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I like travelogs:

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<3  

I got to say that it's # 4.  The outfit is maudlin, and her ankles are doing crazy things...then the audience claps in the end..lol.

Thanks love! Now i'm going on the look out for more of those pics.

 

Ok so just curious which fall do you find the most hilarious and/or the most embarrassing?  They are listed 1-10

 

I've noticed that there are a lot of new models as of late.  I really need to catch up.  Can you help me?

I have a question about your Asia travels.  Why sign off now?  It looks like you're always had a good time.

 

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Tens of millions of overnight 'stock market geniuses', mostly middle aged middle class individuals playing with their 401Ks like they're in the gambling den burn themselves on the stock market...even in a BULL market, at that! 

 

My advice to you is that you should spend your time studying financial advisers (you live in the City so...) first and find a good, experienced adviser with a strong reputation for integrity and results.  They have resources that individuals cannot possibly have, and if you manage to find good help it will be worth it.  I don't think that you are the type of person who wants to monitor tickers and the markets everyday for the rest of your life...

 

My other advice to you is now that you have an inheritance..you yourself should get up to date on financial matters.  Study, study, study...it won't be your life but over the course of years, you'll accumulate enough to not make basic errors that would cost you.  

 

About your queries, there is one simple principle that all must understand and everyone forgets from time to time.  It is 'caveat emptor'.  Nothing in the markets or in life for that matter is completely risk-free- even those that are stamped with emblems of the British government or other guarantors & regulatory bodies.   Over the course of years new developments in the markets occur and the hand of politics & government intervene.  The methods, techniques, and technologies used the exchanges shift dynamically and there is no such thing as a Market Wizard.  The financial markets of 2014 are different from those of 2010, and those of 2020 will be different still.  The only thing that has not changed is the increasing breadth, size and complexity of both domestic and global markets.  We are speculating on the future.

 

So the second principle is: There is no absolutely sure thing.  There is risk in all things. Changing tax policies.  Inflation can eat away the buying power of your savings and even 'inflation protected' or contracted securities can fail when industry developments occur.  In most stocks, the bulk of the security owners are institutions, and not retail investors (average person).  The big dogs will have undiluted influence in the direction of future corporate financial policies and the manner in which the prices will change.  The longer one waits, even 'sure things' can become mistakes.

 

 Another principle you must hold onto yourself at all times is the fact that the stock market is not, in the long run, a game where one can make money by shifting securities from one position to the next and become a billionaire without working.  The stock price that you see on the ticker at any moment at time is a convergence of opinions of the crowd of stockholders. Pure opinion.  There are fluctuations in the short term nature (day traders, etc.) where securities move via rumor but over the long run....the price action will move back to its realistic value.   This is called 'intrinsic value' and it is what I focus much of my efforts on.   It's not just what you see in the ticker- there is a dense, fiendishly complex web of competition and activity behind every price.  And we're just talking about investors and traders, and not the mass of activities that are required to carefully lead the future of corporations or commodities in the real world of business...

 

The final basic principle for now is diversify.  Do not sink everything into one basket.  Spread your risks, but don't spread them too much.  That's the art of asset allocation.

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Now, and as to how to spend it?  

 

It depends, completely, on your values in this life and whether you believe that they will change now or in the future.   That's how I've always seen it, at least.

 

I also have a sizable inheritance that is likely to be mine someday and will increase my wealth.  I am conservative with money and non materialistic to a fault.  I have difficulty spending money.  Books are cheap.  It's in my nature; I tend to prefer practical uses over style & fashion.  And when I use style, I use style to satisfy the practical.  Behind this lies a dynamic code of values that I have developed for myself.

 

Out of curiosity, what have are the key insights that you've developed from you travels?

Firstly, thank you very much for your informative reply. Although admittedly its a language I'm not very familiar with, so it took me a couple of attempts to fully understand it. I'm now also evaluating the option of investing in property. Something that occurred to me on my travels. 

Ive always enjoyed my time in Asia and what it has to offer. Will think back on my time there with fond memories. However with time and money being such a precious commodity these days, I don't want to waste it on something Ive already experienced. In the same way you never go to the cinema to see the same film. (well I don't at least) So much more of the world to see...and I can't wait to conquer it! India, South America and Africa are in my sights. 

Im currently suffering from jet lag and your final question is a little too deep to be quiet honest and requires brain power I just don't have at the moment.  I'll have to get back to you on that one...

