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sunnysideups

[ website | My Shallow Secret Cyberlife ]
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[ archive | journal archive ]

trips [May. 30th, 2009|03:07 pm]
[Currently Reading |arkham asylum]
[Current Mood | cheerful]

Who's ready for a threesome?

Photobucket

Me Me MEEEEEE!!!

**announcement: am deleting this blog i a couple of days, LJ posts will be moved to my "oldest oldest blog". Meanwhile, I will be haunting http://sexymoodswings.blogspot.com. Hope to hear from you all. Mwah.

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cabben [May. 5th, 2009|01:20 am]
[Current Mood | artistic]
[Current Music |rain]

The informal jottings of a hometown tourist

I went to the BenCab Museum in Baguio City this weekend, to make a feature story on the newly opened art gallery-cum-eco-tour-area-cum-cafe.

A good omen of things to come, the taxi driver cursed at me saying that I had tricked him into bringing me to a really, really far place (enough to make him clench in his seat and throw me dirty looks) which didn't look so far on the website's map. My boyfriend, who came to see me there, faithfully followed my directions ("Malapit lang sa church") but ended up walking two kilometers in leather shoes, in the glaring heat. Yan ang pagmamahal.

Anyway, after paying the fare plus extra (kasi lugi siya at mahal ang gas at krisis ngayon), I got down from the cab to be greeted by a bearded man who flashed me a smile and said, "Hi. Kilala mo ako?"

I said, "....BenCab?"

He said, "Hindi, driver ako ni Virgilio Almario! Nandyan siya sa loob! :)"

"Ah ganun po ba? Sige po thank you!"

I entered the light-filled museum, paid the P100 entrance ticket, was pointed to the gift shop, where a girl told me this would be my last stop and that I should go downstairs. It was all so new and nice. There was a huge painting "32 faces of Sabel" at the balcony, which gave a view of BenCab's house and private studio/enclave. I should have arranged for an interview with him, I swear.

Then downstairs, a chipper tour guide said "Hello, Bakit ka mag-isa?" I don't know if this was in reference to the fact that, apart from Almario and his staff who were wandering somewhere, I was virtually the only guest at the museum. (Sheh, tour guide, said this is not the case on peak seasons, but it's generally quiet most days. More so since it was Pacquiao-Hatton's fight.)

She led me to the Indigo Gallery, where a show was ongoing, and I was immediately drawn to the work of Leonard Aguinaldo ("How to Eat A Poisoned Dog") because I had interviewed him for an Art Studies paper in college, and I found his rubber etching technique quite piquing. Based on the red dot on the small card next to the painting, this one was sold.

A few feet away, there were sliding glass doors giving a great view of the hilly, tree-rich property where there would soon be a fully functional garden (inspired by rice terraces) and an eco-tour a la Tam Awan Village.

Then I was treated to the Bulul collection, all 133 artifacts, non-curated as Almario pointed out in our interview. The black or brown figures stood in stark contrast to the plain white walls. It was lovely. BenCab has been collecting this for more than two decades, from native weapons to lunch boxes to containers of lime for the traditional betel-nut chewing ritual, a way to say hello to guests. Sheh told me I could even lie down on the old carving meant for foot massages.

Then the bululs, whose positions varied according to the tribe, and their functions varied from fertility to protection to health. At this point my Sagada-born boyfriend was still walking, and I failed to tell him how far he would have to go.

Then there was the Erotica section, which housed works by Ben Cab and others. There were sculptures of bulus in the act of copulation, something my tour guide said was not traditional. Her exact term was "Ewan ko ba kung bakit naggaganyan ang mga artist." haha.

Then downstairs, there were Contemporary Galleries, one reserved for young artists from the Cordilleras. In one of the shelves, I saw a bust by Anastacio Caedo, the one who posed for the U.P. Oblation. At this point, another tour guide, who seemed to be the more senior of all of them, came and chatted with my new tour guide (there's one on standby on every floor) about Manny Pacquiao and other gossip, and I wandered off into the other Contemporary Gallery and the Maestro Gallery.

