An authentic aspirant of life story, delicious food, green future.

Hometown: XiAn, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was trapped in the cable car station on the Mt. Brig in Switzerland above the snowline for a night after 6 hours hiking because I missed the last cable car going down.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Northwestern Polytechnical University, Power Engineering of Aircraft Vehicles, China

University of Southern Denmark, Mechatronics, Denmark

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Commodity Management, Team Lead

IMD classes have been dubbed the Mighty 90 for their talent and versatility. What has been the best part of being in a small class with this group of classmates? The best part to me is bonding and the exposure to diversity. In such a small class, I am closely exposed to different backgrounds which provide me a great learning experience on diverse mindsets and cultures. We are from 40 nationalities, and in group work where we work in teams of 5-6 people, there are usually 3 or 4 different cultures represented. Meanwhile, I have the chance to know everyone and build up a strong bonding in the whole cohort as a group.

Aside from classmates, what part of IMDs MBA programming led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Except for classmates, the most important driver for me choosing IMD is the Leadership Stream. I was attracted by the idea of a transformative program and especially on further developing my self-awareness, self-acknowledgement, and self-improvement. All such personal benefits are way more important than knowledge to me. And IMD demonstrated such transformative function by the amazing experiential activities, intensive group work, impressive guest speakers, and discovery trips.

Since I have started, the real learning, real impact aspect of the program has given us the chance to implement all our reflections into our program studies, observe changes in the dynamic and improve ourselves iteratively.

IMD is known for academic rigor. What is one strategy you used that would help a future IMD MBA better adapt to the workload early on? Be prepared and have confidence would be my suggestion. Especially in Module 1, there will be a lot of work to do, cases, calculations, and essays. All professors are amazing and helpful. It is great to have discussions with them either during class or afterwards. It feels like communicating with colleagues and friends with enlightening insights. Please be mentally prepared for hard work and have confidence in yourself and in IMDs professors. And enjoy the hard work and classes!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was responsible for the procurement of some large steel parts in 2021. Due to the high logistics costs from China to other regions, it was extremely difficult to obtain savings. I coordinated among regional teams, aligned across company synergies, investigated the logistic shipping market with suppliers, and managed to get good savings of around 6% on material costs for the commodity.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at IMD so far: My biggest accomplishment at IMD is that, together with another four classmates in the MBA EI&D Committee, we organized the first LGBTQ+ experience, a sharing event, within the MBA cohort. It was an intimate event. People shared their experience about organizing activities and promoting inclusiveness in working environment, or reflections on previous experiences. I feel extremely proud of the event and the inclusiveness showed among the cohort. One of my classmates said that it set a good ground for people to start talking about this topic more openly.

Where is your favorite hang-out in Lausanne? Why do you (and your classmates) gravitate there? My favorite spot is a narrow track that runs along the lake from Ouchy to Pully (about 4.5 km). That is always my running routine. There are some amazing views throughout all the seasons and a few spots close to the lake that are good for relaxing and self-reflection.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? My suggestion is that if pursuing an MBA is something you want to do, then the sooner the better. I actually wish I could have done it a few years earlier. However, I needed the time to put together the necessary funding beforehand. Then there came a time when I realized that I could not wait any longer or I would miss my chance. I felt the need for a better business knowledge structure and a broader view on how to make business decisions in order to strengthen my leadership. Aside from these skills, I felt that an MBA might also lead to a beneficial career change, but the most important goal is firstly to be a better me.

What has been your best memory at IMD thus far? There are so many memories that I can hardly choose a best. One could be the COP simulation experience, which was organized for MBAs for the first time this year. I was really encouraged by the authenticity and effort Professor Knut Haanaes put into delivering the event. Over the two-day experience, I put myself in the role of certain countries, and their topics became such a reality that I felt both the strong urgency and the complexity of each situation as well. It reminded me to revisit the sustainability topics we face and to emphasise the effort we need to make.