So what is the next region of the world that you want to see? 

India! - Without a doubt. I am planning a 6 week trip at the end of the year already. From what I've heard to just experience a snippet of India will blow your mind away. A country that you will love and hate at the same time. I don't expect it to be an easy ride but if you put in the effort you reap the rewards ten fold. I can't wait!  The ultimate challenge. From the impression I get you crack India and you my friend are a true traveler. A country that you feel as well as see. The colours, smells etc etc...plus i can't go though my whole life without saying I haven't visited the Taj Mahal

So yeah, thats my next destination

Ok so just curious which fall do you find the most hilarious and/or the most embarrassing? They are listed 1-10

Attention!!!!

Contribution-121- 150 photos full review Hedvig Palm

http://www.bellazon.com/main/topic/44606-cult-icons-junkyard/page-22

Name your Top 10 Celebrity Spouses of the moment

http://www.bellazon.com/main/topic/52451-name-your-top-10-celebrity-spouses-of-the-moment/

Film: Brest Fortress, with English subtitles

http://www.bellazon.com/main/topic/52460-the-brest-fortress-2010/

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There are two regions of the world that I really long to do a very extensive (several months long) exploration of:.  Asia and Europe.  I studied Chinese history, culture, and Mandarin in grade school and still use in verbal communication (or listening/watching) enough to keep it fresh.   But my ability to read & write has dramatically deteriorated due to lack of use.  I have never seen most of Asia outside of the cities (vacation or business trip).

I know the battlegrounds of WW2 fairly well, and that would be certainly on my list for Europe, among numerous other things.  I have spent time in Germany but not much elsewhere.

Since you have a background working for a travel agency...I got to say that I'm quite curious as to how you would plan to go on a 6 week trip to a 3rd and 2nd world country in which you don't have language skills in?  I know you have a lot of experience, and frankly I wish I knew how to do the same.  It sounds exciting, stressful,and maybe even risky.

India! - Without a doubt. I am planning a 6 week trip at the end of the year already. From what I've heard to just experience a snippet of India will blow your mind away. A country that you will love and hate at the same time. I don't expect it to be an easy ride but if you put in the effort you reap the rewards ten fold. I can't wait!  The ultimate challenge. From the impression I get you crack India and you my friend are a true traveler. A country that you feel as well as see. The colours, smells etc etc...plus i can't go though my whole life without saying I haven't visited the Taj Mahal

 

So yeah, thats my next destination

I've noticed that there are a lot of new models as of late.  I really need to catch up.  Can you help me?

 

I find that Sammy Grad and Devon Windsor are having a good season.   It's also nice to see Tanya D. back after such a long hiatus.

 

Out of your veterans, I've always like Edita and Maryna a lot.  Sigrid is fine, too.  I think I like around 150 different models and I tend to like who's fashionable & producing at the moment...so I rotate just like you.  The last full career review I did was on Constance J.   My favorite beauty is probably Nimue Smit

 

.I don't even know where to begin to help you catch up there are so many

But maybe this can be a start.... these models in the link below are what models.com is considering the top newcomers this season.

http://models.com/fashionweek/ttnc.html

Edita and Maryna are great in that not a lot of models can legit pull off the sexy look while still Looking high fashion.

Not that familiar with Nimue Smit.. I know the name but I can't put a face to it right now. I'll check her out thanks.

I remember now you were the first person I 'met' on BZ.

 

Oh really? Wow.. that's neat. Thanks for the Devon pics!!

I'm madly in love with you Sasha avi. She seems to be everyone's fav these days.. and rightfully so! I just adore her face!

So on the weekend I finally smashed through the last half of The Last of Us, and also the Left Behind DLC (at an extortionist price mind you :persuazn:)

I have to say, Naughty Dog always do an admirable job with their writing; in particular the way their characters are brought to life through incidental dialogue and interactions with one another. It was pretty fantastic from start to finish I thought, and the ending was both disturbing and incredibly sad. It's rare for games to cut through all the guff and elicit genuine emotion from the player.

On the surface, the gameplay was pretty solid too. The combat/stealth bits were tense and challenging, although at times incredibly frustrating for me, due to not being able to aim worth a damn with a gamepad It's a damn shame this game and others like it will never see the light of day on PC - not only for the controls, but for the visuals too. It's a really beautiful and detailed game, and it's a shame to see it marred with the low resolution, low framerate and lack of anti-aliasing that the crusty old PS3 hardware can squeeze out, nearly 10 years on o_O

I take it you know of this?

