to save me. No one here to tell me what to do. Thailand is hot and humid and there’s something in the air. I think it’s adventure. I think it’s limitless opportunity. I met a monkey in a diaper and got thoroughly beaten and lost 100 bath in a game of connect four by some 10-year-old kid. Got scammed as well though, I will have to wise up and learn the ropes. Avoid the yellow taxis. Go for the Tuk Tuks. Well, lesson learned. I met a guy who told me all kinds of terrifying things about Australia. Robert. I’m meeting him in Phuket a couple of days from now.’’
You could probably imagine the excitement bubbling within me. For the first time on my own. 19 years old. Prime of my life. In a strangely new and exotic city. Possibilities seemed endless. I still remember vividly driving off with the wind in my hair in a tuk-tuk as Bangkok unfolded before me with all its oriental mysticism and surrounding cityscapes. To be fair, I had never even seen an honest to god palm tree before as they simply couldn’t grow in the northern climate I was from.
I got myself stationed in a decent guesthouse around Khaosan Road. Everywhere I looked it seems others had gotten the same idea as me. Backpackers littered the streets and in a strange way, I felt at home amidst this quiet chaos, amidst the crowds of hopefully likeminded explorers, far, far away from home. The humidity was hitting me though, it was something I would have to get used to. It felt like a wet hot invisible blanket. Khaosan Road was perfect for me. A meeting place for young backpackers, with tons of opportunities to plan further travels. I did after all, not plan on staying in Bangkok for too long. It was just a stepping point to other adventures.
It was still early, and the humidity was clammy as hell. I was in the mood to socialize and with no real plans I simply ventured out into the streets of Bangkok, circling around the area where my guesthouse was located. It wasn’t long before the first opportunity presented itself in the form of a taxi driver calling me over. He offered to take me on a tour of the city. Foolish and naïve as I was, I indulged him. I remember how the cab driver lit up a doobie, joint, spliff, devil’s lettuce whatever you want to call it.
You know it as soon as you breathe in the air. Don’t get me wrong, I smoked myself, but letting a clearly high person drive me around the busy Bangkok traffic did not seem like a good idea. I should probably have asked to be let out that very moment, but as the kind of timid, shy type of person I was plus the desire to just go along with whatever happened come what may made me stay. Unsurprisingly I was eventually led to a store, fitted for a suit a didn’t want, and then subsequently charged an obscene amount for the cab ride. I didn’t have the courage to refuse his unreasonable demand. Noteworthy mention. That same night I heard from a fellow traveler that just recently someone had been stabbed in an argument with a cab driver. I didn’t let it get me down or drive me off course, because as you’ve probably gathered by now, I didn’t have a course.
As day turned to night and when the sun’s rays slowly disappeared behind the rooftops of Bangkok, the city itself began to transform. As if a part of it which had laid dormant, hidden away from the light, started to emerge.
Neon lights advertising different bars, people making all kinds of promises of untold pleasures and sensations. Tourists ready to party. All now filled the streets. Some seemed all too aware of what they were looking for, others simply drifted around aimlessly, in search of something unknown, something to spice up their existence. I found a small seemingly cool place called The Hangover. I swear to god, I wish to this day I hadn’t. Maybe then I wouldn’t have set my course for Phuket. In any case, I went in and pushed myself through the crowds of rowdy and loud tourists and up the bar where I ordered a Pina Colada. Please don’t judge me. I just really like coconuts and the song is pretty good as well. Standing at the crowded bar and looking around, hoping something interesting would catch my eye. But most of all, I was hoping someone would just take the first step and come talk to me.
Someone did. His name was Robert, and he was from Australia. A tall skinny and no-nonsense older guy who seemed quite experienced with all things Thailand. He eventually invited me down to his group of friends at the far back end of the bar. Robert spared no time telling me about himself. He had worked all kinds of jobs, in all kinds of places. Most recently he had worked as a guide in Phuket. Among other things he had arranged rock climbing expeditions. I probably forgot to mention, I was big into rock climbing and generally all kinds of outdoor activities back then.
I already had quite the climbing experience despite my young age. As Robert talked about all the places he’d been, he made me feel like the novice I was. That was never his intention though, as I quickly learned. He wasn’t a bragger. He just knew what he was talking about and when he laughed, he did it with his entire face and in a way that made you laugh with him and feel comfortable.
Eventually the conversation naturally gravitated towards Australia. A place I had always wanted to visit. He looked at me for a second, as if to contemplate something. Then told me to watch out for locals trying to play pranks on me. I was naturally interested in hearing more and that’s when he told me about drop bears. Supposedly drop bears are carnivorous versions of Koalas residing in trees to then drop down on unsuspecting victims and viciously attack them. We laughed quite a lot, and I admitted I would probably have believed the stories as I was a fairly naive person and the idea of hostile subspecies of koalas didn’t seem that farfetched to me. It would be typical of past me to get punked around like that. Our conversation then shifted towards Australian wildlife and fauna and the horrors residing within its diverse and complicated eco system. He told me about a plant not uncommonly referred to as the suicide plant. Dendrocnide moroides or more commonly known as stinging tree, stinging bush or gympie gympie apparently has such a nasty and painful sting it made a man commit suicide simply to escape the pain. Another dangerous inhabitant was the box jellyfish he explained.
Their sting was about as deadly as it gets. A single sting to a human will cause necrosis of the skin, excruciating pain and, if the dose of venom is large enough, cardiac arrest and death within minutes. I have always found jellyfish equal parts fascinating and equal parts frightening. Beautiful but deadly creatures. In fact, the ocean, in all its grand wide-reaching glory had always horrified me to some extent. So much unexplored space. Who truly knows what could be lurking down there? Robert quickly assured me, that as long as you take your precaution the likelihood of getting stung by a box jellyfish was rather small. They had signs up warning people against them. Generally, do not ignore these signs. They are there for a good reason.
It was getting late and before we said our goodbyes Robert suggested I meet him in Phuket, more precisely in the Khao Lak area on the 28th as that was the first day he would be able to. I thought why not? He seemed genuinely nice and knowledgeable. Just good company all around and he promised to show me the greatest climbing spots a bit away from the crowded tours. It was a start.
I would never meet Robert again. I don’t know what happened to him. Thinking back on those days leading up to the point the waves came crashing down always gives me an uneasy, sad, and melancholic feeling. The people I met in Bangkok talking about going south. Those I met in Phuket before it happened. I have no idea if they ended up as corpses floating through the murky brown waters or god forbid, victims of that unholy terror from the deep. I hope Robert wasn’t among those unfortunate souls who died or went… ‘’Missing’’. Although if I must pick one or the other. I would hope he died quickly.
Bangkok 24th of December 2000. 3 days before the tsunami.
I woke up with a slight hangover. Christmas is commonly celebrated on this date in my country, so I was expecting some calls to go through on my brick sized Nokia at some point once all the good folks back home woke up. They were about 5 hours behind me and at 9 AM Bangkok time they would still be sleeping. I used the time to do some shopping before my trip to Phuket. I got plenty of rope, a couple of snap hooks and a harness. I knew they’d have all of this on the guided tours, but I liked to find my own spots to climb, and I had good sense and knowledge enough to not attempt anything too daring. By the way. For those uninitiated, snap hooks are used to make a quick, reversible connection on a system of ropes, or to connect a rope or cord to another component, like a lanyard medallion or barrier post. Essential if you want to go climbing. If you’ve ever gone ziplining it’s the thing that connects you safely to the zipline and lets you slight across.
After having done my shopping, I bought a bus ticket to Phuket intending on leaving that same night and went back to my hotel room. As exciting as Bangkok was, I felt it was more for people intend on partying and in all honesty, a bit too crowded for me. I was excited to move on and I could always come back if I wanted to. On my way into the reception area, I was stopped by a young hip looking dude looking for a cigarette. Now I don’t necessarily consider myself a perfect judge of character, but he had an easy-going way about him that immediately drew me in. Sometimes, you can just tell.
He had sort of a rugged look about him. Dirty blond half-long hair. His face I would best describe as boyish but something in his eyes betrayed him and revealed his age to be older than you would assume. His style was… Boheme I guess I would describe it as. Like something taken out of the 70s LA scene. I’m not a smoker. Never was. So, I couldn’t help him on that front. It didn’t matter he would find someone else he said. For a while we just casually talked. Apparently, he had come to Bangkok just a few days prior and seemed about as lost and without direction as I had been before deciding on taking my chances in Phuket. Alex was his name, and he would later save my life and help me understand what it means to forge a quick and unbreakable connection through shared trauma, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere and get a beer. I thought why not? He was about my age and on his own as well. I told him I had to go make some calls and I’d be out in about an hour. Back the hotel room I quickly gathered all my stuff and packed it up, so it was ready to go. My climbing gear took up the most space. I figured if things went well with Alex, I might be able to persuade him in joining me at some point in Phuket. Even though I had set out for this trip to be about discovering myself and being on my own, I longed for some kind of company. Don’t we all? I called my parents up and we wished each other a happy Christmas. It was odd to think they were somewhere nearly half-way across the world celebrating Christmas while snow draped the landscapes there. Here I was, In hot and humid paradise. No, I did not miss the cold or the snow, but I did miss not being there to celebrate the holidays with my family. But it had been my choice to go during the holiday season and I did not regret it. I had saved up enough money and there was no point in waiting anymore. There would be many other holidays to celebrate in the future.
My 5-year-old nephew somehow got a hold of the phone. Not quite the conversationalist yet, it still felt good to hear his voice. Hearing his excitement over the prospect of celebrating Christmas brought me back to my own childhood. Decorating the Christmas tree, watching holiday cartoons and of course, opening presents. I finished my calls and went out to see if Alex was ready. He was already waiting for me and had apparently managed to score some cigarettes in the meantime. He had changed his outfit as well. Now wearing a faded black doors t-shirt. We talked a bit about Jim Morrison and the doors as we headed off down streets. We passed a myriad of small stands selling everything from electronics to colorful t-shirts and small bracelets with campy misspelled English catchphrases. We dodged the many intrusive offers and eventually found a small comfy looking bar with seats outside shaded by palm trees. We ordered a couple of beers and the conversation started flowing along quite nicely. Alex was 25 and from London It turned out. We also had a common interest in music. For a while he had busked as a street musician while working odd jobs here and there and had eventually decided to travel the world.
His first stop had been India where for a while he had lived on the rooftop of some abandoned building while attempting to learn the art of playing the sitar. I thought about that for a second. Living it rough on some rooftop in India. I don’t know why that idea intrigued me so much. Seemed like freedom to me, I guess. Sleeping under the wide-open skies. Looking down on the streets and watching people go about their lives. I guess I just liked the idea of doing something that seemed different from what I had ever done before. Living on a rooftop, if even just for a while, was definitely not something I had done before. There was the view as well, Alex reminded me. And it was free of course. We drifted off into long conversations about music I won’t bore you too much with, only to let you know we shared a passion for old school music like the doors and Jimi Hendrix as well as 90s shoegaze music like My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive. I had Slowdive’s Shine playing in my mind that day. All felt so dreamy at the time.
I eventually told Alex of my plans to go to Phuket and he was onboard almost immediately. I loved how easy it was here on the road. There was no ‘’well maybe’’, or ‘’let’s think about it.’’ In fact, Alex had been to Phuket before and knew of a place we could stay for free. Another rooftop of course, but he had already sold me on the idea. From there, we could plan our next step he said. ‘’our next step’’ I don’t remember vibing with someone that quickly before or since, but then I guess making friends is always easier when you’re young and easy going. I always seemed to attract good company without much effort back then. I chalk it down to my friendly and slightly shy demeanor. Seems it only becomes harder to make friends as the years pass though. At least for me it did.
We got a bus ticket for Alex and shopped a bit more. I got some first aid supplies. Bandages, plasters, that kind of stuff. Rock climbing is safe, mind you, but you can end up scraping yourself and I felt in general, being prepared for whatever might be a good idea if I was to live it rough on some rooftop. The bus-ride to Phuket took about 12 hours give or take. By going at night, we could sleep most of the way and be in Phuket early morning on the 25th. The trip down was uneventful. We would take turns listening to music on Alex’s Walkman or talk about things we saw along the way. Like roadside bars and restaurants who were little more than a tin roof covering a few plastic chairs and brightly colored menu cards. Everything seemed simpler here, in the best ways possible.
No big flash, no fanfares or luxury. Nothing pretentious. Just a calm, laid back atmosphere and friendly smiles from the locals as we passed by. Alex told me he wanted to start a band blending elements of Shoegaze with classic rock and insisted I learn to play the drums as he had tried but found no luck. String instruments were more him he told me. I told him jokingly if he could come up with a good name, I might be down. He just nodded and looked out the window and started talking about how beef was a rare and more expensive ingredient in Thai cuisine, and I wondered about the sudden random change of subject. Although we had talked a lot during the short time we had known each other, Alex was still a mystery to me in many ways. Judging from all the things he told me he seemed like a person who dreamed big, but never really followed through
An unfinished education. Scribbles on pieces of paper that ended up gathering dust in his drawer instead of turning into a book. A band that never really took off because he lost interest or didn’t deem that it was good enough to get successful. He talked at length about leaving a legacy. It seemed to be something that concerned him. I guess he wanted to put his mark on the world. To be remembered. To live on in some small way. I had never really thought about it myself although I did have a fascination with historical people and the lives they lived. In fact, when I do read I mostly read biographies. I just never had any ambition like that myself. I don’t need the world to know my name, or sing my praises, or remember me. Good friends, family and a sense of freedom and adventure was enough. I had tried to ask Alex about his family and friends back home, but he seemed avoidant and always found a way to change the subject without really providing any meaningful information. At certain points, I sensed a carefully hidden sadness behind his otherwise optimistically youthful and bright blue gaze.
Phuket 25th of December 2000. 2 days before the tsunami.