I thought it was significant how the museum, like art, has hierarchies and classifications. Famous ones versus not famous ones. But the thing was, the maestro gallery, composed of works handpicked by Ben Cab, was smaller than the Contemporary galleries. I just found that sort of telling.

Downstairs, I peeked in for a bit at their cafe, which led directly to the garden (the website said it housed poultry and other plants, but I didn't see). I just said hi to the staff, who were milling about and waiting for people.

And I left feeling very impressed but I had so many questions still. Jeeps were hard to come by, more so for cabs, so I started trekking up to the villages, seeing a lot of woodcarved handicrafts stores on the way. And I thought, "Hmmm... Are some of these handicrafts showcased in the museum? Why don't they deserve to be housed in a museum? Does this come under the high-art-low-art dichotomy?"

Then a few feet up, I felt the wound on my ankle (damn you Hush Puppies) swell, and I saw blood stain the leather so I stood in a shade and contemplated. Then boyfriend came, his face like one of those fierce-looking paintings of an Igorot man in the museum, and the first thing he said to me was, "My leg muscles are cramping and I am going to die." Then he asked me, more gently, why I didn't inform him earlier that the place was pretty frickin far.

He said he had followed the "This way to Ben Cab Museum" signs but started getting worried when he got to the twelfth sign. Haha. I made it up to him naman.

But was the blood and sweat worth the trek to BenCab's homage to art? Definitely.

See Multiply album for more pictures.
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loifstoil [May. 1st, 2009|01:54 am]
[Current Mood | awake]
[Current Music |joan jett and the blackhearts- new orleans]

As the new Lifestyle section writer/ sub-editor, I am now accepting (begging for?) any story tips you may have on the following subjects:
  • Art and Literature (recommend books that we can review, museums we can visit, etc.)
  • Anything worth a feature (such as if you want to send me into a warzone where there's a nice little swimming pool, or a place where only pink dolphins live)
  • Movies, Films, Television Shows (mostly reviews, or like new trends happening. Indie films, whatever)
  • Beauty, Health, and Wellness
  • Cultures and sub-cultures (like we recently got an email about a biker subculture going on in Manila. Except I don't know how to approach them with my girly pleats)
  • Science and Technology, which may have value to our predominantly male demographic such as noteworthy websites, new internet/ technology trends
  • Music (concerts? free ones? ones with a cause?)
  • Economy (something less technical and more "human interest." Like, recession tips for the day-to-day person.)
  • Politics (art and makeup are political, yeah! women's issues, gay/lesbian/transsexual issues, interesting people I can do a profile on, etc.)
email me
PM me
picture message me
 
Thaaaaanks!
Link2 comments Leave a comment

curses [Apr. 30th, 2009|12:11 am]
[Current Mood | thankful]

U.P.'s urban legend goes: if you take a picture with the Oblation, you'll never graduate.
TOO LATE!!!!!
(CLICK ON PIC TO VIEW ALBUM)
Link4 comments Leave a comment

babyboom [Apr. 6th, 2009|12:15 am]
[Current Mood | busy]
[Current Music |blondie- maria]

Turns out, 11 days after they're born, hamster babies actually become cute. Adorable when they jump into the food dish or run on the wheel and fall off.

Oh, and Good news, babe, none of them were eaten.


(From L-R, counterclockwise, Maximillian, Tatiana, Nimbus, Fall, Gray One, Miggy Jr., Maya, Molotov, Cumulus, and Bob.)*

*names yet to be approved by Miggy.


Link4 comments Leave a comment

newcycle [Apr. 2nd, 2009|11:30 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Currently Reading |'stupid wars' by ed strosser & michael prince]
[Current Mood | excited]
[Current Music |byanka-pro leto]

It's true what they say about news cycles. You really have to cycle on that Tour-de-France bike of information. We all turn into that jackrabbit from 'Alice in Wonderland' who keeps on running around saying "I'm late I'm late I'm late!!!"

So I was screaming "Type, KD, TYPE!!!" (In a tone much like "Run, Forrest, Run") and transcribed like I have never transcribed before, on a keyboard that had missing letters.

And I thought I was going to be all dignified when something big comes up like MryJeanLcaba.