It's gotten a release here in the UK provinces, which isn't a given with foreign-language films (although not sure how well it will go down given current Soviet Russian sentiment). I saw this trailer at the cinema last week and thought of you! Don't know about the historical accuracies - it looks like a Titanic-esque take on a slice of history - but, like that film, the visuals look impressive...

Here it is..but no english subtitles.  

I've skimmed through the whole thing, and the directing reminds me of 'Snyder's Sucker punch' a great deal.   The directing is overall odd.   The use of perspective and camera has a peculiarly juvenile style. The visuals and props are first rate but there is very little combat action, and the nature of the fighting scenes (often focusing on individuals doing Matrix antics....) give me the impression that the director was intimidated by the logistics of building a battle.

Like Synder's films, the film makes excellent stills due to the extensive props...but when watching it in motion there is a distinctively artificial appearance which breaks immersion.

The command of tactical details is also poor (although the uniforms are done ok) and it seems to be more about an interpersonal drama that takes place in a battle.

There are a ton of Russian war movies on youtube, and in many places they tend to be similar to some American war films of the 1950s, 1980s (America!!!) in their simple structure and overt displays of patriotism.  Even though harsh things are shown, they don't have the disillusioned attitude of say, 'Platoon' ("The first casualty of war is innocence").  They also have a lot of repetitive tropes:

-We get to know the 'squad' personally and they are a cross section of the various regions of  Russia

-The random asian/mongolian/siberian Guy (here in the USA we have the token black or hispanic guy...)

-The end scene always involves the lead characters fighting to the death and usually there is a sole survivor or two.  Then a 'deus ex machina' device appears, and saves the day so one wretched dude is still standing...

-There is always some guy (usually wounded) that commits suicide and blows up the enemy along with himself.

etc..

I take it you know of this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's gotten a release here in the UK provinces, which isn't a given with foreign-language films (although not sure how well it will go down given current Soviet Russian sentiment). I saw this trailer at the cinema last week and thought of you! Don't know about the historical accuracies - it looks like a Titanic-esque take on a slice of history - but, like that film, the visuals look impressive...

I really liked watching 'Last of Us' and it's the type of thing I would like to try.  Also, if you have loose ends, try reading the wikia on it.  I did, and it helped.   But the story and environments were done exceptionally well.  Also, it was well written enough to make you care about, for instance, the black guy and his brother. I didn't see the DLC yet, but I skimmed through it and unfortunately there was no Joel and I don't think it added much to the story. 

Do you have 'outlast'?  This game is full of horror movie tropes (The Shining, Hills have eyes, {REC} (especially)) and even watching the youtube put me on the edge. 

Check it out...:

So on the weekend I finally smashed through the last half of The Last of Us, and also the Left Behind DLC (at an extortionist price mind you :persuazn:)
I have to say, Naughty Dog always do an admirable job with their writing; in particular the way their characters are brought to life through incidental dialogue and interactions with one another. It was pretty fantastic from start to finish I thought, and the ending was both disturbing and incredibly sad. It's rare for games to cut through all the guff and elicit genuine emotion from the player.

On the surface, the gameplay was pretty solid too. The combat/stealth bits were tense and challenging, although at times incredibly frustrating for me, due to not being able to aim worth a damn with a gamepad It's a damn shame this game and others like it will never see the light of day on PC - not only for the controls, but for the visuals too. It's a really beautiful and detailed game, and it's a shame to see it marred with the low resolution, low framerate and lack of anti-aliasing that the crusty old PS3 hardware can squeeze out, nearly 10 years on o_O

Stephanie <3

This is a quick way of getting yourself acquainted:  http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nimue+smit&sm=3

The newcomers are going to be tough.  Every season, I go to TFS just to click on all unknown names in the first 10 pages or so.   Usually I get 1 to 3 new favorite models...out of maybe 30 girls or more.  I still haven't gotten around to doing it yet.

I've largely been doing an Eniko Malick and Magda full career review (300+ photos so far for Enko.....then I'll do Magda) while I check up on a few models periodically.

I love Sasha,...I noticed her in 2012 and she's been having a good year!  Who are you into today??  do you like nadine leopold?