Alex woke me up. It was 9 AM and we had arrived at the Phuket bus terminal 1 near Phang Nga Road. We were here. Alex explained to me that the there were several derelict and abandoned buildings perfect for establishing a free of charge rooftop domicile in an area not too far from the resorts of Khao Lak. Phuket back then wasn’t exactly the overcrowded tourist spot it is today, but it was well on the way. I understood why. The scenery was beautiful. Long sandy beaches with small island dots in the horizon, begging to be explored. Giant limestone cliffs covered in green shrubs. It did seem like paradise to me, without being too far away from civilization. I guess despite my adventurous nature, I wasn’t quite ready at that point, to walk into the wild, which is why Khao Lak seemed perfect as a start for me.
We found the area Alex had talked about. Several derelict buildings were concentrated in a small area divided by a main street that if followed long enough, led to an area with shops and places to dine. We set our eyes on what looked like an abandoned apartment complex. It was derelict, rugged looking and it seemed clear at first that no one lived there. Its ghostly façade begged us inside to explore and we accepted the invitation. As we made our way in, through a busted window in the back, we quickly became aware that the place might not be as abandoned as we had initially thought. Several signs of squatters such as cooking utensils and sleeping mats lay scattered here and there. Alex quickly rationalized that it could just be other backpackers, or it could be the people had moved on. I shrugged and we decided to make our way to the roof. We made our way to the top floor and accessed a broken-down door that led directly out onto the roof. I must admit, besides excitement, I was somewhat hesitant. Any doubt I had disappeared when we first stepped onto the rooftop terrace. It was perfect. It seemed it had functioned as a balcony or space of sorts the inhabitants could make use of for gatherings.
The entire space was surrounded by a fence. Several palm trees shaded the northwest corner which was perfect for when things got too hot. In the middle a small shed or janitorial sort of building stood. We found some cleaning materials, brooms, some parasols in there as well as an old rusty grill. The view was great. We could see the large beachfront in the far distance surrounded by limestones. After inspecting the area and finding it to our liking we sat down, and Alex broke out a bottle of whiskey. Unaware of the horror that would later unfold here, we celebrated in the shade of the palm trees. We had found our place for a while. Our place.
After a while we decided to put some money in the local economy and shop for supplies.
Essentials: Water. Cigarettes. Booze. The devil’s lettuce. Cooking utensils. Although none of us was admittedly any much of a cook. But what the hell. Can’t be seen dining out every night when we were trying to live off the fat of the land so to speak. I know, ridiculous. We were squatters. Nothing more. But heck, we would move on if we became a problem for any one here. We weren’t trying to be a bother.
Optional but greatly wanted: A blow-up animal mascot. Maybe a dolphin if possible. Some new music for Alex’s walk-man. A guitar. Decorating artifacts of any kind to make our domicile more personal.
We more or less got everything we needed and started setting up base. Getting our hands on something funny to smoke proved the biggest challenge but Alex finally succeeded at a beachfront bar. Some friendly Norwegian dude who had connections apparently. He warned us against being too open about doing drugs, even if was ‘’just’’ marijuana. Thailand had a strict approach to drugs. We thanked him and he told us to just come back here at the bar if we needed more, he was usually around.
Afternoon was rolling around and there we were. Sitting atop Phuket. On our very own rooftop presidential suite. We decorated the place with a few things we found. Among them ‘’Arthur’’ our blow-up shark (they had no dolphins). Alex had come up with the name, I asked him why ‘’Arthur’’ but in what I had quickly come to know as typical Alex fashion he just shrugged it off. We just smoked a bit and drank some booze as the evening progressed and I told Alex about Robert and Australia and all the nasty things that could kill you there. I’m not sure why, but it had made an impression on me. Insects, rare poisonous creatures, stuff like that was nightmare fuel for me. Don’t even get me started on spiders. Alex was a bit more laid back on that front. He seemed most amused and interested in the suicide plant and wondered if some poor soul had ever mistakenly used it as toilet paper and we had a good hard chuckle over that idea. Poor soul indeed.
As night rolled on stars started popping up on a clear night the sky and I learned that Alex had a fascination with the universe. Particularly the idea of multiverses and infinite universes. What if somewhere out there we were looking back at ourselves. Slightly different but still us. Sometimes it seemed to me he longed to be anywhere else but where he was. Maybe trapped in the past he was so reluctant to share with me. Then we started talking about time. I don’t exactly remember why. I think he brought it up.
Anyway, Alex had a lot to say about time. Like how he believed our perception of time is tied to our experiences. For example, someone who spends their life not stepping up, not really taking risks or chances, just following along the stream, just following the routine, in essence, just killing time, might experience time as having moved fast when they look back, because there are simply less variety, less volume, less memories to look back on. We don’t remember routines, we remember breaking them, we remember doing new things, meeting new people, being in new places. It creates the illusion that gives time volume, that makes it seem fuller, longer. I liked that idea a lot. It made sense to me. Make sure you live life to the fullest and waste as little time as possible.
I told him about my 10th grade math teacher and how he said something about time I will never forget. Our perception of time can be measured mathematically. For example, to a 4-year-old turning 5 the transition of a year will seem much longer than it will to a 24-year-old turning 25. Because 1 in 5 is a larger fraction than 1 in 25. It blew my mind. The longer you live, the faster time seem to pass. But I agreed with him, maybe the quality and variety of the life you live and the memories you make has an affect too. Alex made a ‘’boom’’ motion with his hands around his head and laughed. We were quite stoned at that point and well, some of you might know how being stoned sometimes throws you into these philosophical conversations. It was nice. I enjoyed the ease with which I could talk to Alex about all kinds of things.
At one point I asked him a hypothetical. If he could go back in time and change just one thing, what would he do. He fell silent. I once again sensed the sadness creeping behind his eyes. It was if he was about to answer, like he was sizing me up but then shot the idea down. Time travel is impossible, so why bother was his only response and I accepted that whatever troubled him in the past, was not for me to know even if my interest only grew stronger and stronger.
I told him about my family. My overprotective mother. My father and his desperate attempts to get me interested in cars. About my older sister and my nephew. Alex nodded and asked the usual polite questions. When the subject came to my little brother his interest seemed to spark significantly. How old was he? Was I good older brother? Did I look out for him? I didn’t think much about it at the time other than finding it curious how interested he seemed to be. When we finally settled in the for night, under the starry sky, I slipped into a nightmare. It was the same I had had years earlier when I was 16. Back then I was having a hard time adjusting to the new school I had started at and maybe because of that stress I was having nightmares coupled with sleep paralysis.
I would lie in my bed, paralyzed. On my side, facing the door to my room. I often had the light on outside of the room and it would shine in through the open door. This one time , I saw dark figure approaching. Optimistically I assumed it was my mom, coming to wake me up. Although as the dark figure approached, I quickly realized this wasn’t so. No words were uttered. The eerie figure just slowly came closer, until it was right by my bed side. It sat down and I realized it was an old woman or man. It was hard to tell, because its face was literally just a mish mash of wrinkled flesh. No eyes and no mouth either. But it mumbled through its mouthless face. Speaking in tongues.
I spent some considerable time afterwards wondering what it could have been trying to communicate to me. I know of course, this was all just my mind playing tricks on me. Yet, that experience was, I suppose, my first nudge towards believing there’s more between heaven and earth than we might know. It seemed aggressive in any case. My insides were screaming as I desperately tried to wiggle myself awake as I had sometimes successfully done during paralysis. I eventually woke up. Drenched in sweat. Back then though, I had actually been in my room, and in the dream the room had stood clearly for me as it actually looked in reality which only made it seem more real. This time, I woke up next to Alex, still drenched in sweat. Alex had woken up. I had screamed in my sleep apparently. He comforted me in an almost brotherly show of affection. It took me by surprise a bit. I appreciated it, though it only made me wonder about him even more. I would have to solve the mystery behind Alex I decided. I would have to truly gain his trust. Figure him out. And I did.
Phuket 26th of December 2000. 1 day before the tsunami.
‘’Alex played the guitar a bit and I drummed up some beats. It needed some work, but not half bad. We came up with a name for our band to be as well. Subway sleepers. Based on Alex’s time sleeping in the subway of London. It was another hot perfect day on the rooftop. We talked about going climbing the next day and I can’t wait to show Alex the joys of rock climbing. Everything is peaceful here. No stress. Just living life. Smoking it up. Meeting new people. We talked some more with that Norwegian weed dude and invited him and a couple of his friends up to ‘’our’’ place for a party. Another near perfect day.’’
Looking at these diary scribbles is making me feel it all over again. The serenity of those calm worriless summer days (well it was winter back home but it felt like summer here. Strange that) leading up to disaster. Always calmest before the storm they say. This was our last day before everything changed. Before I got a lesson in humanity. In stress under crisis. Before everything I thought I knew changed forever in the meeting with something that surely shouldn’t exist in this world.
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‘’Every now and then I would stare at the murky brown water below and see several small glimpses of bright yellow popping up from and then retreating down below the surface in rhythmic fashion. Like a dance routine. Bright deadly yellow. The rotting sweet stench of death still lodged in my nostrils.’’
I had happened upon these diary pages by mistake when I was digging through old boxes in my basement. My wife had insisted, finally, that I sort out and get rid of everything I didn’t need. Now here I was, confronted with a part of my past I had tried to suppress unsuccessfully for so many years. 24 years to be exact. 24 odd years of trying to understand what exactly happened in those days when I was trapped on a rooftop in Phuket during a deadly and disastrous natural catastrophe.
24 odd years of having to dodge around questions of my abject and unwavering fear of the ocean. Well, in truth, I guess being caught in a large tsunami and witnessing immense destructive forces of nature coming directly from the great wide ocean would be a fair excuse, but it was only half the truth. It wasn’t just the waves themselves that had terrified me.
Until now, I thought the water damaged remains of the diary I kept back then was lost. I even hoped it was. I never shared this story with anyone. Partly because the horror was too fresh in my memory back then and I wanted to focus on moving on with my life and by the time I felt my mind was stabilized I had no real interest in returning to that dark part of my past. Partly because the right words always escaped me.
Mostly because I was afraid people would think I was insane. I can no longer contain this, however. I need an outlet. I spend years running from it. But I guess I can’t lie to myself anymore. Someone once told me that writing can be therapeutic. Simply putting your thoughts down on paper, or in our times, more likely in word document, can help you compartmentalize trauma. So, I’m giving it a try. I can’t pretend the events of those days in Phuket didn’t cast a shadow over everything in my life that came after.
I often think of the beach days I missed with my son when he was a boy. Days where I should’ve done dad stuff. Thrown him into the ocean. Watched him laugh his little face of as he braved the waves. Helped him build sandcastles. Gone exploring along the sandy shores in search of beached treasure in the form little rocks and the odd piece of amber. I just couldn’t. Initially I had objected to the idea of him going at all. Naturally, my wife would hear none of that and I realized reluctantly, that my fear and trauma should not rule my son’s life. Instead, my wife would go, and I would always stay home. She understood, to some degree, what I had gone through and where my fear came from.
Only to some degree. My son did not, and I fear he resented my absence on those perfect sunny days, despite my efforts to make up for it with other activities. Both he and my wife certainly noticed how closed off I was about certain parts of my past. Secrets untold, especially those who are grounded in trauma, almost inevitably turns to toxic in our systems. I’m finally ready. I just hope it isn’t too late.
I won’t lie. I’ve always had a vivid imagination although I have never had trouble distinguishing between what is real and what is not. At least until my sense of reality was forever challenged. I know these things happened to me. I know what I saw and what I experienced was real. I just don’t have a truly rational explanation for it. Yet, I swear, there was something in the water that came with that tsunami. Something deeply, deeply unnatural. Something brightly and oddly yellow. I had no other word for it than the bright yellow terror.
I had travelled to Thailand, more precisely Bangkok late December 2000. 19 years old about to turn 20. I was on one of those infamous and increasingly popular self-discovery trips. I had caught the fever. Like so many other young hopeful adventurers at the time I had seen The Beach. I had read into the wild by Jon Krakauer.
I watched Dicaprio walk the sandy shores of paradise and read on in excitement and awe as Christopher McCandles set out to become one with nature and discover himself. Kill the false being within and all that. In simple terms, I thought I’d try and find my own slice of heaven on earth. Expand my horizon. Get to know some new people. Learn something about myself in the process perhaps. I wasn’t exactly fleeing from anything, that wasn’t it. I had a loving although cuddling and overprotective family. Especially my mom would worry about me constantly (and still does).
Yes, I admit it. My parents had paved the way for me at almost every step. Made sure I got into the right schools. Made sure I never needed for money. I guess I got tired of feeling dependent on them. I stopped taking their money and saved up for the trip myself. It was time I stepped up. It was time I threw myself into the world to see what would happen. Hell of a time and place I picked for that.
The following story is based on the surviving pages of the diary I kept during the time and my own memory.
Bangkok 23rd December 2000. 4 days before the tsunami.
‘’My first day in Bangkok. Quite overwhelming but in a nice way. No one here to save me. No one here to tell me what to do. Thailand is hot and humid and there’s something in the air. I think it’s adventure. I think it’s limitless opportunity. I met a monkey in a diaper and got thoroughly beaten and lost 100 bath in a game of connect four by some 10-year-old kid. Got scammed as well though, I will have to wise up and learn the ropes. Avoid the yellow taxis. Go for the Tuk Tuks. Well, lesson learned. I met a guy who told me all kinds of terrifying things about Australia. Robert. I’m meeting him in Phuket a couple of days from now.’’
You could probably imagine the excitement bubbling within me. For the first time on my own. 19 years old. Prime of my life. In a strangely new and exotic city. Possibilities seemed endless. I still remember vividly driving off with the wind in my hair in a tuk-tuk as Bangkok unfolded before me with all its oriental mysticism and surrounding cityscapes. To be fair, I had never even seen an honest to god palm tree before as they simply couldn’t grow in the northern climate I was from.
I got myself stationed in a decent guesthouse around Khaosan Road. Everywhere I looked it seems others had gotten the same idea as me. Backpackers littered the streets and in a strange way, I felt at home amidst this quiet chaos, amidst the crowds of hopefully likeminded explorers, far, far away from home. The humidity was hitting me though, it was something I would have to get used to. It felt like a wet hot invisible blanket. Khaosan Road was perfect for me. A meeting place for young backpackers, with tons of opportunities to plan further travels. I did after all, not plan on staying in Bangkok for too long. It was just a stepping point to other adventures.
