Bulletproof Dreams is an exhibition that displays paintings by Gazan children and aims to raise international awareness to the genocide in Gaza. The exhibition is located in Turkey. So powerful.
Video: @reyad.belkacem
Golden cheese: *walks into room with Cacao and lily sat on one side, Vanilla flustered and not looking at them on the other*
Goldie looks at cacao and lily. Then at Vanilla who looks back at her through his fingers. Back and forth a few times, before stopping on Vanilla
Goldie:oh my god I get it. Ohhhhh my God I get it
Vanilla: oh thank God.
Goldie: destroy my kingdom? Never. Me? I mean he could if he buys me dinner first....
Vanilla:RIGHT?! He could tell me sweet lies anytime
Lily: you two aren't real-
Cacao: WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE COULD
Goldie: IM SAYING HE COULD GET IT AND ID THANK HIM- ESPECIALLY IF IT STOPPED HIM DESTROYING OTHER THINGS.
Lily: YOU THINK YOU CAN FIX HIM?!
Vanilla: he could make me worse.....
Cacao: VANILLA!
how to start reading again
from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.
start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.
don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.
go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.
remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)
analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.
read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.
finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.
try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.
forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.
remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!
stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.
This is a collection of links to various posts concerning fundraisers I've vetted and instructions on how to submit fundraisers to me. These are primarily ones for Ghazzan families although some fundraisers for Sudanese families are also listed (I'm more familiar with my own country's politics and dialect and am more capable of vetting fundraisers for Palestinians as a result). Each post will have a time stamp indicating the latest date of update. And fundraisers will have colour-coded disclaimers according to the particularities of their case.
I know that people do not like clicking on links or navigating between posts, but please actually look through these posts and choose a fundraiser to donate to. Please.
Instructions on how to submit a fundraiser. (for those not Ghazzan) تعليمات لتقديم طلب توثيق و نشر حملات التبرعات الخاصة بالغزاويين و عائلاتهم (للغزاويين فقط) سأنشر البوست قريبا
List of fundraisers for direct contacts from Ghazzah & Sudan. - PRIORITY.
Vetted family evacuation fundraisers list 1. - Particularities Listed.
Vetted family evacuation fundraisers list 2.
Unvetted but highly likely legitimate fundraisers.
Additional fundraisers for various purposes.
strawberry pimp redesign woah
hes so catboy omg i cant
im so cringe helpbjbkhxuv
I like to think that Jing Yuan was a late bloomer and had a huuuuge growth spurt that made Yingxing very salty
Bisan Owda's call to action
eSims For Gaza
For USAmericans: Call your reps | Email your reps It takes only a few minutes and there are scripts if needed. If you call after hours, you can leave a voicemail.
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action Toolkit
Jan 26th Int'l Day of Action Toolkit
Google Drive of posters to print
Other infographics about the strike: here and here
I will be queuing this post for every day this week. IDs in Alt text!
I am Mohammed Alanqer married from Enas Majed we have 3 children
Amidst the ongoing war in Gaza, we find ourselves as a family trapped between walls of fear and despair. I, Mohammed, a father of three children and a husband to a woman in her eighth month of pregnancy, live in an environment filled with threats and risks.
My technology startup, which I built with dedication and hard work, was destroyed during this war, leading to the loss of our livelihood. My children, Layan, Sarah, and Adam, no longer have the opportunity for education due to the destruction of schools, posing a significant threat to their future.
- "A souvenir photo of my startup company."-
- "Me and my wife Enas majed "
Our family home was destroyed due to the war, forcing us to flee and move multiple times, leaving us homeless. Everything has become difficult now; we cannot provide a safe place to live, nor can we afford clean clothes and food for our children. Additionally, our children have been afflicted with diseases such as measles, and our son Adam has been diagnosed with viral hepatitis.
-" layan & sara & adam in the war" -
Our only hope now is to escape from this ongoing hell and find a safe haven for our family. However, this requires exorbitant financial costs, with the coordination fee for crossing borders amounting to $5000 per adult and $2500 per child, a sum I cannot afford alone.
- "My home before the war "-
We urgently appeal for your moral and financial assistance to cover the necessary costs for escaping to a safe environment, where we can build a better future for our children and ensure the safety of our family
Thank you for your attention and support, and we hope you can help us in these difficult circumstances.
Thanks 😊@nabulsi 🙏❤️
Thanks 😊 @communistchilchuck ♥️🙏
The war has entered its ninth month and everything is getting worse 💔
Please help me get my family out of there and protect them from war and bombing🙏🙏
When Shirahama writes smth encouraging about magic which also very much applies to art>>>>>