*

I have to hole up somewhere this Saturday, to finish my Muslim discrimination story, because I want the issue to get picked up, because one of my interviewees said today, "We hope you will be one of the ways to tell more people about the plight of the Muslim people, and we hope we can work together to bring peace in Mindanao," or something like that. I haven't transcribed it yet, because I want the keyboards at home with complete letters.

And I am psyched about this, I want to DO IT GOOD, so damn good like Persian wholewheat vegetarian Good Burger. I have to clinch that lead and it has to be solid all around because I don't want to be the girl who f*cked up the plight of the Muslim people.

*

On a more cheerful note, here are the Grammors (like Grammy's, only it stands for 'grammatical errors + grand stressors') for two weeks.

One man passable bridgenarrow bridge
wife stub husband to deathstab
primodial concernprimordial
drum and bugglebugle
one million seven hundred million pesos
I frickin don't know
cries fowl over power hikefoul
Four hundred and Eighty Eight Ago, Magellan landed in the Philippinesyears
scavergersthis cannot be a typo. because r and n are pretty far apart on the keyboard.
Surnames I like:
Tumamao
Opinion

 


Notice it's less because, THANK YOU SWEET JESUS, the regional writers have improved. Yeay! Maybe they've gotten bored with my long-distance calls. Beginning with, "Um, I'd just like to ask a whole lotta questions about your story."
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lonelyplanet [Mar. 29th, 2009|11:15 pm]
[Current Mood | distressed]
[Current Music |korn- coming undone]

I had coffee with my friend yesterday, which was refreshing because it was the first time I think I actually talked to someone who's going through a little of the same sh*t I've been going through lately.

Although she's going through a lot, and I'm going through relatively more trivial issues, we were both entitled to feel bad because, in our little coffee shop sofa circle of advanced words, no one gets moral ascendancy to act more hurt just because some issues are weightier than the other.

So the important bit is never to let go of our outlets, that place or means by which we can vent, when we're feeling taken for granted, or we're feeling stupid or retarded, or overworked, or under-loved.

I'm glad she is one of mine.

And running across a national highway and dodging speeding cars with her sort of reminded me not die, essentially meaning, there's some things that are worth not getting run over for.
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beanstalker [Mar. 18th, 2009|11:41 pm]
[Currently Reading |young che: memories of che guevara by his father]
[Current Mood | complacent]

I've recently wondered whether the people I write about (or re-write about) on the news every day, have Friendster accounts. A vast majority would not be on Facebook or would not have the inclination to be on a social networking site, but then again you always wonder.

If the girl who pretended to be a nurse to steal a baby because she had a miscarriage has a face.
Or if that son of a major drug dealer injured in a raid has a face.
Or if that young girl who died in a jeepney crash a few days short of graduation has a face.
Or a short profile.

I mean, everyone has a face, of course. You just don't see them when you write their names. So from now on, I'll start looking.

Possibly, leave a short note saying, I'm sorry you died, I'm sorry you were hurt, or I'm sorry for your alleged crime.

Except, they don't allow Friendster access at work.
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errors [Mar. 13th, 2009|10:10 pm]
[Tags|, , ]
[Currently Reading |young che: memories of che guevara by his father]
[Current Mood | amused]
[Current Music |tool- opiate]

One of our hamsters (all four are as yet unnamed because my little brother has gone through 200 names for each of them so far and hasn't decided on any) gave birth to seven blind red jellybeans today.

I kid you not, they are disgusting to look at and squeal when they get dragged by one of the hamsters en route to the food dish. And when they do squeal they sound like rusty swings, only smaller.
Here's a blurry picture of them in a bed of sawdust. Photo by Nico.

Jason said they might eat their young, like his cats do, and he hits them because they're bad. But I can't hit hamsters because they bite back, the little balls of fur.

And he's right, they eat their young if there's not enough protein in the mother hamster's diet, or if you touch the baby jellybeans and transfer your scent onto them and the confused mother eats them.

Animal pet care sites said they'll open their eyes in 11 to 12 days, and when they do, we should put the water bottle down or feed them pieces of cucumber to hydrate. Then after two weeks we can touch them and clean the cage (eew that'll be so smelly by then). Till then they'll have to drink like, milk molecules from the hamster's tiny teat.