It was still early, and the humidity was clammy as hell. I was in the mood to socialize and with no real plans I simply ventured out into the streets of Bangkok, circling around the area where my guesthouse was located. It wasn’t long before the first opportunity presented itself in the form of a taxi driver calling me over. He offered to take me on a tour of the city. Foolish and naïve as I was, I indulged him. I remember how the cab driver lit up a doobie, joint, spliff, devil’s lettuce whatever you want to call it.
You know it as soon as you breathe in the air. Don’t get me wrong, I smoked myself, but letting a clearly high person drive me around the busy Bangkok traffic did not seem like a good idea. I should probably have asked to be let out that very moment, but as the kind of timid, shy type of person I was plus the desire to just go along with whatever happened come what may made me stay. Unsurprisingly I was eventually led to a store, fitted for a suit a didn’t want, and then subsequently charged an obscene amount for the cab ride. I didn’t have the courage to refuse his unreasonable demand. Noteworthy mention. That same night I heard from a fellow traveler that just recently someone had been stabbed in an argument with a cab driver. I didn’t let it get me down or drive me off course, because as you’ve probably gathered by now, I didn’t have a course.
As day turned to night and when the sun’s rays slowly disappeared behind the rooftops of Bangkok, the city itself began to transform. As if a part of it which had laid dormant, hidden away from the light, started to emerge.
Neon lights advertising different bars, people making all kinds of promises of untold pleasures and sensations. Tourists ready to party. All now filled the streets. Some seemed all too aware of what they were looking for, others simply drifted around aimlessly, in search of something unknown, something to spice up their existence. I found a small seemingly cool place called The Hangover. I swear to god, I wish to this day I hadn’t. Maybe then I wouldn’t have set my course for Phuket. In any case, I went in and pushed myself through the crowds of rowdy and loud tourists and up the bar where I ordered a Pina Colada. Please don’t judge me. I just really like coconuts and the song is pretty good as well. Standing at the crowded bar and looking around, hoping something interesting would catch my eye. But most of all, I was hoping someone would just take the first step and come talk to me.
Someone did. His name was Robert, and he was from Australia. A tall skinny and no-nonsense older guy who seemed quite experienced with all things Thailand. He eventually invited me down to his group of friends at the far back end of the bar. Robert spared no time telling me about himself. He had worked all kinds of jobs, in all kinds of places. Most recently he had worked as a guide in Phuket. Among other things he had arranged rock climbing expeditions. I probably forgot to mention, I was big into rock climbing and generally all kinds of outdoor activities back then.
I already had quite the climbing experience despite my young age. As Robert talked about all the places he’d been, he made me feel like the novice I was. That was never his intention though, as I quickly learned. He wasn’t a bragger. He just knew what he was talking about and when he laughed, he did it with his entire face and in a way that made you laugh with him and feel comfortable.
Eventually the conversation naturally gravitated towards Australia. A place I had always wanted to visit. He looked at me for a second, as if to contemplate something. Then told me to watch out for locals trying to play pranks on me. I was naturally interested in hearing more and that’s when he told me about drop bears. Supposedly drop bears are carnivorous versions of Koalas residing in trees to then drop down on unsuspecting victims and viciously attack them. We laughed quite a lot, and I admitted I would probably have believed the stories as I was a fairly naive person and the idea of hostile subspecies of koalas didn’t seem that farfetched to me. It would be typical of past me to get punked around like that. Our conversation then shifted towards Australian wildlife and fauna and the horrors residing within its diverse and complicated eco system. He told me about a plant not uncommonly referred to as the suicide plant. Dendrocnide moroides or more commonly known as stinging tree, stinging bush or gympie gympie apparently has such a nasty and painful sting it made a man commit suicide simply to escape the pain. Another dangerous inhabitant was the box jellyfish he explained.
Their sting was about as deadly as it gets. A single sting to a human will cause necrosis of the skin, excruciating pain and, if the dose of venom is large enough, cardiac arrest and death within minutes. I have always found jellyfish equal parts fascinating and equal parts frightening. Beautiful but deadly creatures. In fact, the ocean, in all its grand wide-reaching glory had always horrified me to some extent. So much unexplored space. Who truly knows what could be lurking down there? Robert quickly assured me, that as long as you take your precaution the likelihood of getting stung by a box jellyfish was rather small. They had signs up warning people against them. Generally, do not ignore these signs. They are there for a good reason.
It was getting late and before we said our goodbyes Robert suggested I meet him in Phuket, more precisely in the Khao Lak area on the 28th as that was the first day he would be able to. I thought why not? He seemed genuinely nice and knowledgeable. Just good company all around and he promised to show me the greatest climbing spots a bit away from the crowded tours. It was a start.
I would never meet Robert again. I don’t know what happened to him. Thinking back on those days leading up to the point the waves came crashing down always gives me an uneasy, sad, and melancholic feeling. The people I met in Bangkok talking about going south. Those I met in Phuket before it happened. I have no idea if they ended up as corpses floating through the murky brown waters or god forbid, victims of that unholy terror from the deep. I hope Robert wasn’t among those unfortunate souls who died or went… ‘’Missing’’. Although if I must pick one or the other. I would hope he died quickly.
Bangkok 24th of December 2000. 3 days before the tsunami.
I woke up with a slight hangover. Christmas is commonly celebrated on this date in my country, so I was expecting some calls to go through on my brick sized Nokia at some point once all the good folks back home woke up. They were about 5 hours behind me and at 9 AM Bangkok time they would still be sleeping. I used the time to do some shopping before my trip to Phuket. I got plenty of rope, a couple of snap hooks and a harness. I knew they’d have all of this on the guided tours, but I liked to find my own spots to climb, and I had good sense and knowledge enough to not attempt anything too daring. By the way. For those uninitiated, snap hooks are used to make a quick, reversible connection on a system of ropes, or to connect a rope or cord to another component, like a lanyard medallion or barrier post. Essential if you want to go climbing. If you’ve ever gone ziplining it’s the thing that connects you safely to the zipline and lets you slight across.
After having done my shopping, I bought a bus ticket to Phuket intending on leaving that same night and went back to my hotel room. As exciting as Bangkok was, I felt it was more for people intend on partying and in all honesty, a bit too crowded for me. I was excited to move on and I could always come back if I wanted to. On my way into the reception area, I was stopped by a young hip looking dude looking for a cigarette. Now I don’t necessarily consider myself a perfect judge of character, but he had an easy-going way about him that immediately drew me in. Sometimes, you can just tell.
He had sort of a rugged look about him. Dirty blond half-long hair. His face I would best describe as boyish but something in his eyes betrayed him and revealed his age to be older than you would assume. His style was… Boheme I guess I would describe it as. Like something taken out of the 70s LA scene. I’m not a smoker. Never was. So, I couldn’t help him on that front. It didn’t matter he would find someone else he said. For a while we just casually talked. Apparently, he had come to Bangkok just a few days prior and seemed about as lost and without direction as I had been before deciding on taking my chances in Phuket. Alex was his name, and he would later save my life and help me understand what it means to forge a quick and unbreakable connection through shared trauma, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere and get a beer. I thought why not? He was about my age and on his own as well. I told him I had to go make some calls and I’d be out in about an hour. Back the hotel room I quickly gathered all my stuff and packed it up, so it was ready to go. My climbing gear took up the most space. I figured if things went well with Alex, I might be able to persuade him in joining me at some point in Phuket. Even though I had set out for this trip to be about discovering myself and being on my own, I longed for some kind of company. Don’t we all? I called my parents up and we wished each other a happy Christmas. It was odd to think they were somewhere nearly half-way across the world celebrating Christmas while snow draped the landscapes there. Here I was, In hot and humid paradise. No, I did not miss the cold or the snow, but I did miss not being there to celebrate the holidays with my family. But it had been my choice to go during the holiday season and I did not regret it. I had saved up enough money and there was no point in waiting anymore. There would be many other holidays to celebrate in the future.
My 5-year-old nephew somehow got a hold of the phone. Not quite the conversationalist yet, it still felt good to hear his voice. Hearing his excitement over the prospect of celebrating Christmas brought me back to my own childhood. Decorating the Christmas tree, watching holiday cartoons and of course, opening presents. I finished my calls and went out to see if Alex was ready. He was already waiting for me and had apparently managed to score some cigarettes in the meantime. He had changed his outfit as well. Now wearing a faded black doors t-shirt. We talked a bit about Jim Morrison and the doors as we headed off down streets. We passed a myriad of small stands selling everything from electronics to colorful t-shirts and small bracelets with campy misspelled English catchphrases. We dodged the many intrusive offers and eventually found a small comfy looking bar with seats outside shaded by palm trees. We ordered a couple of beers and the conversation started flowing along quite nicely. Alex was 25 and from London It turned out. We also had a common interest in music. For a while he had busked as a street musician while working odd jobs here and there and had eventually decided to travel the world.
His first stop had been India where for a while he had lived on the rooftop of some abandoned building while attempting to learn the art of playing the sitar. I thought about that for a second. Living it rough on some rooftop in India. I don’t know why that idea intrigued me so much. Seemed like freedom to me, I guess. Sleeping under the wide-open skies. Looking down on the streets and watching people go about their lives. I guess I just liked the idea of doing something that seemed different from what I had ever done before. Living on a rooftop, if even just for a while, was definitely not something I had done before. There was the view as well, Alex reminded me. And it was free of course. We drifted off into long conversations about music I won’t bore you too much with, only to let you know we shared a passion for old school music like the doors and Jimi Hendrix as well as 90s shoegaze music like My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive. I had Slowdive’s Shine playing in my mind that day. All felt so dreamy at the time.
I eventually told Alex of my plans to go to Phuket and he was onboard almost immediately. I loved how easy it was here on the road. There was no ‘’well maybe’’, or ‘’let’s think about it.’’ In fact, Alex had been to Phuket before and knew of a place we could stay for free. Another rooftop of course, but he had already sold me on the idea. From there, we could plan our next step he said. ‘’our next step’’ I don’t remember vibing with someone that quickly before or since, but then I guess making friends is always easier when you’re young and easy going. I always seemed to attract good company without much effort back then. I chalk it down to my friendly and slightly shy demeanor. Seems it only becomes harder to make friends as the years pass though. At least for me it did.
We got a bus ticket for Alex and shopped a bit more. I got some first aid supplies. Bandages, plasters, that kind of stuff. Rock climbing is safe, mind you, but you can end up scraping yourself and I felt in general, being prepared for whatever might be a good idea if I was to live it rough on some rooftop. The bus-ride to Phuket took about 12 hours give or take. By going at night, we could sleep most of the way and be in Phuket early morning on the 25th. The trip down was uneventful. We would take turns listening to music on Alex’s Walkman or talk about things we saw along the way. Like roadside bars and restaurants who were little more than a tin roof covering a few plastic chairs and brightly colored menu cards. Everything seemed simpler here, in the best ways possible.
No big flash, no fanfares or luxury. Nothing pretentious. Just a calm, laid back atmosphere and friendly smiles from the locals as we passed by. Alex told me he wanted to start a band blending elements of Shoegaze with classic rock and insisted I learn to play the drums as he had tried but found no luck. String instruments were more him he told me. I told him jokingly if he could come up with a good name, I might be down. He just nodded and looked out the window and started talking about how beef was a rare and more expensive ingredient in Thai cuisine, and I wondered about the sudden random change of subject. Although we had talked a lot during the short time we had known each other, Alex was still a mystery to me in many ways. Judging from all the things he told me he seemed like a person who dreamed big, but never really followed through
An unfinished education. Scribbles on pieces of paper that ended up gathering dust in his drawer instead of turning into a book. A band that never really took off because he lost interest or didn’t deem that it was good enough to get successful. He talked at length about leaving a legacy. It seemed to be something that concerned him. I guess he wanted to put his mark on the world. To be remembered. To live on in some small way. I had never really thought about it myself although I did have a fascination with historical people and the lives they lived. In fact, when I do read I mostly read biographies. I just never had any ambition like that myself. I don’t need the world to know my name, or sing my praises, or remember me. Good friends, family and a sense of freedom and adventure was enough. I had tried to ask Alex about his family and friends back home, but he seemed avoidant and always found a way to change the subject without really providing any meaningful information. At certain points, I sensed a carefully hidden sadness behind his otherwise optimistically youthful and bright blue gaze.
Phuket 25th of December 2000. 2 days before the tsunami.
Alex woke me up. It was 9 AM and we had arrived at the Phuket bus terminal 1 near Phang Nga Road. We were here. Alex explained to me that the there were several derelict and abandoned buildings perfect for establishing a free of charge rooftop domicile in an area not too far from the resorts of Khao Lak. Phuket back then wasn’t exactly the overcrowded tourist spot it is today, but it was well on the way. I understood why. The scenery was beautiful. Long sandy beaches with small island dots in the horizon, begging to be explored. Giant limestone cliffs covered in green shrubs. It did seem like paradise to me, without being too far away from civilization. I guess despite my adventurous nature, I wasn’t quite ready at that point, to walk into the wild, which is why Khao Lak seemed perfect as a start for me.
We found the area Alex had talked about. Several derelict buildings were concentrated in a small area divided by a main street that if followed long enough, led to an area with shops and places to dine. We set our eyes on what looked like an abandoned apartment complex. It was derelict, rugged looking and it seemed clear at first that no one lived there. Its ghostly façade begged us inside to explore and we accepted the invitation. As we made our way in, through a busted window in the back, we quickly became aware that the place might not be as abandoned as we had initially thought. Several signs of squatters such as cooking utensils and sleeping mats lay scattered here and there. Alex quickly rationalized that it could just be other backpackers, or it could be the people had moved on. I shrugged and we decided to make our way to the roof. We made our way to the top floor and accessed a broken-down door that led directly out onto the roof. I must admit, besides excitement, I was somewhat hesitant. Any doubt I had disappeared when we first stepped onto the rooftop terrace. It was perfect. It seemed it had functioned as a balcony or space of sorts the inhabitants could make use of for gatherings.