DONT MISS: MEET IMD BUSINESS SCHOOLS MBA CLASS OF 2022

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Meet the MBA Class of 2022: Yu Lin, IMD Business School - Poets&Quants

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IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

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Sure, success sometimes is sometimesthe result of whom you know.Still: Long-term success is almost always based onwhatyou know.

That's why most successful people try to be lifelong learners.And (at least try) to take a research-based approach to learning faster and retaining more.

Here's anotherway tolearn faster, retain more information, andimprove your memory: Test yourself.

I know what you're thinking. You don't liketests. Especially when tests are intended to assess:Grades, rankings, hire/don't hire decisions. Taking atestis usually high pressure, high stakes.

But what if a test is low-stakes? What if a test is used to help you, not assess you? Turns out self-testing -- which automatically makes it low-stakes testing -- is an extremely effective way to speed up the learning process.

Partly that's because ofthe additional context you naturally create. Quiz yourself and answer incorrectly, and not only will you be more likely to remember the right answer after you look it up, you'll also remember the fact you didn't remember. Getting something wrong is a great way to remember it the next time, especially if you tend to be hard on yourself.

In a weird way, what you got wrong can be stickierin terms of memory than what you gotright.

The key is to ensure the stakes are low. Say you're teaching new sales reps how to conduct a product demo. Stop halfway and administer a pop quiz,and the stakes -- since it feels like an assessment, not a learning tool --might not seem so low to the participants. Plus,no one likes to be wrong in front of other people.

But you could pass out a quick quiz, let people take it, go over the answers, and then let them throw away their papers when you're done. Then it's a low stakes test thatfosters learning.

And provides a number of other positive outcomes. A study published in Psychology of Learning and Motivation uncovered 10 benefits of low-stakes testing, whether its self-directedor external. (Again, the key is low stakes.)

1. Testing -- and retrieving -- aids retention. Don't just read, re-read, highlight, and rehearse--quizyourself as well.

If you're learning a presentation, quiz yourself on what comes after your intro. Quiz yourself by listing the fourmain points you want to make. Quiz yourself onsales estimates, or key initiatives,or results from competitive analysis.

That will force you to practice retrieving the information you want to remember, which will make it stickier.

2. Testing identifies knowledge gaps. Test yourself and you'll quickly discover what you don't know. Then you can focus on learning that. (And you'll be more likely to remember that information since you didn't know itthe first time.)

3. Testing helps you learn more the next time you study.Studies show that people who took a test before they studiedretained information better than those whodid not. (Think of it as priming your study pump.)

4. Testing organizes knowledge.Reading is fairly passive. Testing forces you to make connections, or recognizes gaps in your ability to make connections. Testing helps you realize, "Ah -- this goes with that," or "This causes that," or to in some way cluster information so that it makes better sense.

5. Testing helps transfer knowledge to new situations.People who are repeatedly tested are better able to apply what they know to new situations.Think of it as the, "Hmm, this is a lot like that, but with one littletwist" effect.

6. Testing helps retrieve information not tested. Granted, this one seems odd. Still: Take a test, and you'll better remember information that was studied but not tested. (I'm guessing that's the result of the overall memory boost frequent low stakes testing provides.)

7. Testing improves metacognitivemonitoring. Ever read something and at the end realized you don't remember any of it? Frequent self-testinghelps you get better at noticing times when you aren't learning. Or don't really understand. Because you're in the habit of quizzing yourself, you'll more quickly realize that you're likely to get whatever you're trying to learn wrong.

And you'll adjust accordingly.

8. Testing prevents interference from prior material.Try to learn a lot at once and it all tends to run together. Or, more likely, you'll remember what you learned early in the session, but after awhile the rest is justa blur.

Toss in a few quizzes along the way, though, and that doesn't tend to happen.If you need to learn a lot of material, break the session into chunks by inserting a few quizzes. And if you're teaching new employees a lot of material, definitely toss in a bunch of low-stakes quizzes.

Otherwise much of the time and money you spend on training will be wasted.