.I don't even know where to begin to help you catch up there are so many

 

 

But maybe this can be a start.... these models in the link below are what models.com is considering the top newcomers this season.

http://models.com/fashionweek/ttnc.html

 

Edita and Maryna are great in that not a lot of models can legit pull off the sexy look while still Looking high fashion.

 

Not that familiar with Nimue Smit.. I know the name but I can't put a face to it right now. I'll check her out thanks.

 

I'm madly in love with you Sasha avi. She seems to be everyone's fav these days.. and rightfully so! I just adore her face!

 

I really liked watching 'Last of Us' and it's the type of thing I would like to try.  Also, if you have loose ends, try reading the wikia on it.  I did, and it helped.   But the story and environments were done exceptionally well.  Also, it was well written enough to make you care about, for instance, the black guy and his brother. I didn't see the DLC yet, but I skimmed through it and unfortunately there was no Joel and I don't think it added much to the story. 

 

Do you have 'outlast'?  This game is full of horror movie tropes (The Shining, Hills have eyes, {REC} (especially)) and even watching the youtube put me on the edge. 

 

Check it out...:

..takes place between the FALL and WINTER chapters, just after Joel gets impaled and nearly dies. You play as Ellie, with the sole objective to go out on your own and get some shit to patch him up. So yeah, he's not in it in any meaningful way - it's really Ellie's story. The action is broken up with another flashback sequence where you play a pre-Joel Ellie, and it plays out the relationship with her friend Riley; ending in a scene where they both get bitten and accept their fate, agreeing to 'lose their minds together' (Ellie references this in the main game). Ultimately it wasn't at all necessary, but it matches the quality of the main game, and is very moving in its own right.

From a gameplay standpoint, they offered some fun situations where you're facing bandits and infected at the same time, which you can use to your advantage

I bought Outlast when it came out, but I haven't gotten around to playing it yet. I won't watch that video for fear of spoilers, because I do still intend to get to it

I ran into this place recently.  I present to you the most embarrassing retail chain store concept of the year!

The Art of Shaving

-Long on marketing, interior decorations, price gouging... short on substance...

-Small bottles of shaving creams, moisturizers, razors & brushes retail up to $300.  I found a shaving kit ( a mere 3 oz. of liquid), brush, and gilette style razor for $235........

-For the 'fair' price of $55 you can get yourself shaved by the 'Master Barber' (that's his title) while passerbys watch you behind an overly decorative setpiece.  You can  even pretend that he's your butler!....

Do you have the new systems?  How are they and there is anything worth seeing or anticipating?  I watched some up 'Ryse, son of Rome' and 'killzone:shadowfall' and was unimpressed with the new technology so far.  

 

Yes, exactly. It's pretty rare for a game to do this on that level. The DLC.. (spoilers in case anyone happens to be reading this)

..takes place between the FALL and WINTER chapters, just after Joel gets impaled and nearly dies. You play as Ellie, with the sole objective to go out on your own and get some shit to patch him up. So yeah, he's not in it in any meaningful way - it's really Ellie's story. The action is broken up with another flashback sequence where you play a pre-Joel Ellie, and it plays out the relationship with her friend Riley; ending in a scene where they both get bitten and accept their fate, agreeing to 'lose their minds together' (Ellie references this in the main game). Ultimately it wasn't at all necessary, but it matches the quality of the main game, and is very moving in its own right.

From a gameplay standpoint, they offered some fun situations where you're facing bandits and infected at the same time, which you can use to your advantage

I bought Outlast when it came out, but I haven't gotten around to playing it yet. I won't watch that video for fear of spoilers, because I do still intend to get to it

 

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Full career review, Flavia!  Last 2 parts!

http://www.bellazon.com/main/topic/44606-cult-icons-junkyard/page-22

 

I've skimmed through the whole thing, and the directing reminds me of 'Snyder's Sucker punch' a great deal.   The directing is overall odd.   The use of perspective and camera has a peculiarly juvenile style. The visuals and props are first rate but there is very little combat action, and the nature of the fighting scenes (often focusing on individuals doing Matrix antics....) give me the impression that the director was intimidated by the logistics of building a battle.

Like Synder's films, the film makes excellent stills due to the extensive props...but when watching it in motion there is a distinctively artificial appearance which breaks immersion.

 

The command of tactical details is also poor (although the uniforms are done ok) and it seems to be more about an interpersonal drama that takes place in a battle.