The entire space was surrounded by a fence. Several palm trees shaded the northwest corner which was perfect for when things got too hot. In the middle a small shed or janitorial sort of building stood. We found some cleaning materials, brooms, some parasols in there as well as an old rusty grill. The view was great. We could see the large beachfront in the far distance surrounded by limestones. After inspecting the area and finding it to our liking we sat down, and Alex broke out a bottle of whiskey. Unaware of the horror that would later unfold here, we celebrated in the shade of the palm trees. We had found our place for a while. Our place.
After a while we decided to put some money in the local economy and shop for supplies.
Essentials: Water. Cigarettes. Booze. The devil’s lettuce. Cooking utensils. Although none of us was admittedly any much of a cook. But what the hell. Can’t be seen dining out every night when we were trying to live off the fat of the land so to speak. I know, ridiculous. We were squatters. Nothing more. But heck, we would move on if we became a problem for any one here. We weren’t trying to be a bother.
Optional but greatly wanted: A blow-up animal mascot. Maybe a dolphin if possible. Some new music for Alex’s walk-man. A guitar. Decorating artifacts of any kind to make our domicile more personal.
We more or less got everything we needed and started setting up base. Getting our hands on something funny to smoke proved the biggest challenge but Alex finally succeeded at a beachfront bar. Some friendly Norwegian dude who had connections apparently. He warned us against being too open about doing drugs, even if was ‘’just’’ marijuana. Thailand had a strict approach to drugs. We thanked him and he told us to just come back here at the bar if we needed more, he was usually around.
Afternoon was rolling around and there we were. Sitting atop Phuket. On our very own rooftop presidential suite. We decorated the place with a few things we found. Among them ‘’Arthur’’ our blow-up shark (they had no dolphins). Alex had come up with the name, I asked him why ‘’Arthur’’ but in what I had quickly come to know as typical Alex fashion he just shrugged it off. We just smoked a bit and drank some booze as the evening progressed and I told Alex about Robert and Australia and all the nasty things that could kill you there. I’m not sure why, but it had made an impression on me. Insects, rare poisonous creatures, stuff like that was nightmare fuel for me. Don’t even get me started on spiders. Alex was a bit more laid back on that front. He seemed most amused and interested in the suicide plant and wondered if some poor soul had ever mistakenly used it as toilet paper and we had a good hard chuckle over that idea. Poor soul indeed.
As night rolled on stars started popping up on a clear night the sky and I learned that Alex had a fascination with the universe. Particularly the idea of multiverses and infinite universes. What if somewhere out there we were looking back at ourselves. Slightly different but still us. Sometimes it seemed to me he longed to be anywhere else but where he was. Maybe trapped in the past he was so reluctant to share with me. Then we started talking about time. I don’t exactly remember why. I think he brought it up.
Anyway, Alex had a lot to say about time. Like how he believed our perception of time is tied to our experiences. For example, someone who spends their life not stepping up, not really taking risks or chances, just following along the stream, just following the routine, in essence, just killing time, might experience time as having moved fast when they look back, because there are simply less variety, less volume, less memories to look back on. We don’t remember routines, we remember breaking them, we remember doing new things, meeting new people, being in new places. It creates the illusion that gives time volume, that makes it seem fuller, longer. I liked that idea a lot. It made sense to me. Make sure you live life to the fullest and waste as little time as possible.
I told him about my 10th grade math teacher and how he said something about time I will never forget. Our perception of time can be measured mathematically. For example, to a 4-year-old turning 5 the transition of a year will seem much longer than it will to a 24-year-old turning 25. Because 1 in 5 is a larger fraction than 1 in 25. It blew my mind. The longer you live, the faster time seem to pass. But I agreed with him, maybe the quality and variety of the life you live and the memories you make has an affect too. Alex made a ‘’boom’’ motion with his hands around his head and laughed. We were quite stoned at that point and well, some of you might know how being stoned sometimes throws you into these philosophical conversations. It was nice. I enjoyed the ease with which I could talk to Alex about all kinds of things.
At one point I asked him a hypothetical. If he could go back in time and change just one thing, what would he do. He fell silent. I once again sensed the sadness creeping behind his eyes. It was if he was about to answer, like he was sizing me up but then shot the idea down. Time travel is impossible, so why bother was his only response and I accepted that whatever troubled him in the past, was not for me to know even if my interest only grew stronger and stronger.
I told him about my family. My overprotective mother. My father and his desperate attempts to get me interested in cars. About my older sister and my nephew. Alex nodded and asked the usual polite questions. When the subject came to my little brother his interest seemed to spark significantly. How old was he? Was I good older brother? Did I look out for him? I didn’t think much about it at the time other than finding it curious how interested he seemed to be. When we finally settled in the for night, under the starry sky, I slipped into a nightmare. It was the same I had had years earlier when I was 16. Back then I was having a hard time adjusting to the new school I had started at and maybe because of that stress I was having nightmares coupled with sleep paralysis.
I would lie in my bed, paralyzed. On my side, facing the door to my room. I often had the light on outside of the room and it would shine in through the open door. This one time , I saw dark figure approaching. Optimistically I assumed it was my mom, coming to wake me up. Although as the dark figure approached, I quickly realized this wasn’t so. No words were uttered. The eerie figure just slowly came closer, until it was right by my bed side. It sat down and I realized it was an old woman or man. It was hard to tell, because its face was literally just a mish mash of wrinkled flesh. No eyes and no mouth either. But it mumbled through its mouthless face. Speaking in tongues.
I spent some considerable time afterwards wondering what it could have been trying to communicate to me. I know of course, this was all just my mind playing tricks on me. Yet, that experience was, I suppose, my first nudge towards believing there’s more between heaven and earth than we might know. It seemed aggressive in any case. My insides were screaming as I desperately tried to wiggle myself awake as I had sometimes successfully done during paralysis. I eventually woke up. Drenched in sweat. Back then though, I had actually been in my room, and in the dream the room had stood clearly for me as it actually looked in reality which only made it seem more real. This time, I woke up next to Alex, still drenched in sweat. Alex had woken up. I had screamed in my sleep apparently. He comforted me in an almost brotherly show of affection. It took me by surprise a bit. I appreciated it, though it only made me wonder about him even more. I would have to solve the mystery behind Alex I decided. I would have to truly gain his trust. Figure him out. And I did.
Phuket 26th of December 2000. 1 day before the tsunami.
‘’Alex played the guitar a bit and I drummed up some beats. It needed some work, but not half bad. We came up with a name for our band to be as well. Subway sleepers. Based on Alex’s time sleeping in the subway of London. It was another hot perfect day on the rooftop. We talked about going climbing the next day and I can’t wait to show Alex the joys of rock climbing. Everything is peaceful here. No stress. Just living life. Smoking it up. Meeting new people. We talked some more with that Norwegian weed dude and invited him and a couple of his friends up to ‘’our’’ place for a party. Another near perfect day.’’
Looking at these diary scribbles is making me feel it all over again. The serenity of those calm worriless summer days (well it was winter back home but it felt like summer here. Strange that) leading up to disaster. Always calmest before the storm they say. This was our last day before everything changed. Before I got a lesson in humanity. In stress under crisis. Before everything I thought I knew changed forever in the meeting with something that surely shouldn’t exist in this world.
2024.05.19 15:59 Spirit_Tired AITA For dating my ex's best friend?
Hello, English is not my first language, so I apologize for the grammar or any other errors. And also fake names!
I (18F) dated my ex (18M), who we'll call Jonh, for two years. We started in 2021. We were best friends before we started dating and we had the same group of friends. In the first year of dating everything was incredible. He cooked me food, gave me gifts, my mother liked him, I spent weekends at his house, we even watched One Piece together, but there was a day when I started to feel reluctant. We went to a friend's house to sleep, it was the two of us plus him and his girlfriend. I have insomnia, as I couldn't sleep I tried to wake him up so he could help me fall asleep and he kind of woke up but was still in a drowsy state, and he says he doesn't remember what I'm going to tell you now, he thought that I was waking him up so we could do naughty things so he put my hand down his pants. I just started crying and locked myself in the bathroom until I fell asleep. I "forgave him" because like I said, he doesn't remember it happening. But after I spoke to Laura, my best friend at the time, she said that this wasn't very normal, it was a very long conversation, and it made me realize that many of the sexual things we did, Jonh and I, were Against my will, I only did it because I wanted him to continue to like me. I didn't blame him at all, because it was trauma from my past relationship. I decided to talk to him, he understood and apologized profusely for not realizing it sooner. Over the next 3 to 4 months he always asked if I wanted it, but there were times when I said no, he made me feel bad about it. Laura told me to break up with him, she wasn't the only one in my group of girls, but love is blind right? I continued with him, I was still hoping he would change. (btw Laura and Jonh only talked in school and they really never liked each other)
In our group of friends there were 2 boys who were closest to Jonh. I was very close to James, I considered him like a brother, I've known him since I was 6 years old, but I vented to Stuart about my problems with Jonh, especially because James is not the best person to vent to unless it's 4 am and we're playing Minecraft. And this is important because James was my best friend besides Jonh and this is where things start going south.
On Valentine's Day, my favorite day of the year, I dressed up and put on makeup and everyone complimented me except John and James. I made a bouquet of origami flowers for Jonh, he didn't care about the bouquet at all and Stuart loved the bouquet and was super excited and asked how I made it and so on. We went to Jonh's house in the afternoon, I made some mixed heart-shaped puff pastries, and when I called him to the kitchen, he was sleeping, I ended up packing my things, and when I was about to leave he woke up and asked where I was going. I told him it was the worst Valentine's Day I've ever had, because I didn't receive anything or do anything together and he didn't even care about the gifts I gave him. He ended up crying and apologizing, I left angry, and for me that was the day I ended the relationship mentally. I couldn't take the shit anymore. I called Stuart when I got home and managed to stop crying.
Almost 2 months passed and I couldn't break up with Jonh, I was going to wait until the summer or until university started so he could distract himself and not get so bad, stupid I know. In April we went to London for 1 week, as a study visit, Jonh didn't go. I have a huge phobia of crowds, people in general, and as Jonh wasn't going to be there I asked James and Stuart to be with me when we left the hotel so I wouldn't have any attacks. The only one who was with me was Stuart and Robert, a friend of Stuart. James started making up rumors that I was cheating on Jonh with Stuart, what a friend I tell you. When Sophie, my rommie of the hotel room, told me this I cried, like, is my best friend making up shit about me? I called Jonh and told him the situation and that when I arrived back home I would tell him everything more calmly.
I thought it would end there, but to sum it all up, James never apologized to me for making up rumors, he started saying things to me and Stuart whenever we were together, Stuart didn't care and always stayed by my side. When we got home, I explained everything to Jonh and he believed James more than me, even though nothing had happened between Stuart and me, but Jonh ended up dropping the subject.
The four of us continued to hang out as if nothing had happened, but I was still very hurt by James.
One random Wednesday I decided I couldn't take it anymore, I called Robert and told him I was going to break up with Jonh, he said "u go girl". and I did it, over called, but I did it. I cried a lot, because hurting him hurts me, but it had to be done, for both of our sakes. I guess Robert called Stuart because within 5 minutes of finishing the call with John, Stuart was on his bike outside my house. He came up and was comforting me for almost 3 hours. After that day, Stuart almost always came to see if I was okay. We spent whole afternoons in my room talking or watching tiktoks, it was a comfort I didn't know I needed. James never spoke to me again, except to call me a whore. My best friend, Laura, told everyone that I had cheated on Jonh. My group stopped talking to me except for Jonh, he still wanted to know how I was. I made a new group of friends with Sophie and some of her friends. I was healing. Stuart continued to come to my house every afternoon. I started to like Stuart, and in June he told me he liked me.
On July we went to prom toghether and it was a dream come true. A few day after prom one of the few people who still talked to me said "you soudn't have gone to prom with Stuart, it hurted Jonh" and was like "why the hell would I care about hurting him? You guys didn't care when he hurted me over and over again! Besides Jonh doesn't even care about me dating Stuart, he just wants me to be happy, like you guys should to.", oh right I forgot, but Stuart talked with Jonh before asking me to prom, and Jonh was really chill about it. The people against me dating Stuart is everyone except Jonh! It doesn't make any sense!! My friends should be happy for me not calling me a slut.
But me and Stuart fought through everything and every small comment and now we've been dating for almost a year and I've never been so happy and well treated.
The worst part is James is in my university so I see him every now and then, and one of my roomates is his friend so sometimes he is in my house. James still talks shit about me, and it still hurts, because I loved James like a brother, only 4 or 3 people talk to me of my old 15 people friend group. And I want to know was I the asshole?
submitted by Spirit_Tired to CharlotteDobreYouTube [link] [comments]
I (18F) dated my ex (18M), who we'll call Jonh, for two years. We started in 2021. We were best friends before we started dating and we had the same group of friends. In the first year of dating everything was incredible. He cooked me food, gave me gifts, my mother liked him, I spent weekends at his house, we even watched One Piece together, but there was a day when I started to feel reluctant. We went to a friend's house to sleep, it was the two of us plus him and his girlfriend. I have insomnia, as I couldn't sleep I tried to wake him up so he could help me fall asleep and he kind of woke up but was still in a drowsy state, and he says he doesn't remember what I'm going to tell you now, he thought that I was waking him up so we could do naughty things so he put my hand down his pants. I just started crying and locked myself in the bathroom until I fell asleep. I "forgave him" because like I said, he doesn't remember it happening. But after I spoke to Laura, my best friend at the time, she said that this wasn't very normal, it was a very long conversation, and it made me realize that many of the sexual things we did, Jonh and I, were Against my will, I only did it because I wanted him to continue to like me. I didn't blame him at all, because it was trauma from my past relationship. I decided to talk to him, he understood and apologized profusely for not realizing it sooner. Over the next 3 to 4 months he always asked if I wanted it, but there were times when I said no, he made me feel bad about it. Laura told me to break up with him, she wasn't the only one in my group of girls, but love is blind right? I continued with him, I was still hoping he would change. (btw Laura and Jonh only talked in school and they really never liked each other)
In our group of friends there were 2 boys who were closest to Jonh. I was very close to James, I considered him like a brother, I've known him since I was 6 years old, but I vented to Stuart about my problems with Jonh, especially because James is not the best person to vent to unless it's 4 am and we're playing Minecraft. And this is important because James was my best friend besides Jonh and this is where things start going south.