9. Testing provides feedback to instructors. Research shows the averageinstructor or trainergreatly overestimates how much peoplehave learned. (You know what you'reteaching,so it seems easy to you.) Frequent testing helps you as the trainer know where people stand.

Again, just make sure it's low stakes.And if people struggle, don't imply they don't "get it." Be self-deprecating. Say you need to do a better job explaining, teaching, or training.

10. Testing encourages more learning. Test me once a month and I'll probablystudy only the day before the test. Test me every day and I'll study every day.

The same is true for self-testing. Test yourself often and you'll not only be motivated to learn what you don't know, but you'll also feelgood about how much you have learned.

The result is a virtuous -- not vicious -- cycle of motivation. Testing indicates improvement. Improvementfeels good: It always, always,alwaysfeels good to improve. Feeling good about yourself provides a small doseof motivationto keep putting in the effort.

Which results in moreimprovement, more self-satisfaction, and motivation--and more learning.

That's the real beauty of frequent, low-stakes testing. Not only will you learn more.

You'll alsowant to learn more.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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The Best Way to Learn Faster and Improve Your Memory Includes 10 Cognitive Benefits, Backed by Science - Inc.

More often than not, policies that directly impact the lives of youth are implemented but no young person was heard during the policy-making process. The latest United Nations Report of Ageism finds that young people continue to report age-related obstacles in several spheres of their lives such as political participation and employment. This tendency prevents us from designing policies that ultimately serve people of all ages.

For this years International Youth Day we call on global leaders for more acknowledgement on the youth contributions to solving global challenges and their role as drivers of change. Empowering young people and involving them in debates that shape our future is crucial for a fairer world. And their empowerment begins with accessible skills development opportunities.

The world is surrounded with exceptional young people who have clear visions and courage to drive positive change in the world. One of them is Asiya Mohammed, the Executive Director of Conflict Women Ltd, who helps survivors of sexual and domestic violence to rebuild their lives by facilitating market access for their jewellery and art. The aim is to build an entrepreneurial network and train women in business development through public-private partnerships.

Another example is Thandiwe Chama, a young educational rights activist from Zambia. She believes that education changes lives, stating:

Due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Thandiwes school closed, leaving her and many other children without any access to education. Only eight years old, she organized a march, motivating 60 children to participate and to claim back their right to education. The march was successful and all 60 children were accepted to another school.

Thandiwe continued to fight for childrens rights and is an activist for the welfare and rights of those living with HIV and AIDS. In 2007, at the age of 16, she won the International Childrens Peace Prize for her astonishing efforts and actions.

It is through bold actions like Asiya Mohammed and Thandiwe Chamas that a better future for all can be shaped. Giving young people a voice and a chance for self-improvement through the power of education may ultimately increase youths political participation.

Be part of the international debate and register for the LKDF Forum 2022

The 2022 edition of the LKDF Forum will address what resilience in skills implies in the context of the skills development environment. Experts, training professionals, and stakeholders will provide the necessary knowledge and tools to prepare ourselves for a skills revolution at the individual, organizational, educational system, and private sector levels. The event will bring the perspective of young people and their stories of resilience.

The LKDF (Learning and Knowledge Development Facility) team looks forward to welcoming young participants at the forum and listening to their solutions to address the skills mismatch and build more resilient societies.

Get in touch with the LKDF Secretariat: lkd-facility@unido.org

Follow LKDF on Twitter and LinkedIn

Editors Note:The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.comIn the Featured Photo: Youth protesting. Featured Photo Credit: UNIDO/LKDF.

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Involving the Youth in Decision-Making Processes - Impakter

Nathan Fielder in The Rehearsal

Nathan has a problem with lying. He lies a lot.

At this point in the season of The Rehearsal, Angelas line feels less like an accusation and more like an understatement. And thats before we spent much of the episode watching him convincing the young actor playing his make-believe-now-a-kid-again son Adam to pretend hes attending swimming lessons when, in reality, hes learning about Judaism behind Angelas back. (In case youd forgotten, Angela has very, very strong feelings about her faith, as were reminded almost every five seconds in this episode; honestly, if you made a drinking game around taking a shot every time she says Jesus you may not make it through the entirety of Apocalypto.)