All I want to know is if they're having sex in the cage or if they were pregnant when we bought them. The former is alarming because if they're a horny bunch, we'll have a jar of jellybeans by Christmas.

It's very fascinating and disgusting in a way. I mean, I will never eat red or pink jellybeans again.


Enough of that, here are my favorite phrases from editing this week's worth of regional stories:

political indefferences
six dies in car crash
suspect was also included in the charged sheet...
...gathering more evidence to pin down the brain. (mastermind)
..application for licensed jives with actual operations...
personnels
new-looking suspicious people
...here we are stucked with an incompetent leader.
...rebels returned to the folds of the law...
...the search would be piloted in the first district of Leyte.
A throng of angry militant woman... (my favorite!)

Words this week that could be replaced with something else:
  • waylay- ambush
  • purseiner- fishing vessel
  • adjudged- judged
Last names I like:
  • Santotome- police story
  • Archival- lawyer
New things I learned this week:
  • A worker who is terminated is required to be told about it a month prior and is supposed to be given separation pay. Under the Labor Code, separation pay should be equivalent to at least one month's pay or successive years' pay, whichever is higher.
  • There is a place in the Philippines called Camotes Island. In Cebu.
Yeah, dudes, let's pin down the brain!!


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grammy [Mar. 6th, 2009|10:39 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Currently Reading |a heartbreaking work of staggering genius- dave eggers]
[Current Mood | nerdy]
[Current Music |audioslave- show me how to live]

Consider this a public service, three weeks into the job.

Ms. Marites said I should compile this, lest I teach someday. So, future, students, here are some words to live by.

Words That May Exist, But Only In Your Own Personal Grammar School
These words...are actually...as in the sentence...Consider revising...
full-pledgedfull-fledged"New recruits are supposed to go training before they become full pledged police."go training" to just "train" 
priced collectionprized collection"The dolls are part of ...'s priced collection."unless of course the dolls were for sale. In any case, it sounds awkward. 
to cease the fireto stop the fire"...firefighters had to break down windows to cease the fire."The term "ceasing fires" (ceasefires) are usually used  in war, shootouts, armed battles, but technically not when a Korean school burned down. 
three termer legislator'legislator for three terms' or 'legislator, elected for three terms'"The three termer legislator said..."termer is not even a word. 
basesbasis"The experience would not be the bases..."Bases IS a word. Just not this time. 
House of CongressCongress or House of Representatives"...was passed in the House of Congress."Do not make it sound like the House of Waffles, nor make it sound like it is an actual house. Unless you want to be specific, since it is composed of two houses, the Lower House and Upper House. Note, however, that the Lower House does not like being called "lower." 
cancer, only hers is breast breast cancer"Like Francis M., Bibeth, too, is suffering from cancer only hers is breast.""Like Francis M, Bibeth is also suffering from cancer, although hers is breast cancer" or any concise sentence. Consider using less commas and use them in appropriate places. Man, that breast bit is just awkward. 

Further, here are a list of words that DO exist, but are awkward, archaic, or informal (and are hence not understood by the majority of readers).

wordmeaninguse instead
malversationto stealcorruption, graft
localitesresidents of a particular localityresidents, locals, people
solonmember of an organized body organized to make lawslawmaker, legislator
disfavorstrong feeling of not liking or approvaldislike, disapprove
backjobofficial meaning. to masturbate on a person's back while he or she is sleeping
informal meaning. a job that had to be repeated because it was shoddy or incorrect
shoddy job, etc.

Just some of my favorite surnames that I've encountered in various reports.

Cabigasstory on organic rice
Superficialpolice story
Ehemploshootout story
Rebelyn (name)story on NPA rebels
Paglumotanstory on right of reply bill
Bolabolasex den story
That's all, folks.
Link2 comments Leave a comment

staaarrryyyy [Feb. 26th, 2009|09:57 pm]
[Currently Reading |middlemarch- george eliot]
[Current Mood | accomplished]

Congratulations, I think I am now the official grammatical goddess (trainee editor) for provincial and metro news reports.