On Valentine's Day, my favorite day of the year, I dressed up and put on makeup and everyone complimented me except John and James. I made a bouquet of origami flowers for Jonh, he didn't care about the bouquet at all and Stuart loved the bouquet and was super excited and asked how I made it and so on. We went to Jonh's house in the afternoon, I made some mixed heart-shaped puff pastries, and when I called him to the kitchen, he was sleeping, I ended up packing my things, and when I was about to leave he woke up and asked where I was going. I told him it was the worst Valentine's Day I've ever had, because I didn't receive anything or do anything together and he didn't even care about the gifts I gave him. He ended up crying and apologizing, I left angry, and for me that was the day I ended the relationship mentally. I couldn't take the shit anymore. I called Stuart when I got home and managed to stop crying.
Almost 2 months passed and I couldn't break up with Jonh, I was going to wait until the summer or until university started so he could distract himself and not get so bad, stupid I know. In April we went to London for 1 week, as a study visit, Jonh didn't go. I have a huge phobia of crowds, people in general, and as Jonh wasn't going to be there I asked James and Stuart to be with me when we left the hotel so I wouldn't have any attacks. The only one who was with me was Stuart and Robert, a friend of Stuart. James started making up rumors that I was cheating on Jonh with Stuart, what a friend I tell you. When Sophie, my rommie of the hotel room, told me this I cried, like, is my best friend making up shit about me? I called Jonh and told him the situation and that when I arrived back home I would tell him everything more calmly.
I thought it would end there, but to sum it all up, James never apologized to me for making up rumors, he started saying things to me and Stuart whenever we were together, Stuart didn't care and always stayed by my side. When we got home, I explained everything to Jonh and he believed James more than me, even though nothing had happened between Stuart and me, but Jonh ended up dropping the subject.
The four of us continued to hang out as if nothing had happened, but I was still very hurt by James.
One random Wednesday I decided I couldn't take it anymore, I called Robert and told him I was going to break up with Jonh, he said "u go girl". and I did it, over called, but I did it. I cried a lot, because hurting him hurts me, but it had to be done, for both of our sakes. I guess Robert called Stuart because within 5 minutes of finishing the call with John, Stuart was on his bike outside my house. He came up and was comforting me for almost 3 hours. After that day, Stuart almost always came to see if I was okay. We spent whole afternoons in my room talking or watching tiktoks, it was a comfort I didn't know I needed. James never spoke to me again, except to call me a whore. My best friend, Laura, told everyone that I had cheated on Jonh. My group stopped talking to me except for Jonh, he still wanted to know how I was. I made a new group of friends with Sophie and some of her friends. I was healing. Stuart continued to come to my house every afternoon. I started to like Stuart, and in June he told me he liked me.
On July we went to prom toghether and it was a dream come true. A few day after prom one of the few people who still talked to me said "you soudn't have gone to prom with Stuart, it hurted Jonh" and was like "why the hell would I care about hurting him? You guys didn't care when he hurted me over and over again! Besides Jonh doesn't even care about me dating Stuart, he just wants me to be happy, like you guys should to.", oh right I forgot, but Stuart talked with Jonh before asking me to prom, and Jonh was really chill about it. The people against me dating Stuart is everyone except Jonh! It doesn't make any sense!! My friends should be happy for me not calling me a slut.
But me and Stuart fought through everything and every small comment and now we've been dating for almost a year and I've never been so happy and well treated.
The worst part is James is in my university so I see him every now and then, and one of my roomates is his friend so sometimes he is in my house. James still talks shit about me, and it still hurts, because I loved James like a brother, only 4 or 3 people talk to me of my old 15 people friend group. And I want to know was I the asshole?
2024.05.19 08:20 Significant-Tower146 Best Car Mirror Decor
 | submitted by Significant-Tower146 to u/Significant-Tower146 [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/rhi9ku02tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=abd4e7272e812f35a981c3a97356865a23faa72d Get ready to transform your car's mirrors into stylish statement pieces with our roundup of the top Car Mirror Decor options. From elegant designs to practical functionality, we've gathered an array of options that will elevate your vehicle's aesthetic while providing convenience on the road. The Top 8 Best Car Mirror Decor
Reviews🔗Yidexin Bling White Heart and Pink Fuzzy Car Accessorieshttps://preview.redd.it/srxkudb2tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb16362096a501c023f5702e6dcd13db80f454c1 I recently had the pleasure of using Yidexin's bling car accessories for my daily commute, and I must say, they truly brightened up my car's interior. The chic white heart-shaped mirrors with sparkling rhinestones and crystal drops captured my attention right away. Hanging them from my rear view mirror was a breeze, and the included cord and string made the process even simpler. What stood out the most was the attention to detail in these bling car accessories. The design was modern and eye-catching, adding a touch of elegance and glamour to my car's interior. However, I did notice that they might be a bit too attention-grabbing for some, as they can be a bit of a distraction while driving. Nevertheless, they definitely made me feel like a VIP every time I hopped into my car. Overall, I am definitely a fan of Yidexin's bling car accessories. They add a touch of luxury and personality to any car, while also being easy to install and maintain. The only con that I noticed is that they can be a bit flashy for some people's taste, but that just comes down to personal preference. 🔗Car Interior Decoration: Rhinestone Rearview Mirrorhttps://preview.redd.it/pio7wer2tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=821a161a755b7f7495242b822a0ead012f5fd3e1 I recently tried a Guoord Car Accessories rearview mirror, and let me tell you, it's the perfect addition to any female driver's car interior. The rhinestone design adds a touch of bling, making my car look stylish and unique. One of the best things about this rearview mirror is its universal fit. It's a breeze to install and can easily be adjusted to fit most car types. The rhinestones are made of top-notch crystal silver and are meticulously hand-inlaid, ensuring lasting beauty and durability. However, I noticed that it only works with original mirrors that are no longer than 10 inches. Although it isn't a deal-breaker, it's worth mentioning because it might not be compatible with all vehicles. Overall, the Guoord car accessories for women are a fantastic way to add a dash of style to your car's interior. With its cute design and practical features, this rhinestone rearview mirror is a great choice for women who want to turn heads on the road. 🔗Disco Ball Sets: Bright Reflective Car Mirror Decorhttps://preview.redd.it/3lfe92z2tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=779fa2c85619b308b0800f2a1dbc92accc97694a Imagine driving down the highway late at night, with your car bedecked in shiny disco balls, illuminating the dark. That's the kind of experience these mini disco ball ornaments delivered. The set comes in diverse sizes, from 1'' to 2.4'', allowing you to add a touch of sparkle and whimsy to any space. Hanging these disco balls was effortless due to their attached lanyards. They can be hung on ceilings, walls, or with a slight twist, even on the tree during Christmas. I appreciate the versatility they bring to my home decor. However, I found that the strings for the larger balls were a bit too long and hard to conceal. It's also important to note that these products are not customizable and they don't come with any scent. But overall, the joy and fun these mini disco balls bring more than make up for these minor drawbacks. 🔗Elegant Car Rearview Mirror Bling Hanging Decorationhttps://preview.redd.it/9spf8jd3tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36eba5326d621a0a144d05c054050e08926c76c8 I recently came across this delightful Yidexin Bling Car Mirror Accessories and it instantly caught my attention with its unique and fun design. The product was a great addition to my car, adding a touch of elegance and personality. The pink plush ball and crystal heart bling caught everyone's eye, and the hanging mount made it easy for me to install it on my rearview mirror. However, while I loved the overall design, I did notice that the product was not customizable, which would have been a nice addition. Nevertheless, the combination of the plush balls, bling, and rhinestones made it a truly eye-catching and stylish accessory. Overall, I'd highly recommend this bling car mirror accessory for anyone looking to add a touch of personalization and flair to their vehicle. 🔗Edilado Soot Sprites Car Rearview Mirror Accessories: Fun Decor for Adults and Kidshttps://preview.redd.it/t2ns9ot3tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=121e5d019e7ba3135752e38c4cd5ee1361e982f1 As a reviewer, I was excited to try out these cute soot sprite car rearview mirror accessories. The package came with 20 adorable tiny figures, each one bringing a unique touch of fun to my car interior. The high-quality resin material made them feel safe and sturdy, while their small size made them perfect for decorating various surfaces in my car. While these adorable car decorations definitely boosted the overall fun factor in my car, I found that they weren't as versatile as the product description suggested. Despite the promise of using them as home decor, garden ornaments, and even table ornaments, I found that most of these decorations were better suited for cars. Nevertheless, I think these would make a great gift for car and interior enthusiasts who appreciate whimsical and playful touches in their daily lives. Just remember that while they can transform your car into a magical wonderland, their versatility may be somewhat limited. 🔗Bling Car Cross Mirror Rearview Decorationhttps://preview.redd.it/z6ieyt54tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9bd7148c85cf68263cb642ebdf80a7871596b18 I recently tried the PAGOW Bling Car Accessories for my car, and I was really impressed with how it elevated the overall look of my vehicle. The rhinestone-inlaid cross on this hanging charm is polished beautifully and glimmers in the sun, adding an air of sophistication to my car. One thing I noticed is that it comes in a perfect size, not so big that it blocks the view while driving but not so small that it gets lost among other interior features. It's perfect for enhancing the atmosphere inside the car. This car decoration is incredibly versatile, it's suitable for both men and women, and can be gifted during special occasions like Valentine's Day or Christmas. Not only can it be used as a car accessory but also as a hanging charm for your bedroom or office window. It really adds a touch of elegance to any space. 🔗Car Mirror Decoration with Chakra Ornamenthttps://preview.redd.it/dali7og4tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7e90049ca3d766cd7e1a76a74ea19b88f04d98d I've had the chance to use the Kindoodos Mini Dream Catcher Car Rearview Mirror Accessories Suncatcher in my daily life, and it has been quite an experience. This little mirror accessory adds a unique touch of spirituality and positivity to my car. With the shiny red, orange, and green chakra beads, it emanates a bright and vibrant energy whenever sunlight passes through. What I appreciated the most about this product is its mini size. It's small, lightweight, and unintrusive, yet it brings a lovely burst of color to my car's interior. It's not only a functional accessory but also a statement piece that brings a sense of peace and tranquility to my everyday commute. However, I must mention that the mini size comes with a minor inconvenience as well - it can be a bit challenging to see the car's rearview mirrors clearly through it. This isn't a deal-breaker, but it is something to consider when using the Kindoodos Mini Dream Catcher Car Rearview Mirror Accessories Suncatcher. Overall, I would say that this product adds a touch of spirituality and positivity to my daily life. Its mini size makes it easy to use, and its vibrant colors bring a sense of peace to my car. Despite the minor inconvenience of the small size obstructing my rearview mirror, I would still recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable and unique car accessory. 🔗Unique Handmade Himalayan Salt Car Mirror Decorationhttps://preview.redd.it/co6jr4y4tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=048ca36aaf74766d68211a365f96ee0286b5cc97 I recently tried the Persofine Handmade Himalayan Salt Car Rearview Mirror Pendant, and it's a unique and refreshing addition to my car. The handmade natural pendant is simple yet eye-catching, giving my car a personalized touch. Since it's made from natural Himalayan salt, each pendant has a unique shape and color. One feature I appreciated is the adjustable rope that can be wound a few more turns for a more comfortable fit on my rearview mirror. However, I found that the pendant itself is quite heavy, which sometimes makes it difficult to keep balanced on the mirror. But overall, the Persofine Car Rearview Mirror Pendant adds a touch of personality to my daily commute. Buyer's GuideCar mirror decor is a great way to personalize your vehicle and showcase your unique style. These decorative items not only enhance the appearance of your car but also provide additional functionality. Before making a purchase, it's essential to consider various factors to ensure you choose the best car mirror decor for your needs.Material and Designhttps://preview.redd.it/8ua77v85tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cafdafcfea3f839dc2345668f4dd6bca5b024f3 Car mirror decor can be made from various materials such as acrylic, glass, or even metal. Each material has its own pros and cons, so it's essential to choose one that suits your preference and budget. Compatibility with Car MirrorChoosing car mirror decor that fits your car's mirror is crucial. Measure the dimensions of your existing mirror, and look for decorative items that match those dimensions. This will ensure a perfect fit and provide a seamless appearance.FunctionalityWhile the primary purpose of car mirror decor is aesthetic, it's still essential to consider functional aspects. Look for mirrors with distortion-free images and clear visibility, especially if they will be used for driving purposes. https://preview.redd.it/se7rdew5tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=763b907d402e09b01505fe13fc127dd96cd9417a Style and ThemesCar mirror decor comes in various styles and themes, from simple and elegant to bold and colorful. Consider the overall appearance of your car and choose decor that complements the existing style or enhances it.Durability and MaintenanceCar mirror decor should be able to withstand everyday wear and tear. Look for items made from shatter-resistant materials and those that are easy to clean and maintain.Price and Budgethttps://preview.redd.it/icumomc6tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0011e3b2071c07706dbc1550321aca3e0a64431f Car mirror decor can range in price depending on the material, style, and brand. Set a budget for yourself and look for items that offer the best value for your money. Online Reviews and Customer FeedbackBefore making a purchase, it's essential to read online reviews and customer feedback. This will help you get an idea of the product's quality, durability, and performance.Car mirror decor can be a fun and stylish addition to your vehicle. By considering factors such as material, functionality, compatibility, style, and budget, you can make an informed decision and select the best car mirror decor for your needs. FAQhttps://preview.redd.it/24q37bq6tb1d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58b14f399491b675c68df058ccd344ddfe7e1469 Why should I use car mirror decor?Car mirror decor can add a touch of personal style and uniqueness to your vehicle. It can also serve as a functional item for better visibility when reversing or parking.What are the benefits of using car mirror decor?