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But back to Nathans lying. We could likely say its gotten worse over the course of the season but then episode one ended with him rehearsing a confession of having forced someone to unwittingly cheat only to watch Fielder refuse to disclose that altogether and to offer a pat compliment instead. The Rehearsal is built, in concept and in execution, on a system of lies. Its not just the authentic improv-like impersonations the rehearsals call for but also the many steps that lead to such performances (let us not forget his method of acting calls for some slight stalking).

The murky ethics of the entire enterprise is not for me to assessthough, perhaps you can guess where I standbut thats mostly because Im less interested in such black-and-white discourse and more fascinated by the way the show so clearly wants us to have those conversations. For someone so fixated on how he comes across and carefully attuned to how peoples behaviors can be fine-tuned with enough practice if not with a simple awareness of how theyre going about their livesnot to mention someone who is literally scripting and directing these episodesall of these moments of obliviousness cannot help but come across as building towarda semblance of self-actualization, right?

Story continues

We dont always get to choose what happens in life, Fielder notes toward the end of the episode. We do get to decide if we rehearse for it.

The whiff of self-help rhetoric should give us all pause. Not because the idea of preparing for key events in our life is not a feasible approach toward self-improvement. But because rehearsing, for Fielder, feels like more of a crutch than anything else. Also, that royal we being used is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Very slowly, as weve learned, The Rehearsal has become less a show about helping a collective we (or a singular they) cope with what may happen in life but an excuse to allow Fielder to grapple with his own life decisions (and hangups and insecurities and anxieties). Id say the show is a season-long play on the lengths straight men will go to avoid therapy, but that almost feels like a too flippant riff on that popular meme.

But then, how else to explain his decision to use Angelas rehearsal as a place where he can avoid falling into the same old habits that plagued his previous relationships? I will say, him recognizing such patterns (while talking to his parents, no less!) and in the context of a show where he controls pretty much every single aspect of his environment (love that drone shot where you see the fake snow offering a visual sense of his insularity) was a moment that made me wonder if I shouldnt think of Fielder as some Gotham villain-in-the-making (hey, he now owns his own HBO-funded bar!) and instead as a melancholy loner. But then, once that empathetic feeling flares up, Im left thinking that he is still in control here. He has an entire cast at his disposal. A crew who have and will build him whatever he desires. The backing of HBO, even.

Nathan Fielder in The Rehearsal

I am curious, of course, to see how Fielders now self-involved project will come to an end. Is there yet another meta twist coming? Will we get to witness him learning something about himself many of his viewers (and critics and fans and reviewers and recappers) have maybe theorized already? Will this ouroboros of a docuseries eat itself as Fielder play-acts parenthood for no other reason than maybe he feels he should?

Are these too many questions? Should I be offering more trenchant critiques of a show that seems expressly designed to constantly enrage and engage its viewers? Perhaps. But for now Id rather sit with my thoughts and keep wondering how Fielder is going to wrap this whole thing up.

Wanting to pivot away from a discussion about Judaism with a benign question like Whats your favorite movie? only to have Angela answer Mel Gibsons Apocalypto(!) broke my brain. Is this a you cant make this up moment? Because it was almost too perfect.

Such moments, whether scripted or not do get at one of the aspects of The Rehearsal I havent had a chance to dig into too much: This is a very funny show. Sure, its humor is sometimes very cringey and most definitely feeds off a sense of discomfort in its viewers, but I do find myself outright cackling several times per episode. (The line I watch Key & Peele! had me howling, as did the makeshift Dr. Fart sketch which made me think Adam could grow up to become a great TGS staff writer.) And, however you feel about Nathan, he does make for a great straight man.