Because my editor thanked me yesterday at the story conference. Because he said he's stopped getting emails that go like, "Ano ba yang storya niyo hindi ba inedit, nagbabasa ba kayo? Umayos kayo! Loyal reader ako nakakadismaya... etc. etc."

My steady diet is shit-ass writing, fantabulous new words that don't exist, and crime reportage. I fear that I am slowly being desensitized to violence.

I think that someday, if indeed I get shot by two men riding on a motorcycle, my last thoughts would be, "How would I write this? Okay...
(dream bubble sequence)
A journalist from an online news organization was gunned down by two masked burly men riding a motorcycle Thursday.
The victim, identified as myself, was on a relaxing sojourn into the wild woods of Kamuning when she was reportedly shot dead by two unidentified suspects.
Meanwhile, the motorcycle was reportedly injured from repeated abuse by the same burly masked men simultaneously riding on it and putting unnecessary pressure on its tires.
The victim, who was rushed to a nearby clinic, was pronounced dead. She was unassuming, not very hard-hitting as her fellow slain journalists, and was prone to hiding behind the words "allegedly", "reportedly", "purportedly", and "believed to be." Which are all very hard-sounding words if you think about it.
Police are still investigating possible motives to the shooting. She is one of 60 or more journalists who were slain since 2001, according to a journalism guild's statistics. Allegedly.
(end dream bubble sequence)"

In other news, I'll be on the night shift starting next week.

In other other news, I love the Philippine Star's front page photo today.

Photobucket

Why? Because former president Fidel V. Ramos appears to be flying. Because the two men behind him seem to be lifting him up into the air by his pants.



Someone lift me up by the pants, it looks like fun.

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lovely [Feb. 21st, 2009|01:34 pm]
[Currently Reading |a heartbreaking work of staggering genius- dave eggers]
[Current Mood | awake]
[Current Music |bourne identity car chase]

My boyfriend says he's noticed that work (nursing duty) has changed him in terms of sharpened leadership skills and a better threshold for sleep deprivation.

I, on the other hand, have only increased my appetite for reading and hotdog sandwiches (which I can't have). My nose, I suppose, is very slowly but surely developing a sense for the news. (ha!)

*

In today's major web browser news, it was announced that the Diagram Prize is giving out awards to books with odd titles.
And you know what slipped into my mind? "Pumasok Tayo sa Imburnal." I reserve the right to write a book with this title. Thank you.

In other news, my Mom sent me an email the other day which I am pondering deeply.

Whoever started this email is asking which hurts more.

This...

Photobucket

Or this...
Photobucket

Cheers!

Link3 comments Leave a comment

firsdayfunk [Feb. 16th, 2009|08:40 pm]
[Currently Reading |the CMFR ethics manual]
[Current Mood | contemplative]
[Current Music |iron & wine- flightless bird, american mouth]

On my first day at work today, I decided to keep a list of relevant work-related statistics in my head, such as occupational hazards and the like.

For the record, I am enthused about my new job, and although I still have to thaw some lukewarm people, I look forward to the next 364 days.

 
 
Work-related WhateverNumber
Times I had to line up for a visitor's pass because I still haven't gotten my work badge yet4
Stories edited for factual or grammatical errors (e.g. "shot his soon-to-be-born baby." It's unborn child, idiot.)
3
Stories that I worked on and got published
6
Written works that got murdered or altered slightly in some way
6
New people I met
12
New people I met whose names I can remember
3
People I interviewed today
1
Celebrities I rode with on the elevator
2
Media personalities I stood three feet away from
3
Embarrassments (flying shoes, tripping, having to borrow tape recorder batteries from editor, awkward conversation, etcetera)
4
Times my dad said, "Develop a positive perspective because you will be doing this forever."
1
Times I said, "Dad, I won't do this forever, I have other plans, and one of them is dying someday."2
Times my dad said, "Well, this is a privilege, this is what you studied for, this is your dream."1
Times I tried to recall what my lifelong dreams were.20

All in all, not a bad day, considering my skill set. Hallelujah!
Link6 comments Leave a comment

druggedland [Feb. 7th, 2009|09:32 pm]
[Currently Reading |a heartbreaking work of staggering genius]
[Current Music |a perfect circle- weak and powerless]

Holy Maynard James Keenan, I did not know this had a video.