What types of car mirror decor are available?There are several types of car mirror decor available, including:
What materials are used to make car mirror decor?Car mirror decor is typically made from materials such as glass, plastic, and metal. Some decorative mirror covers are made from materials like acrylic or Plexiglas, which can provide a durable and long-lasting option.How do I install car mirror decor?The installation process for car mirror decor varies depending on the type of decor and the location being installed. Some products come with installation kits, while others may require using adhesive or suction cups. Read the product instructions carefully before installing.Are car mirror decor items generally safe to use?When properly installed, car mirror decor items can be safe to use. However, if not secured properly, they may become loose or detach, which could become a distraction or a safety hazard while driving.How can I choose the right car mirror decor for my vehicle?Consider factors such as the style of your car, your personal preferences, and the type of mirror you wish to decorate. Measure the dimensions of your mirrors before purchasing to ensure a proper fit, and review customer feedback for any recommendations or concerns.As an Amazon™ Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. |
2024.05.19 05:35 International-Law834 First time getting this RE!
 | Started my day off nicely 😊 submitted by International-Law834 to neopets [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 21:04 windkirby Animal Crossing Pocket Camp v5.6.0b Update
 | https://preview.redd.it/rt5g4izve81d1.png?width=150&format=png&auto=webp&s=e92e4177a6720fb59c74fff55aa90e86e208a9db submitted by windkirby to ACPocketCamp [link] [comments] Howdy, messy roommates. If you felt a bit tickled-pink-to-death by April’s roseate flurry of events, this year’s May just may have the cure with a foray into the airborne, outdoorsy, and adventurous. Thanks as always to Miranda, Bassieeee, and Ray for help datamining. We’ve got our airships, our kites, and our handheld birds, so let’s get our flight gear in check and take off Twitter preview image for May 2024 in Pocket Camp
https://preview.redd.it/2ns91p0jg81d1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9a23ed4287b5cea0847f5eb253b2dacce521941
https://preview.redd.it/0doh4q4lf81d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=5511a2f38449064fe8ac13c4e11c2cf2f3e3f54e
https://preview.redd.it/p82asoutf81d1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=3975b19f113bf3402ee437050f99fa8cc67de3c1
Tip screens for Twiggy's chirpy cookie, the Bright Bird Outfit Collection, and the Birdy Wall & Floor Collection
https://preview.redd.it/eh8pjr9bg81d1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=6f383be223eb9a7006b97e57354772cec59bf861
And that’s all of May’s merriments! Our fellow dataminer Koopavocelot has also spotted a noteworthy notice that may be coming this month but no info yet on its contents… Hopefully it’s not some sort of end-of-times apocalyptic alert with the last of the villagers likely coming out this month. Er… right? As for June, we’ll probably get the Twitter preview in only a week’s time. June is often themed around seasonal rain or weddings as they’re what the month is known for in Japan, and given that we just had a windy-themed event this month, I’d expect more of the latter matrimania for next month’s events. But who knows? We might get some of both in a dewy bridal shower! (Or maybe something completely different.) I’ll aim to have that datamine posted for you fine folks when the update drops ASAP. Until then, thanks for reading, and remember, even if a bird is super-hunkalicious, that doesn’t make it okay to keep him as a pet! —Woodsy |
2024.05.18 21:00 Emilise I made over 70 wedding favours for our wedding guests!
 | Had a lot of fun trying out new things, like collage, acrylic pour and drawing with acrylic markers :) I realise I have a lot to learn technically, but this was purely for joy and it definitely gave me that! I'm also making the decorations by myself (there's a lot of origami cranes involved) so I still have things to do but it will all be so rewarding in the end. submitted by Emilise to painting [link] [comments] I have small sachets to put the paintings in, including a hook that can be easily glued on and a small note from us. Very excited to see which ones guests will choose and whether they'll be hanging it somewhere in their homes <3 |
2024.05.18 15:31 Fancy_vivid Baby Dinosaur Sleeping on the Moon 3D Paper Craft DIY
 | Origami - Baby Room Wall Decor 🦖 🌙 Make your own kids room wall decor with A4 Papers. submitted by Fancy_vivid to CraftingWorld [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 12:40 meelatalha AITAH for not being understanding to my girlfriend?
Hi,
My [23M] girlfriend [29F] owns her flat, and I've been struggling with how to address a few key issues.
I moved in recently and learnt that the flat has been quite messy for the past 6 years, to the point where the spare room is unusable. Its not messy with food and stuff. Its more messy with things not having a designated space. I want to find a way to broach the topic with sensitivity and practicality, as I find it stressful navigating around the flat without stepping on something or hurting myself. Also I believe it's essential for our shared living space to be functional and pleasant for both of us.
Additionally, I'm uncertain about the extent of my input when it comes to furniture and decorations in the flat. I want to contribute to our living space, but I'm not sure how to navigate this given her ownership of the property.
Another issue I'm finding is dates. When she isn't a big fan of me planning but rather wants to be the one planning and wants me to tag along. I asked weeks before valentines about going to the cinema and she said OK as it's a movie I was looking forward to and kept double checking. I booked the tickets and on the day she was like how she forgot and wasn't feeling it. Whereas last week she booked tickets to a movie and said to me to go there after work.
She went on a family holiday and told me to come up near the end of it. I double checked with her if I'm actually invited as i dont like ruining events and she said yes. So i drove up (4hrs) and they seemed a bit surprised to see me. her parents find it awkward to talk to me as I'm not white and don't want to say anything offensive. Her sister ignored me cos she didn't properly got introduced to me at my girlfriends birthday. When me and my gf went for dinner at a cafe. I felt uneasy as I felt like I was being stared at. Instead of being supportive she said "get used to it". She seems to say that a lot with things I'm uncomfortable about.
Lastly, there's also been some tension surrounding holiday planning. Every time I wanna go on a weekend away there's excuses like the cat or debt. I try and be understanding. In june she is going South of the UK for a wedding and we talked about a road trip through various cities and split off and meet after the wedding. Then to jump onto the eurostar to Brussels. Again her suggestions but I was excited on the idea. Last month i did a lot of research on places to see and things to do in brussels. When showed it to her, she was saying how she doesn't want to do that cos of dept. I got a bit fed up and decided to go on a holiday with my brothers last week to morocco as they needed a break when i said that she wasnt happy and was like "everyone needs a break too", mind you, my family had a lot going on recently including homelessness. Anyways last week she was like "I wanna go on holiday, lets go Rome" and started sending me so many things. I am not as excited at all.
I am trying my best but it all feels in vain but she is saying how she may have adhd and I'm being inconsiderate. The last couple of dates were everything she planned
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.
submitted by meelatalha to AITAH [link] [comments]
My [23M] girlfriend [29F] owns her flat, and I've been struggling with how to address a few key issues.
I moved in recently and learnt that the flat has been quite messy for the past 6 years, to the point where the spare room is unusable. Its not messy with food and stuff. Its more messy with things not having a designated space. I want to find a way to broach the topic with sensitivity and practicality, as I find it stressful navigating around the flat without stepping on something or hurting myself. Also I believe it's essential for our shared living space to be functional and pleasant for both of us.
Additionally, I'm uncertain about the extent of my input when it comes to furniture and decorations in the flat. I want to contribute to our living space, but I'm not sure how to navigate this given her ownership of the property.
Another issue I'm finding is dates. When she isn't a big fan of me planning but rather wants to be the one planning and wants me to tag along. I asked weeks before valentines about going to the cinema and she said OK as it's a movie I was looking forward to and kept double checking. I booked the tickets and on the day she was like how she forgot and wasn't feeling it. Whereas last week she booked tickets to a movie and said to me to go there after work.
She went on a family holiday and told me to come up near the end of it. I double checked with her if I'm actually invited as i dont like ruining events and she said yes. So i drove up (4hrs) and they seemed a bit surprised to see me. her parents find it awkward to talk to me as I'm not white and don't want to say anything offensive. Her sister ignored me cos she didn't properly got introduced to me at my girlfriends birthday. When me and my gf went for dinner at a cafe. I felt uneasy as I felt like I was being stared at. Instead of being supportive she said "get used to it". She seems to say that a lot with things I'm uncomfortable about.
Lastly, there's also been some tension surrounding holiday planning. Every time I wanna go on a weekend away there's excuses like the cat or debt. I try and be understanding. In june she is going South of the UK for a wedding and we talked about a road trip through various cities and split off and meet after the wedding. Then to jump onto the eurostar to Brussels. Again her suggestions but I was excited on the idea. Last month i did a lot of research on places to see and things to do in brussels. When showed it to her, she was saying how she doesn't want to do that cos of dept. I got a bit fed up and decided to go on a holiday with my brothers last week to morocco as they needed a break when i said that she wasnt happy and was like "everyone needs a break too", mind you, my family had a lot going on recently including homelessness. Anyways last week she was like "I wanna go on holiday, lets go Rome" and started sending me so many things. I am not as excited at all.
I am trying my best but it all feels in vain but she is saying how she may have adhd and I'm being inconsiderate. The last couple of dates were everything she planned
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.
2024.05.18 11:18 Hazel_TheHazel Everyone talks about the bootleg SMG4 plush, but I found this listing on Amazon... has anyone seen this yet?
 | submitted by Hazel_TheHazel to SMG4 [link] [comments] |
2024.05.17 04:53 GeoCities6389 How did Masami Hirosaka make his wheels pink?
 | It almost looks like he cut out circles from hot pink origami paper and glued it onto the wheels. The wheels don’t look dyed because you can see the white on the inside of the wheel. The wheels also don’t look painted because of the slightly uncolored areas on the front wheel and the rear wheel doesn’t expose any locknut. Wondering if decorating wheels using colored paper is actually something people do. submitted by GeoCities6389 to rccars [link] [comments] |
2024.05.16 21:25 ermagerditssuperman Paper or Origami flowers that aren't DIY?
I'm trying to cut down on the amount of real flowers we're using, to cut down on both budget costs and waste. (Most of the florists near me hover around $350 for a bridal bouquet, which we can do, but once you add a wedding party of 8, and family, and table decor, etc our decor budget of 1.5K doesn't cut it.). The wedding is at the end of the year in southern/central Virginia, colours/theme is just Fall in Virginia. I am thinking a real bouquet and maybe primary centrepieces, then use alternatives for everything else.
I really love the look of paper flowers, origami flowers, japanese folded flowers etc. And I think they would look great for boutenierres, corsages, and some decor. I prefer these to fake-but-realistic-looking plastic or silk flowers, I enjoy how they look handmade/crafted and think they'd complement the real flowers better. But all the resources (aka reddit posts) I can find are on DIY-ing them yourself. I really don't want to make them myself. (I'm doing my own calligraphy because I'm an avid fountain pen gal, but I know making my own decor would really stress me out. Even if they turned out beautiful - I would, personally, be miserable during the process.).
So my actual question - does anyone have experience buying these types of flowers? Any recommendations on vendors/sellers, or general tips? Etsy has so many options, it can get overwhelming without recommendations. Please and thank you!!
submitted by ermagerditssuperman to weddingplanning [link] [comments]
I really love the look of paper flowers, origami flowers, japanese folded flowers etc. And I think they would look great for boutenierres, corsages, and some decor. I prefer these to fake-but-realistic-looking plastic or silk flowers, I enjoy how they look handmade/crafted and think they'd complement the real flowers better. But all the resources (aka reddit posts) I can find are on DIY-ing them yourself. I really don't want to make them myself. (I'm doing my own calligraphy because I'm an avid fountain pen gal, but I know making my own decor would really stress me out. Even if they turned out beautiful - I would, personally, be miserable during the process.).
So my actual question - does anyone have experience buying these types of flowers? Any recommendations on vendors/sellers, or general tips? Etsy has so many options, it can get overwhelming without recommendations. Please and thank you!!
2024.05.15 23:30 dOowAYng End-game collectables?
I've been playing the hell out of this game ever since it released and I think I'm close to being done with what the game has to offer so I wanna make sure I have all possible collectibles in the house. I have: -the three forest clock decorations -the dog you get from the barcode melody -the skull from a no-death playthrough -the collectibles from the space clock -origami bunnies ...and I found the mp3 player with the message from the devs. I saw from another screenshot that there's also two bunnies that appear next to the bigmode frog figure in the house, am I missing anything else? Thanks in advance for the help!
submitted by dOowAYng to animalWell [link] [comments]
2024.05.14 15:05 Bubblyflute What is up with men refusing to celebrate holidays because it is "fake" or "consumerist"??
What is up with men refusing to celebrate holidays because it is fake or consumerist?? Given last Sunday was Mothers day in the US it got me thinking of men who refuse to plan or give gifts to their girlfriends on valentines day, anniversaries, or even birthdays because in their mind it is mindless consumerism or fake. Or that they can celebrate you on other days?? And it is not like they have to do something stereotypical like flowers or jewelry. Just something thoughtful.
I feel like sometimes you do things because it makes your partner happy. Refusing to do it even though it takes little effort seems mean.
EDIT: The issue is not that they are not "holiday people" but men gladly reap the benefits of women planning, cooking, decorating for holidays, but when it is time for them to do it--- it is pointless.
submitted by Bubblyflute to TwoXChromosomes [link] [comments]
I feel like sometimes you do things because it makes your partner happy. Refusing to do it even though it takes little effort seems mean.
EDIT: The issue is not that they are not "holiday people" but men gladly reap the benefits of women planning, cooking, decorating for holidays, but when it is time for them to do it--- it is pointless.
2024.05.13 21:01 disbishie They aren't even trying to hide the original price!
 | If it was the original price I would've considered buying it. submitted by disbishie to ThriftGrift [link] [comments] |
2024.05.12 22:07 SlippingStar Weather Event List
I'd love to start a list of weather events so that if someone didn't know about them, they could find out! I'm not including things that don't affect the environment beyond Town Square (such as Halloween, Turkey Day, and Valentine's Day) or gatherables dependent on weather (such as seasonal recipes or critters).