Okay, I know that had Fielder not decided to upend Angelas rehearsal wed likely have focused on it more, but its kind of bonkers how she barely adhered to the mock-reality of her parenting rehearsal, right? Right? Its in those moments when I am left wondering what we might have learned about Angela and her approach to the rehearsal if the show allowed for more conventional talking heads/confessional moments. Instead, because she was constantly forced to play a role and only do so when Nathan was around, it was (as he points out in voice over) hard to tell when she was role playing and when she was actually (and truly) committed to the bit.

Also, can we give it up for Anna LaMadrid, who really nailed her performance as Fake Angela? I need these various actors to find a way to turn their perfect impersonations into better gigs.

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Mom and Dad argue on The Rehearsal - Yahoo Entertainment

FREDERICK, Md. (PRWEB) August 11, 2022

Steps to Success is the annual signature event of the Frederick Womens Business Network! From its earliest beginnings, the vision and purpose of this event is to connect professional women and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.

As an integral part of Steps to Success, participants will have the opportunity to attend breakout sessions that are designed to INFORM each woman with tangible tools to accelerate the growth they desire. Additionally, they will be able to ENCOURAGE peers by sharing insight around the experience they bring to the groups focus and receive SUPPORT needed to move forward as they take their next STEPS TO SUCCESS!

The WBN seeks out the best facilitators who lead group discussions in a wide variety of topics that include business growth initiatives, womens health, and personal development. In these sessions, like-minded women support everyones desire for self-improvement.

For our 15th annual Steps to Success event, our Keynote Speaker is Monica Pearce, a trailblazer and the owner of Tenth Ward Distilling Company.

Breakout session speakers include:

Michelle Nusum-Smith - owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman, LLCPeggy Maganelli - agent at RE/MAX ResultsCasey Clark, MBA, M.A. owner of C Clark ConsultingMichell Bell, Esq. - founder of MC Bell Law Firm, PLLCRachel Collins - owner of Living Well Financial CoachingChristina Brockett, MS, CNS, LDN - owner of Encompass integrative WellnessJudy Buchanan, MBA - owner of Judy Buchanan EnergyLaTisha Boyd-Potts, MSW, AMHFA, YMHFA - owner of Grouplady Life Skills Consulting, LLC

About Womens Business Network of Frederick - The Womens Business Network of Frederick is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inform, encourage, and support women in their quest to grow their businesses. It was designed for women just like you. Those who want to improve their health and self-confidence and to feel empowered. Additionally, those who want to simply belong in a group of like-minded professionals who provide unconditional support. All while gaining tools and insight to help them grow in their profession.

The WBN exists because we want you to have the tools to succeed and to give opportunities for sisterhood. We are all working professionals and small business owners, volunteering our spare moments to share our success stories, to help you become more proactive, and to support your dreams.

For more information about Womens Business Network of Frederick and how you can support their mission of helping women in the Frederick County community, call visit https://wbnfrederick.org/. You can also connect with the Womens Business Network on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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Women's Business Network of Frederick is Holding the 15th Annual Steps to Success Event - PR Web

Tennessee Williams' classic play THE GLASS MENAGERIE transformed the stage at His Majesty's Theatre with some modern touches that enhance how this story is told. BLACK SWAN Theatre Company's creative talents (and talented creatives) come to the fore to deliver a memorable and thought-provoking performance.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE is semi-autobiographical, with details more factual than allegorical. Tennessee Williams gives the main character and narrator his real name- Tom- whilst the character's sister Amanda is nicknamed Blue Roses, a hark to Williams' sister Rose. Williams also spent time in a shoe factory, sharing an occupation with narrator Tom. As long time collaborator Elia Kazan said of Tennessee Williams, "Everything in his life is in his plays, and everything in his plays is in his life." The autobiographical elements seem to lend themselves to the feeling of the play that brings the audience on an emotional rollercoaster, with the narrative having us wanting each character in turn to succeed and later to fail, until everyone is reconstructed in a charming ending where, despite nothing being resolved per se, there is a feeling that each character for the first time is content.