Little angel go away
Come again some other day
The devil has my ear today
I'll never hear a word you say
Promised I would find a little solace
And some peace of mind
Whatever just as long as I don't feel so
Desperate and ravenous,
So weak and powerless
Over you

LinkLeave a comment

domain [Feb. 3rd, 2009|11:38 pm]
[Currently Reading |Anni Albers: selected writings on design]
[Current Mood | sick]
[Current Music |piano sonata no. 14- beethoven]

I am happy to announce that as of 11:39 PM, +8 GMT, and sort of on Japan time,

the blog name "http://sexyfenneljuice.livejournal.com" has not yet been taken.

Why didn't I think of this earlier? It has so much more zing.

Link2 comments Leave a comment

vuuuurk [Feb. 3rd, 2009|09:49 pm]
[Currently Reading |a heartbreaking work of staggering genius]
[Current Mood | determined]
[Current Music |fort minor- remember the name]

This is work prep.

As of yesterday's little contract-signing, I am now officially employed. Well, I won't start at the office yet but I've essentially been hired.

So, in acquainting myself with [or sort of forcing myself upon] my new editor, I updated my three-year old resume which I found buried deep in the Sent Messages folder of my Gmail account.

The task freaked me out and I tried to remember what a proper resume looked like, (did they teach us this in school? Yeeeeaaahhh, I thiiiink so, maybe I was sleeping on my desk that day? Hmmm...). But I think it's pretty clear what it shouldn't look like.

Photobucket


I was initially worried about what I'd put in, and was trying to visualize what he'd like to see if he were just skimming over it during, like, a coffee break or something. Or if he were perusing through it in a frantic rush, so I thoughtfully highlighted the important bits in bold letters so he'd get the gist in one go.

I also sent him some writing samples because he asked me if I had "good copy." So I also, thoughtfully, assembled an online portfolio (Jesus Christ) of my published ones, assuming that, since he works for online news, he'd prefer the online version of everything.

I was typing up the ones I couldn't find online (by typing in my name in quotes on all the major search engines. As if I have a lot of articles, when I only have four. HUH-HA!!), and I sort of miss it. I mean, writing news. And doing all the writer stuff like going out to interview people, doing archive work, worrying if I'll meet the deadline, or possibly if I'll get shot by two masked men on a motorcycle as is the trend of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

So I'm glad I'm working. In the second most dangerous country to practice journalism. What with the global unemployment crisis and all, what was that in the Inquirer today? Oh yes, like a 100,000 or so shortage of jobs for new graduates, and more threats of unemployment in major business sectors.

So yeah, I'm glad I'm working.
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piehool [Jan. 29th, 2009|10:10 pm]
[Currently Reading |a heartbreaking work of staggering genius]
[Current Mood | giggly]
[Current Music |saving abel-addicted]

Now that's a public service announcement.

Simple as pie.

Source: unknown. My mom, who is a devout spammer, forwarded this to me by email.
Link2 comments Leave a comment

maazing [Jan. 27th, 2009|03:43 am]
[Current Mood | impressed]


Internet sources say these were not done on Photoshop but are real paintings. If so, *drool.*

Note: This is from a series of advertisements released by Schroders Investment Management Limited about "Illusions." It comes with accompanying Italian text that says "Evolvi la tua natura di investitore.
More on Safari! )
LinkLeave a comment

kidsthesedays [Jan. 26th, 2009|08:54 pm]
[Tags|]
[Current Mood | amused]
[Current Music |immediate music-lacrimosa]

Never too early to express political sentiments.


Starring my brother Miggy, my nephew Toby-I'll-kick-her-ath-Leung, and Gabbie, who, at eleven, is right of center and does not appreciate the comments made in this video.
LinkLeave a comment

jazzercise [Jan. 25th, 2009|11:02 pm]
[Current Mood | silly]


justin timberlake snl beyonce single ladies video
LinkLeave a comment

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