Weather forecast can be see on in-game TVs the preceding day at 06:14-06:29, 07:45-07:58, and 22:45-22:58. Here is a comparison of foliage in each season.
Southern Hemisphere: September-November
Southern Hemisphere: December-February
Southern Hemisphere: March-May
Southern Hemisphere: June-August
submitted by SlippingStar to NewHorizonsAC [link] [comments]
Weather forecast can be see on in-game TVs the preceding day at 06:14-06:29, 07:45-07:58, and 22:45-22:58. Here is a comparison of foliage in each season.
Year-Round
- Weather-related dialogue from villagers
- Double rainbow after hours of rain, appearing for an hour between 11:00-15:00, starting faint and growing in intensity before fading away again
- Precipitation will cause flowers to spawn the next day
- Sometimes stars shoot across mostly cleaclear skies and may be "wished" upon
- Sometimes there will be a meteor shower (which Isabelle will announce if there isn't anything pressing going on) where many stars shoot across the sky at night and may be wished upon; Celeste will also visit during meteor showers
Spring
Northern Hemisphere: March-MaySouthern Hemisphere: September-November
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage brightens to a vibrant green as the season progresses
- Bark is a tannelighter brown
- Weeds become bright green and incorporate white and purple flowers
- Sakura/Cherry Blossoms: 1-10 [April/October]
- Sakura/cherry blossoms bloom on all hardwood trees
- Catchable petals (crafting material) float through the air
- Non-catchable petals fill the air and rivers 7-10 [April/October]
- Hardwood trees' bark is a grey-brown during this time, resembling actual cherry/sakura trees
- Petals can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Shrubs:
- Northern Hemisphere:
- Southern hemisphere
- Rain:
- Rain can fall but generally isn't very heavy
- It patters on window panes, umbrellas, etc
- Player's footsteps splash
- Ambient music incorporates a marimba
- Besides during sakura/cherry blossom time, green leaves can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island's grass is light green
- Northern hemisphere only: Bunny Day will cause decorated eggs to spawn in the water, on and in trees, from rocks, in balloon gifts, and in the ground for the week before and on the Protestant Christian holiday Easter
Summer
Northern Hemisphere: June-AugustSouthern Hemisphere: December-February
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage are a deep green
- Bark is a bright brown/tan
- Weeds are deep green and incorporate dandelion blooms and white flowers
- Shrubs:
- Northern hemisphere
- Southern hemisphere
- Precipitaiton:
- Rain can fall
- Occasional thunderstorms occur
- Rain is at about a 45º angle from the ground
- Sky is very dark
- Occasional thunder booming
- Lightening flashes, flooding the sky and surroundings with bright light for a few seconds
- Ambient music incorporates a marimba when it rains
- Rain patters on window panes
- Blue Summer Shells (crafting material) spawn on the beaches
- Green leaves can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island's grass is deep green
- Northern hemisphere only: Fireworks happen every Sunday in August around the Japanese celebration of hanabi taikai 19:00-21:00
- Southern hemisphere only: Fireworks once the ball drops on New Year's Day (after midnight)
Autumn
Northern Hemisphere: September-NovemberSouthern Hemisphere: March-May
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage begin to fade to yellow-brown shades
- Grass sounds crunchier
- Weeds are brown with grain stalks
- Trees:
- The hardwood and fruit trees turn shades of orange and red that are locked to the ground block (so if you dig up a hardwood or fruit tree and swap it with another, it will take on the shade of the tree that was previously there) which dull to brown once the maple leaves finish falling
- Maple Leaves: 16-25 [NovembeMay]
- Shrubs:
- Northern hemisphere only:
- Southern hemisphere only:
- Precipitation:
- Rain:
- Rain can fall but generally isn't very heavy
- It patters on window panes, umbrellas, etc
- Player's footsteps splash
- Ambient music incorporates a marimba
- Mid/late [NovembeMay]: snow fall starts; the ambient music has sleigh bells incorporated in
- Rain:
- Mushrooms (crafting/cooking material) spawn in [NovembeMay] below trees on and in the ground
- Maple leaves can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island's grass is yellow-green
- Southern hemisphere only: Bunny Day will cause decorated eggs to spawn in the water, on and in trees, from rocks, in balloon gifts, and in the ground for the week before and on the Protestant Christian holiday Easter.
Winter
Northern Hemisphere: December-FebruarySouthern Hemisphere: June-August
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage, when visible, are a dull grey-green; when covered in snow and ice, a pale blue-green
- Bark is a dull grey-brown/tan
- Weeds are short and a dull green; if the ground is covered in snow, so are they
- Shrubs
- Northern hemisphere
- Southern hemisphere
- Snow:
- Mid/late [NovembeMay]: snow fall starts
- 11 [DecembeJune] until early [February/August]:
- Crunchy snow covering forms on the ground
- Catchable snowflakes (crafting material) float through the air
- Sand turns pale
- Snowballs spawn, which can be rolled into 2-tier snowfolk
- Snow collects on windowsills and this can be seen from the inside and outside of buildings
- Mid/late February: Some snow showers without sticking to the ground and without catchable flakes
- When it snows, the music has sleigh bells incorporated into it
- Aurora Borealis can sometimes be seen on clear nights
- Snow can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island is covered in snow when snow covers the ground
- Northern hemisphere only: Ornaments appear on random cedar trees 16 December-7 January; if a tree is dug up the ornaments are removed from that tree for the rest of the season.
- Northern hemisphere only: Confetti falls from the sky and feathers float through the air on Festivale (two days before the Catholic holiday Ash Wednesday).
- Northern hemisphere only: Fireworks once the ball drops on New Year's Day (after midnight).
- Southern hemisphere only: Fireworks happen every Sunday in August around the Japanese celebration of hanabi taikai 19:00-21:00.
2024.05.12 22:05 SlippingStar Weather Event List
I'd love to start a list of weather events so that if someone didn't know about them, they could find out! I'm not including things that don't affect the environment beyond Town Square (such as Halloween, Turkey Day, and Valentine's Day) or gatherables dependent on weather (such as seasonal recipes or critters).
Weather forecast can be see on in-game TVs the preceding day at 06:14-06:29, 07:45-07:58, and 22:45-22:58. Here is a comparison of foliage in each season.
Southern Hemisphere: September-November
Southern Hemisphere: December-February
Southern Hemisphere: March-May
Southern Hemisphere: June-August
submitted by SlippingStar to AnimalCrossingNewHor [link] [comments]
Weather forecast can be see on in-game TVs the preceding day at 06:14-06:29, 07:45-07:58, and 22:45-22:58. Here is a comparison of foliage in each season.
Year-Round
- Weather-related dialogue from villagers
- Double rainbow after hours of rain, appearing for an hour between 11:00-15:00, starting faint and growing in intensity before fading away again
- Precipitation will cause flowers to spawn the next day
- Sometimes stars shoot across mostly cleaclear skies and may be "wished" upon
- Sometimes there will be a meteor shower (which Isabelle will announce if there isn't anything pressing going on) where many stars shoot across the sky at night and may be wished upon; Celeste will also visit during meteor showers
Spring
Northern Hemisphere: March-MaySouthern Hemisphere: September-November
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage brightens to a vibrant green as the season progresses
- Bark is a tannelighter brown
- Weeds become bright green and incorporate white and purple flowers
- Spring bamboo will randomly drop when chopping bamboo trees all spring - remember to use a wood or stone axe if you don’t want to completely drop the tree
- Sakura/Cherry Blossoms: 1-10 [April/October]
- Sakura/cherry blossoms bloom on all hardwood trees
- Catchable petals (crafting material) float through the air
- Non-catchable petals fill the air and rivers 7-10 [April/October]
- Hardwood trees' bark is a grey-brown during this time, resembling actual cherry/sakura trees
- Petals can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Shrubs:
- Northern Hemisphere:
- Southern hemisphere
- Rain:
- Rain can fall but generally isn't very heavy
- It patters on window panes, umbrellas, etc
- Player's footsteps splash
- Ambient music incorporates a marimba
- Besides during sakura/cherry blossom time, green leaves can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island's grass is light green
- Northern hemisphere only: Bunny Day will cause decorated eggs to spawn in the water, on and in trees, from rocks, in balloon gifts, and in the ground for the week before and on the Protestant Christian holiday Easter
Summer
Northern Hemisphere: June-AugustSouthern Hemisphere: December-February
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage are a deep green
- Bark is a bright brown/tan
- Weeds are deep green and incorporate dandelion blooms and white flowers
- Shrubs:
- Northern hemisphere
- Southern hemisphere
- Precipitaiton:
- Rain can fall
- Occasional thunderstorms occur
- Rain is at about a 45º angle from the ground
- Sky is very dark
- Occasional thunder booming
- Lightening flashes, flooding the sky and surroundings with bright light for a few seconds
- Ambient music incorporates a marimba when it rains
- Rain patters on window panes
- Blue Summer Shells (crafting material) spawn on the beaches
- Green leaves can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island's grass is deep green
- Northern hemisphere only: Fireworks happen every Sunday in August around the Japanese celebration of hanabi taikai 19:00-21:00
- Southern hemisphere only: Fireworks once the ball drops on New Year's Day (after midnight)
Autumn
Northern Hemisphere: September-NovemberSouthern Hemisphere: March-May
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage begin to fade to yellow-brown shades
- Grass sounds crunchier
- Weeds are brown with grain stalks
- Trees:
- The hardwood and fruit trees turn shades of orange and red that are locked to the ground block (so if you dig up a hardwood or fruit tree and swap it with another, it will take on the shade of the tree that was previously there) which dull to brown once the maple leaves finish falling
- Maple Leaves: 16-25 [NovembeMay]
- Shrubs:
- Northern hemisphere only:
- Southern hemisphere only:
- Precipitation:
- Rain:
- Rain can fall but generally isn't very heavy
- It patters on window panes, umbrellas, etc
- Player's footsteps splash
- Ambient music incorporates a marimba
- Mid/late [NovembeMay]: snow fall starts; the ambient music has sleigh bells incorporated in
- Rain:
- Mushrooms (crafting/cooking material) spawn in [NovembeMay] below trees on and in the ground
- Maple leaves can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island's grass is yellow-green
- Southern hemisphere only: Bunny Day will cause decorated eggs to spawn in the water, on and in trees, from rocks, in balloon gifts, and in the ground for the week before and on the Protestant Christian holiday Easter.
Winter
Northern Hemisphere: December-FebruarySouthern Hemisphere: June-August
- Greenery:
- Grass and foliage, when visible, are a dull grey-green; when covered in snow and ice, a pale blue-green
- Bark is a dull grey-brown/tan
- Weeds are short and a dull green; if the ground is covered in snow, so are they
- Shrubs
- Northern hemisphere
- Southern hemisphere
- Snow:
- Mid/late [NovembeMay]: snow fall starts
- 11 [DecembeJune] until early [February/August]:
- Crunchy snow covering forms on the ground
- Catchable snowflakes (crafting material) float through the air
- Sand turns pale
- Snowballs spawn, which can be rolled into 2-tier snowfolk
- Snow collects on windowsills and this can be seen from the inside and outside of buildings
- Mid/late February: Some snow showers without sticking to the ground and without catchable flakes
- When it snows, the music has sleigh bells incorporated into it
- Aurora Borealis can sometimes be seen on clear nights
- Snow can be seen falling outside the museum's windows by the art wing's entrance
- Loading screen island is covered in snow when snow covers the ground
- Northern hemisphere only: Ornaments appear on random cedar trees 16 December-7 January; if a tree is dug up the ornaments are removed from that tree for the rest of the season.
- Northern hemisphere only: Confetti falls from the sky and feathers float through the air on Festivale (two days before the Catholic holiday Ash Wednesday).
- Northern hemisphere only: Fireworks once the ball drops on New Year's Day (after midnight).
- Southern hemisphere only: Fireworks happen every Sunday in August around the Japanese celebration of hanabi taikai 19:00-21:00.
2024.05.12 05:45 Gemman_Aster Atomic Shop items you can request through Bethesda Support
As always I shall try to keep this list updated at least once every four weeks until the post is again automatically locked after six months, preventing further edits.
In order to request any of these items you must go to the appropriate link for the Xbox Series X/S, Windows, PS5 or Steam. If you are playing on an older system it is simple to reach its page from one of these direct links. I am sure it goes without saying your player account must have sufficient Atoms available to pay for the item/s you choose. As part of the process Bethesda Support will respond to your request by ticket and email with the total cost of whatever you order.
This page from the Wikia entry for Fallout76 may help with working out some of the bundles' contents. I cannot swear for the accuracy of the data however as with all wikis it is community-created support material.
I have had quite a few comments asking how long you can expect to wait. The answer is that it varies. In my own experience I have had items redeemed for my character within two hours. I have also had to wait for more than a month. Much of the process seems to be automated now and I would say the average time these days seems between two to four days.
This list is up-to-date as of 12.05.2024:
submitted by Gemman_Aster to fo76 [link] [comments]
In order to request any of these items you must go to the appropriate link for the Xbox Series X/S, Windows, PS5 or Steam. If you are playing on an older system it is simple to reach its page from one of these direct links. I am sure it goes without saying your player account must have sufficient Atoms available to pay for the item/s you choose. As part of the process Bethesda Support will respond to your request by ticket and email with the total cost of whatever you order.
This page from the Wikia entry for Fallout76 may help with working out some of the bundles' contents. I cannot swear for the accuracy of the data however as with all wikis it is community-created support material.
I have had quite a few comments asking how long you can expect to wait. The answer is that it varies. In my own experience I have had items redeemed for my character within two hours. I have also had to wait for more than a month. Much of the process seems to be automated now and I would say the average time these days seems between two to four days.