Without a curtain, Fiona Bruce's set design is immediately striking. Whilst appearing somewhat plain at first, the set comes to life with under Lucy Birkinshaw's lighting design. Michael Carmody contributes something not oft seen, with video design adding a further element to the play. The fifth character in the play- the absent father whose portrait sits above the fireplace- is personified by the videos, and weight added to his character through this unique avenue. Composer and pianist Tom O'Halloran is visible but not obvious at the back of the stage, and his music perfectly suits the play. As with the family dynamic portrayed in the show, O'Halloran's music has an air of familiarity, with variations and quick progressions that match the action on stage. Another off-stage presence deserving of praise is voice and accent coach Julia Moody. Each accent is excellent, with McElhinney's Southern accent losing its polish after years in St Louis, Joel Jackson's mid-western accent steeped heavily in the working class whilst Acacia Daken's is one of isolation, and Jake Fryer-Hornsby's twang shows a more settled upbringing and perhaps loftier ambitions, with a heavy hint of confidence absent from the others.

Mandy McElhinney plays Amanda Wigfield, the Southern matriarch of the family who persistently struggles with the disconnect between how she dreamed her life would be and how it has turned out. The fracture this causes between Amanda and her adult children is perfectly illustrated by McElhinney, with her supportive faade often faills and gives way to a more overbearing style. The love she has, though, never falters, with McElhinney managing to paint a deeper picture of internal struggles through her performance. The narrator and central character of Tom Wigfield is played by Joel Jackson. Tom starts as a somewhat idyllic son and brother under the control of an unreasonable mother, however as the play progresses- perhaps as the events become more recent and memories of them clearer- Tom becomes more troublesome and abrasive, spending more time retreating to his vices. The change from dreamer into daydreamer is brought across by Jackson's outstdanding performance. As Laura Wingfield is Acacia Daken, who brilliantly shows off the character's fragility. Laura is somewhat the focal point of the second act and you can't help but wanting her to succeed thanks to Daken's performance having been drawn deeply into the character through a slow burn introduction. As Jim O'Connor is Jake Fryer-Hornsby, who is focussed on self-improvement. Fryer-Hornsby begins as the perfect partner for Laura, however his appeal fluctuates as Fryer-Hornsby's portrayal gives away more of the character. The portrayal, as well as the dynamic with Acacia Daken's Laura, uses the tension with the audience perfectly; building it, reducing it, and breaking it with expert timing. The chemistry between Daken and Fryer-Hornsby is one of many highlights of the play.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE speaks for itself as an icon of literature, however BLACK SWAN Theater company enhances it with exquisite staging and superb acting. The performers drag the audience in so deeply that you may ask the characters at the beginning "How can you do that to each other?" but at the end you ask "How can you do that to me?" The complex tapestry woven of relationships and hopes is irresistible and each character's journey is perfectly represented. This modern retelling of a classic is less something to be seen and more something to be experienced, but either way it is not to be missed.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE is at His Majesty's Theatre until August 21, with several matinees and more accessible performances. Tickets and more information available from BLACK SWAN Theatre Company

Photo Credit: Daniel J Grant

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Review: THE GLASS MENAGERIE at His Majesty's Theatre - Broadway World

A self-taught artist has crafted a colorful menagerie of fanciful and realistic origami creatures. Some are palm-sized, some life-sized, and all represent the artists personal philosophy: If it makes you feel happy, go for it!

Romanian artist Patrick Alberto Vraja, 25, grew up in the city of Sighetu Marmaiei and recalls being entranced by paper art as a child.His first creations included cute dinosaurs, animals, and everyday objects. Today, he crafts animals, human figures, and mythical creatures with jaw-dropping attention to detail.

I recently started going for more realistic origami because I feel like real life is as beautiful, or even more, than fiction, Vraja told The Epoch Times. I feel like realism in art can be tougher to achieve, so I took it as a challenge for myself and my growth.