^I skimmed too, and that's a bang-on assessment.   Quite surprising though that the director actually came to prominence with another war movie (9th Company) which dealt with the 80s Afghan conflict. I also realised I've seen another movie of his before called Inhabited Island, a hoary old sci-fi yarn that I sat through because I really fancied the lady in it!  :baronlamesign:

Mind you, that was Yuliya Snigir, and equally I sat through the otherwise execrable A Good Day To Die Hard for her (and Ms. Winstead's all too brief cameo) too...

Talking off Sucker Punch, tangentially anyway, I remember really enjoying it at the time and then afterwards feeling completely hollow. Inasmuch as it actually had nothing of value to it - just a series of interesting visual stimuli (aside from Jamie Chung  ). And, as I'm going off on strands, have you ever seen John Carpenter's The Ward (a self-serving affectation that director seems to revel in)? Spoiler alert here:

It's EXACTLY the same plot!

I ran into this place recently.  I present to you the most embarrassing retail chain store concept of the year!

 

The Art of Shaving

 

^A fool and his money are easily parted... 

There are a ton of Russian war movies on youtube, and in many places they tend to be similar to some American war films of the 1950s, 1980s (America!!!) in their simple structure and overt displays of patriotism.  Even though harsh things are shown, they don't have the disillusioned attitude of say, 'Platoon' ("The first casualty of war is innocence").  They also have a lot of repetitive tropes:

 

-We get to know the 'squad' personally and they are a cross section of the various regions of  Russia

-The random asian/mongolian/siberian Guy (here in the USA we have the token black or hispanic guy...)

-The end scene always involves the lead characters fighting to the death and usually there is a sole survivor or two.  Then a 'deus ex machina' device appears, and saves the day so one wretched dude is still standing...

-There is always some guy (usually wounded) that commits suicide and blows up the enemy along with himself.

etc..

 

^It's good to know these clichés are universal! 

Do you have the new systems?  How are they and there is anything worth seeing or anticipating?  I watched some up 'Ryse, son of Rome' and 'killzone:shadowfall' and was unimpressed with the new technology so far.

I might end up getting them some time down the track - if/when there's a tipping point of too many console-exclusive games that seem too good to miss out on <_<

Come of think of it, 'The Last of Us' reminds me a lot of 'The Road':

There was also another observation I made last year:  The graphic designers clearly spent a lot of time studying real life photographs of urban destruction, the decay of infrastructure, and the ecological aspect of it.  This comes easily after the effects of war or economic collapse:  Rust Belt USA,  Grozny-Chechnya, Georgia, Iraq, and Chernobyl offer a lot of useful information.

 

No. But it's always "next-gen" when you're a PC gamer
I might end up getting them some time down the track - if/when there's a tipping point of too many console-exclusive games that seem too good to miss out on <_<

 

It seems to me that even the 'next gen' consoles are still pumping out very similar things compared to Xbox360/PS3.  The chief difference is the graphics and environmental details so far.  I'm going to look into MGS5 when it comes out.  Kojima's studio tends to be well financed and avant-garde.

There's no PC version of The last of us?

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I saved this recently:  It's a win!

I saw 9th company when it came out (Putin claimed to have liked it...!) and found it to be fair.  The Afgan war is not a war that I am that familiar with though.  I found the final scene is very different from real life events and tactically improbable from what I know.

There are other Russian movies about Chechnya that have a similar structure to 9th company. Like this one: Definitely lower budget than 9th company, though:

This is the woman from 'Stalingrad'.  She is better looking in the film..  Good makeup artist! 

No, I didn't see the Ward or Sucker Punch. Unfortunately (or fortunately??) I did see, 'Man of Steel' in theaters.  I thought it was alright.

 

^I skimmed too, and that's a bang-on assessment.   Quite surprising though that the director actually came to prominence with another war movie (9th Company) which dealt with the 80s Afghan conflict. I also realised I've seen another movie of his before called Inhabited Island, a hoary old sci-fi yarn that I sat through because I really fancied the lady in it!  :baronlamesign:

 

Speaking of the Russians, what do you ( & Spain) think of the whole Crimea business?  I found the media blitz to be an endless source of black comedy.   The levels of propaganda and misinformation from various sides were astounding!

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This model: Naty C. (thanks to dear layla) has quite the face:

http://www.tumblr.com/search/Naty+Chabanenko
 

There's no PC version of The last of us?