This list is up-to-date as of 12.05.2024:
- Ace Full Assault Power Armor Paint
- Alien Plushie
- Alien Technology Bundle
- Aluminum Trees
- Amateur Inventor's Laser Gun Paint
- American Flag Set
- Angry Fist Shake
- Animatronic Cat
- Appalachian Thunder Pipe Gatling Gun Paint
- Armored Raider Skull Gas Mask
- Armory Weapon Paint Bundle
- Army Issue Plasma Caster Paint
- Astroturf
- Atomic Blast Lamp
- Barbed Chained Tire Set
- Beer Barrel Fridge
- Big Game Hunter
- Big Red Button Icon
- Black Bear Mascot
- Black Cat Bundle
- Black Knight Paint
- Black Pip-Boy Paint
- Black Rider Power Armor
- Blood Eagle Bow Skin
- Blood Eagle Bundle
- Blood Eagle Power Armor Paint
- Blood Eagle Totem
- Bloody Arktos Refrigerator
- Bombs Away Mobile
- Bone and Felt Antler Headband Set
- Bone Gas Mask
- Bonnet
- BOS Backpack
- BOS Scouting Tower
- Bottle Icon
- Boxing Ring
- Brambles
- Brew-haha Bundle
- Brotherhood Armory
- Brotherhood Bundle
- Brotherhood High Tech Stash
- Brotherhood of Steel Digital Deluxe Bundle
- Bubble Blower Machine
- Bucking Brahmin Bundle
- Bucking Brahmin Mask
- Bucking Brahmin Ride
- Bunker Bundle
- Burgundy Modular Sofa Set
- C.A.M.P. Structure Starter Bundle
- Cactus Set
- Camden Park Mega Bundle
- Camo Secret Service Armor Paint
- Camo Secret Service Underarmor
- Camo Utility Cap
- Cappy's Nuka-Cola Train Bundle
- Captain Cosmos Outfit
- Captain Cosmos Power Armor
- Captain Cosmos Power Armor Bundle
- Caravan Trader Outfit
- Carnivorous Plant
- Cash Register Vending Machine
- Castle Bed
- Cat Topiary
- Cement Tire Set
- Chalk Letter Kit
- Charleston Fire Station
- Charleston Fire Station Bundle
- Christmas Sitting Room Bundle
- Cinder Blocks Wallpaper
- Clandestine Gauss Weapons Bundle
- Clandestine Service Gauss Shotgun Paint
- Clandestine Service Minigun Paint
- Classic Jukebox
- Classic Performance Stage
- Classic Western Bundle
- Classical Column
- Classy Girl Player Icon
- Clean Bathroom Bundle
- Clean Billboard
- Clean Boxing Ring
- Clean Chally Outfit
- Clean Mannequin Set
- Clean Shower
- Clean Sink
- Clean Small Generator
- Clean Toilet
- Clean Water Purifier
- Clean White Picket Fences
- Coal Duster Excavator Power Armor Paint
- Coffin Backpack
- Coffin Decoration
- Coffin Stash Box
- Collectron Bundle
- Colored Oval Lights
- Comforts of Home Bundle
- Comin' to Town Bundle
- Communal Firepit
- Communist Bunker
- Communist Collectron Station
- Communist Fence
- Communist Handmade Gun Skin
- Communist Militant Outfit
- Communist Military Safe Stash Box
- Communist Officer's Gas Mask
- Communist Salute Emote
- Communist Spy Bundle
- Communist Spy Outfit
- Contemporary C.A.M.P. Bundle
- Cowboy Hat
- Cowhide Outfit
- Creepy Mothman Player Icon
- Crypt Crook Backpack
- Cuddles Outfit
- Cultist Dungeon Bundle
- Dark Harlequin Face Paint
- Dark Matter Combat Rifle Paint
- Dark Wood Laminate
- Dart Board
- Dead Man's Hand Posters
- Death Awaits Skull Totem
- Death Ray Bug Zapper
- Decorative Room Divider
- Deep Cave Bundle
- Deep Cave Hunter Outfit
- Diamond Eyes Face Paint
- Down Home Comfort Bundle
- Down Home Dweller Bundle
- Down Home Wallpaper Set
- Duster
- Easter Bundle
- Easter Rabbit Plushie
- Electro 2000 Fireplace
- Elm Tree Set
- Encampment Bridge
- Encampment Fences
- Encampment Fortress Bundle
- Enclave Backpack
- Enclave Bundle
- Enclave C.A.M.P. Bundle
- Enclave Power Armor Paint
- Enclave Turret Set
- Equalizer Power Armor Paint
- Eye Patch Bundle
- F.E.T.C.H. Collectron Station
- Fancy Thanksgiving Display Case
- Farm Life C.A.M.P. Bundle
- Fasnacht Bundle
- Fasnacht C.A.M.P. Bundle
- Fasnacht Collectron Station
- Fasnacht Mask Bundle
- Fasnacht Mask Display
- Fasnacht Mystical Mask Bundle
- Fat Man Aviator Paint
- Feral Ghoul Bundle
- Feral Ghoul Costume
- Fez
- Fire Chief Bundle
- Fire Hazard Backpack
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2024.05.11 00:38 SpeedyBlobfish Flag redesign for Portland, Maine
 | Inspired by the old flag of Maine and the crest of Portland's new USL League 1 soccer club Portland Hearts of Pine submitted by SpeedyBlobfish to vexillology [link] [comments] The Heart- The Valentines Day Bandit decorating the city every Febuary 14th has been a tradition in Portland for decades The Tree- The Pine tree is a symbol of Maine and New England as a whole, is also on the old flag of Maine The Anchor- Portland is a coastal town, and the Port of Portland is the second biggest by tonnage in New England The Waves- They represent Portland's location on the Atlantic Coast, also seperates the flag from the Old Maine flag more. |
2024.05.11 00:09 THROWRA01514 My [28F] boyfriend [25M] keeps random things from past flings, but not from me. How do I approach this?
My boyfriend and I have been dating for about 6 months now. We recently moved in together, 300 miles away from where we met and were living separately before. His work requires him to be gone for stretches of time, and he went on a work assignment right after we moved in. I asked if I could put some of his things away to get the house in order, and he said that would be great.
As I’m opening bags, trying to figure out what’s what, I’ve come across a few items from other women. Mostly letters. One is from a girl he had worked in proximity with, potentially was going to go on a date with (set up by mutual friends) right before he met me. Nothing ever happened between them, but he’s kept a letter and even the envelope she sent it in. There’s a couple other letters + envelopes signed by a girl’s name I don’t know. Another item is a drawing, ripped apart from a poem a summer fling had written for him. The poem hasn’t resurfaced, but it was in his house in the city we met in - so presumably he kept the drawing and tossed the poem. Other items are random notes (one literally says “hey, can you turn this off?” like a note left from a flatmate) from unknown, or his sister or parents. So he does seem to hang on to random things.. that’s not what bothers me so much. It’s that I haven’t found anything I’ve given him.
During our time together, I’ve given him many little keepsakes like the ones detailed above. During the first month of our relationship, we had to be long distance for several weeks. I decorated an envelope with stickers, drawings, and sealed it with wax after writing a very heartfelt note when we were first falling in love. For his birthday, I got him some bigger gifts and a cake, but I also hand stitched his name with a decorative heart onto a card, with a sweet message inside (this I have found). For Valentine’s Day, I made another card with a custom printed photo of us from our first weekend getaway together. I also stuffed a dozen valentines into the gift bag, each with a different handwritten note. I leave him notes in his lunch/stuffed into a pocket/in the Keurig (lol), etc.
What hurts my feelings is that when moving several states away to live with his current partner, he would make a decision to keep a drawing from a random fling (who lives in the city we now occupy, by the way), and plain envelopes/letters from almost lovers, but not a thoughtful item of the same category from someone he plans to marry (we’ve talked about it extensively).
I know if I bring it up he will be immediately apologetic. I almost don’t want to because of that. I don’t want him to feel bad, but I need to express it somehow - I had to take a break from unpacking because I was feeling physically sick. As someone who is very intentional about everything, it’s so hard to understand the choice made here. Logically I know he can love me dearly and want to be with me and also want to hold onto these things. But I feel hurt that I seem to be of lesser value than someone else who he isn’t even dating.
It’s worth mentioning that when we first got together, I made a point to let lingering lovers know I was in a committed relationship and it was my priority. I talked to my boyfriend about this too. Recently, one of them (who’s 3 timezones away) called me at 5am my time. This made both my partner and I very uncomfortable and he asked me if I would consider cutting this person off entirely (we have known each other for over a decade at this point). I said absolutely since I had already spoken to them about prioritizing my relationship, and sent a text asking them to stop contacting me. I blocked them on all socials. I understand burying a situationship isn’t equivalent to keeping random notes, but thought I’d include for context of how we have handled interaction with past partners.
TL;DR boyfriend has belongings (down to plain envelopes letters were sent in) from other women, but hasn’t seemed to hold on to things I’ve given to him. It bothers me that after a move across the country to move in with me, he’s chosen to hold onto their items and not mine.
submitted by THROWRA01514 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
As I’m opening bags, trying to figure out what’s what, I’ve come across a few items from other women. Mostly letters. One is from a girl he had worked in proximity with, potentially was going to go on a date with (set up by mutual friends) right before he met me. Nothing ever happened between them, but he’s kept a letter and even the envelope she sent it in. There’s a couple other letters + envelopes signed by a girl’s name I don’t know. Another item is a drawing, ripped apart from a poem a summer fling had written for him. The poem hasn’t resurfaced, but it was in his house in the city we met in - so presumably he kept the drawing and tossed the poem. Other items are random notes (one literally says “hey, can you turn this off?” like a note left from a flatmate) from unknown, or his sister or parents. So he does seem to hang on to random things.. that’s not what bothers me so much. It’s that I haven’t found anything I’ve given him.
During our time together, I’ve given him many little keepsakes like the ones detailed above. During the first month of our relationship, we had to be long distance for several weeks. I decorated an envelope with stickers, drawings, and sealed it with wax after writing a very heartfelt note when we were first falling in love. For his birthday, I got him some bigger gifts and a cake, but I also hand stitched his name with a decorative heart onto a card, with a sweet message inside (this I have found). For Valentine’s Day, I made another card with a custom printed photo of us from our first weekend getaway together. I also stuffed a dozen valentines into the gift bag, each with a different handwritten note. I leave him notes in his lunch/stuffed into a pocket/in the Keurig (lol), etc.
What hurts my feelings is that when moving several states away to live with his current partner, he would make a decision to keep a drawing from a random fling (who lives in the city we now occupy, by the way), and plain envelopes/letters from almost lovers, but not a thoughtful item of the same category from someone he plans to marry (we’ve talked about it extensively).
I know if I bring it up he will be immediately apologetic. I almost don’t want to because of that. I don’t want him to feel bad, but I need to express it somehow - I had to take a break from unpacking because I was feeling physically sick. As someone who is very intentional about everything, it’s so hard to understand the choice made here. Logically I know he can love me dearly and want to be with me and also want to hold onto these things. But I feel hurt that I seem to be of lesser value than someone else who he isn’t even dating.
It’s worth mentioning that when we first got together, I made a point to let lingering lovers know I was in a committed relationship and it was my priority. I talked to my boyfriend about this too. Recently, one of them (who’s 3 timezones away) called me at 5am my time. This made both my partner and I very uncomfortable and he asked me if I would consider cutting this person off entirely (we have known each other for over a decade at this point). I said absolutely since I had already spoken to them about prioritizing my relationship, and sent a text asking them to stop contacting me. I blocked them on all socials. I understand burying a situationship isn’t equivalent to keeping random notes, but thought I’d include for context of how we have handled interaction with past partners.
TL;DR boyfriend has belongings (down to plain envelopes letters were sent in) from other women, but hasn’t seemed to hold on to things I’ve given to him. It bothers me that after a move across the country to move in with me, he’s chosen to hold onto their items and not mine.
2024.05.09 00:52 Dependent_Advisor_20 Custom Photo Wall Art
Hi all - I'm brainstorming a business idea where we offer custom photo prints to decorate your walls on a subscription basis. The idea stems from the fact that many people have custom photo art that have not been updated in months if not years. Our idea is to offer custom photo prints on a regular basis so you, the customer, can "refresh" your walls to stay seasonably relevant throughout the year - some people change their home decor for mother's day, christmas, halloween etc, why not wall art?
How it works:
-Customer would pay a small monthly fee, let's stay $15 a month for 4 months.
-Customer would get 4 medium sized custom photo canvas. Customer is given options to choose from from our seasonal events (for example, thanksgiving, christmas, new year, and valentine's day).
-Customer sends us 4 pictures and receives 4 canvas prints at once, and would rotate them when it's time for a refresh.
Curious to know what anyone thinks of this idea? I'm not trying to sell anything :) just trying to get some feedback. Thanks!
submitted by Dependent_Advisor_20 to interiordecorating [link] [comments]
How it works:
-Customer would pay a small monthly fee, let's stay $15 a month for 4 months.
-Customer would get 4 medium sized custom photo canvas. Customer is given options to choose from from our seasonal events (for example, thanksgiving, christmas, new year, and valentine's day).
-Customer sends us 4 pictures and receives 4 canvas prints at once, and would rotate them when it's time for a refresh.
Curious to know what anyone thinks of this idea? I'm not trying to sell anything :) just trying to get some feedback. Thanks!
2024.05.08 15:11 Treehugger1221 Celebrate holidays yay or nay
Went on a decent first date with a guy last Friday and was planning a second until he told me if we get together I can celebrate Christmas but no tree or decorations, no Halloween, Easter or Valentines. I can only celebrate Jewish holidays like the Passover… well there’s no second date lol (and I’m a gentile)
But I’m curious on where the rest of y’all align.
View Poll
submitted by Treehugger1221 to ChristianDating [link] [comments]
But I’m curious on where the rest of y’all align.
View Poll
2024.05.08 08:40 anc99_ Trading activities!
 | I don’t know how others feel about it but I love making handmade thank you notes, adding cute stickers/origami and decorating the envelopes for my trades :-) It’s so relaxing and looks so cute afterwards! submitted by anc99_ to smiskis [link] [comments] |