Growth lies in simple things: shaped feathers, different wings, a different pose. Not everything has to be flashy, at least thats what I think.

Vraja shares his creations on Instagram and TikTok, and says his take on a design by the artistKatsuta Kyohei titled The Blakiston Fish Owl is by far his best fold yet. Its alsohis largest work to date.

He said he wanted his creation closer to a real-life owl. His first challenge to complete the incredible owl origami was trying to actually fold all that paper, he said.Vraja completed the owlon Jan. 18, after close to 25 hours of work spread across several days.

Then I actually brought it upon myself to look at owl anatomy so I could achieve realism. It was a lot of back and forth with the folding I just went full freestyle mode,' he said.

While each of Vrajas creatures is crafted by scoring and folding a single sheet of paper up to 5 feet in length, those sheets can be comprised of two layers of thin, malleable 25 gsm paper, glued together with a cellulose-based glue to make the paper resilient and better-purposed for sculpting.

Vraja alternates between tissue and Wenzhou rice papers, claiming tissue is very accessible, and rice paper is higher quality but more expensive.

At the age of 7, in the absence of the internet, Vraja was introduced to origami by his mother, toward whom he is grateful to this day.

I think my very first origami was a jumping frog or a beaked airplane that does tricks while flying, he recalled. I didnt do a lot the first years; I just folded and folded, until it became a habit.

Everything changed with the internet. Vraja found a website offering simple to intermediate origami tutorials, and made replica designs using cheap A4 printer paper.

For what I was working on, it was enough, he reflected. We all start somewhere, and Im proud of those times.

After folding everything the website had to offer, Vraja moved over to YouTube for more inspiring content. He remains in contact with some of these same content creators today.

Entering school, Vrajas designs graduated from simple to more complex. He discovered a love for dragons, folding over 100 dragons through his high school years during lunch breaks, or whenever he was anxious or bored.

Vraja slowly fine-tuned his technique and believes theres still room for improvement on the smallest details. Theres no such thing as perfect, but overall Im very happy, he said.

The artist, who moved from his hometown to Cluj Napoca to finish his studies in public administration, and works in retail,doesnt know exactly how many paper artworks he has folded, but claims the number is in the three digits. Describing himself as a calm and patient person, he considers origami training for my mind.

He advises others: Be original, be yourself! Nothing bad will ever come from that. If you have something that you enjoy doing, no matter how big or small, do it. Dont focus on peoples negative opinions Im living proof that if you keep doing something you like, if you just give it any time of your day, youll reach a point where youll be content and happy.

So far its been 18 wonderful years. Some filled with constant work, some with breaks for different reasons, but I always come back to it, excitedly, no matter what! I consider origami my place where I can relax and find myself.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter

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PHOTOS: Self-Taught Artist Makes Incredible Origami Creatures From Single Sheets of Paper - The Epoch Times

The ambiguity between Guillermo the fearsome slayer, who almost beat Nandor during the Familiar Fights at The Night Market, and the underdog in a wolf pack is fertile ground for comic undertones and character evolution. Nandor has had Guillermo on his mind since, at the very least, the Djinns last-moment small print addition to a big-dick contract. In his one of many wishes wasted on self-improvement, whenever Nandor put his new and improved penis to use, all he could think about was Guillermo.

Romantic tension is inherent between vampire and familiar, even the bride Marwa (Parisa Fakhri), picks up on it. She feels whatever Nandor likes, so this has the potential to grow like the list of impossible requests for the wedding. In this, the series jumps a shark, not literally but historically, as one of the oldest go-to jokes in the book. The Dodo Bird is the most famous of all creatures who went extinct during human consciousness. Entire ecosystems and a rare fruit were lost when the last dodo was snacked upon, apparently by the Wraiths, if we follow the mythology of What We Do in the Shadows to ridiculous conclusions. Considered the help by the vampires, Nadja wouldnt let the Wraiths eat the cake being drawn into the nuptial feast by six mighty black stallions. They dont have that kind of sweetbread.

Rich humans are like veal, conceptually repulsive but buttery on my tongue, Nadja says in what is becoming a running gag of subtle social commentary. Nutley, N.J., is also a very subliminally unsettling setting, which leads to one of the least subtle sequences of the series so far: Baron Afanas (Doug Jones) makeover montage. What We Do in the Shadows purists may find the sequence too staged, campy, and clichd, but it is a very effective takeoff on the art of comic editing, as well as being full of visual gags. It also restores the Afanas character for future chaos.

While wedding bells usually spell the dissolution of the old gang, vampire weddings tend to reassemble them. Derek (Chris Sandiford), who went from being a vampire hunter to a vampire, returns as an eternally needy friend indeed. His reading of you had my number this whole time? is heartbreakingly amusing, proving exactly why Guillermo hadnt thought to call. The creature which crawled out of the abdominal cavity of Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) only makes one appearance in the episode, and that is as a sidekick to Doll Nadja as the two are reduced to being the flower children.

The ceremony itself is a traditional affair, the human neighbors have been hypnotized not to freak out by all the vampires there, and the vampires maintain a repressed respectability. This breaks when Baron Afanas begins the oration, and the true nature of the vampire spills out. Its all about sex, and the promise of more sex, and will ultimately lead to a musical high point: a bawdily inquisitive duet between Nadja and Laszlo on the duration of marital consummation.

There are many reasons to object to the union of Nandor and Marwa, beyond parking validation. The central chemistry of the leads is still reacting to all the Wraith energy The Guide is bringing to the series, and Baby Colin hasnt yet found his niche. But the most damning, as far as a viewers choice contention, comes from the Sire, also known as Gojlrm: Ruin is inevitable, all else is prelude. He speaks for TV executives across all platforms, who only speak in numbers.

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What We Do in the Shadows Season 4 Celebrates Unholy Matrimony - Den of Geek

The Kansas football team huddles up during the first day of practice on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. by Chance Parker/Journal-World photo

Fresh off of a family vacation, Kansas basketball coach Bill Self made a visit to KU football practice on Wednesday morning to chat with coach Lance Leipold and get a look at the team.

According to the Kansas soccer team's Twitter account, Self also stopped by Rock Chalk Park to talk with Mark Francis' club before its exhibition opener on Wednesday night.

Ever a supporter of KUs group of gridiron warriors, Self spoke with optimism about the future of the program and emphasized its importance to all of KUs athletic programs.

We havent seen the potential of this place until football gets going like it can, Self told Brian Hanni during Kansas Athletics live coverage of preseason camp. Of course, it cant get going unless people buy in. Lance has got all the players to buy in, the administration, the staff, but until the fans also buy in, its going to be a much more difficult process.

Its chicken or the egg, Self added. Do you wait until (they) win until you come or do you come to help them win? I think the latters definitely the way this program needs it in order to build it quicker.

A regular at KUs home games throughout his time in Lawrence, Self said he was impressed by what he had seen from Leipold during his first 16 months in charge of the rebuilding program.

Self called Leipolds organization, positivity and energy big positives and said the improvement the Jayhawks showed down the stretch during Leipolds season was a clear sign that the players were on board with what Leipold and his coaching staff are trying to accomplish.

Being able to get 100 guys to move around and be organized all the time, you know, I struggle with 12 or 13 so Im impressed, he said of Leipolds organizational skills.

Self also said he thought the 12 transfers and incoming recruiting class would aid the teams improvement, but he also noted that there were plenty of returning players who fans and coaches should be excited about, most notably sophomore running back Devin Neal and senior safety Kenny Logan Jr. Self said he thought those two, along with a few other Jayhawks, could start on most Big 12 teams.

Were gaining on it, he said. Were not going to be outworked and were not going to be outcoached.

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Kansas basketball coach Bill Self visits KU football practice, believes Jayhawks are 'gaining on it' in quest to climb Big 12 ladder | Tale of the...