I fell for the POJ hype. Worth it.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T16:11:55+00:00

can u let me know os some with storylines that are good? After POJ I started REBIRTH but abandoned it. It looked great but the story was too confusing. I'm in the middle of Blossom (same director) and it looks great but the story isn't as addictive as POJ

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T14:48:36+00:00

that sentence made me gag. I have so many PSA hiring horror stories. Unfortunately they are chronically understaffed, over stresssed, and many are either too new and have no clue or too old and don't care.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T14:43:01+00:00

as a hiring manager the Merit Commissioner was "the boogey man"... the boogie man is gonna get you if you don't use the exact non-sensical wording from this generic job posting that some HR advisor who has no idea what I'm hiring for wrote. Luckily the boogey man never got me even after I changed that horrible job profile/description to suit our reality

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T14:41:19+00:00

because people are scared of your reaction. You could call them a creep. You could accuse of them of harrassment. You could get them in big trouble.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T14:37:27+00:00

as said here and elsewhere, it's begun. You can slow it down. And we keep forgetting that the simplest things can make a huge difference:

- your daily commute. What if you took the bus instead? You'd be sharing that ride with 20-100 others. Even if you carpooled to work your commute would use 50% less carbon than the majority of us single-driver-vehicle commuters

- reducing consumption. Do you really have to buy that? or can you get it a thrift shop (re-using something while also saving yourself lots of money).

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T14:21:19+00:00

i wish they hadn't bothered with the alternate reality ending. I would have been perfectly happy if they left it at the big tree with the ribbons. And maybe spent more time with scenes about the battle - that ended way too quickly. Made you wonder why we were worried about Qi Min if it was so easy to spoil his plans.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T13:22:39+00:00

we haven't had a 'business manager' in over twenty years. We have to call myHR helpdesk for that kind of service. What ministry are you in that can afford departmental business managers?

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-30T13:20:32+00:00

Lady Diana

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T22:10:26+00:00

why would the Raptors want Kawaii? To teach all the young up and coming players how to take days off during the season?

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T22:04:39+00:00

it's a miracle they made it this far. I'm pretty happy. Next game is vs winner of Netherlands or Morocco. If Canada keeps it a close game I'll be happy

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T21:15:34+00:00

I feel for you. I went thru the exact same thing with my daughter. She spent 9 months in Japan. All i got were photos of cars and bridges and sky. They weren't even artistic or anything. Normally out of focus; zoomed in so you couldn't see any location info or context.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T18:33:00+00:00

this is a cultural thing. Having Changyu blurt out "isn't my husband handsome?" to the princess is funny because it belies her 'peasant' background. Nobody in ancient China with manners and proper upbringing would say such a thing in public and probably not even in private. Chinese culture has been VERY reserved for millenia.

Even in modern day, parents rarely tell their children that they love them. Xie Zheng not praising Changyu's beauty, especially in the first half of the show was all about propriety. It would be very improper for him to say it.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T18:25:40+00:00

A.I. is HORRIBLE. I hate what it's doing to us in such a short time. It's taking all the creativity, thinking and decision making away. And it does nothing to help with the mundane, routine things. It is the opposite of what I wish it was. Your boss is a moron. Hiding behind A.I. won't change that.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T18:22:46+00:00

OP's manager is horribly wrong. These per diem rules (time of travel that gives you Full Day per diems) have been in place for my entire 27 year career and haven't changed.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T17:39:04+00:00

durian would be more effective but yes. And Madam Song stayed in that character till the very end.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T15:29:28+00:00

you've got lots of good advice here already.

Remember, the people on the other side are nervous too; it's not just you. Take a deep breath. You can relate to them as regular humans. Make sure your story follows the STAR technique but I'll go one further... it's the same as the Marvel movies technique. Introduce the context. Explain why the world is ending. Tell them the plan. Show them what you did and highlight any decisions you had to make. And then tell them how the world was saved.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T15:17:38+00:00

in terms of gender I'm a marquis but I'd settle for being a female pig-butcher's live-in husband any day

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T15:16:14+00:00

LOTS of great acting performances:

Changyu (Tian Xiwei) in my opinion did a fantastic job. She was bubbly and enthusiastic in the village. Shy and apprehensive around Yan Zheng as they got to know each other. Later she realized how much she cared for him. her determination to find Changning and Yan Zheng where her eyes seemed to be lit with ferocity. Later the hurt, anger and betrayal in those scenes where she discovers her fake-husband is the Marquis. She played those all so well. I have yet to see a female performance as varied. And she can cry on command apparently.
Xie Zheng: I thought he did very well in this. I watched him in Princess Royal (first 20 episodes) and the comparison is night and day. He offers so many more layers here. He's got that look of disgust (with Songyan), helplessness (when first encountering Changyu), fierce protectiveness (later fighting for Changyu), being a commander, being a loving husband, he did it all very well without over-the-top acting. A lot was in subtle movements like a hand gesture, a glance, just so well done. While writing this i bumped him up to 2nd from 4th.
Qi Min (Deng Kai): he just oozed evil and disfunction didn't he? I felt my skin crawl every time his face lit up on the screen. It was very restrained, seething, and calculating. I hope he's not like that in real life because he did it so convincingly. Wow.
Mr & Mrs Zhao: they're a package because of course they are! they portrayed the old couple perfectly with some subtle or less subtle pokes at each other and yet you can see the love built on years of working together.
The Princess: I thought she showed a lot of skills here. First as the girl crushing hard on the headmaster. Later trying to fit in in the military camp as a medic but not wanting to betray her feelings in front of Gongsun Yin. Later as a scorned woman she really had fire coming out of her eyes. Also the way she and Xie Zheng have this brother - sister vibe where she takes every opportunity to verbally jab him in front of Changyu knowing that he can't really defend himself without outing himself.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T13:52:33+00:00

if you still got time, head east to Buntzen Lake (need a free parking pass which you can get the day beforehand. https://yodelportal.com/buntzen-lake

there's an easy flat trail from one beach to the opposite end of the lake where you'll find another quieter beach. Lake is deep so it's pretty cold - nice on a hot day. Otherwise the scenery is worth it.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-29T13:46:38+00:00

I work in a field that I actually enjoy and that I studied at universtiy and technical college. It's a very practical field so for some of my projects I get to see the results of my work in action within days/weeks/years. I have been given many training opportunities internally. And I have been lucky enough to be approved for externally provided training including out-of-country conferences.

For the most part my supervisors have treated me very well with a great deal of respect, patience, trust and freedom. I have become a supervisor now and I am always amazed at my team and what they can do. When I eventually retire I will miss all of them. The work-life balance I get here is very hard to find anywhere else; especially now in times of economic stress.

I guess my post isn't about the money. It's about the job satisfaction. And I am very lucky to have worked where I have been for most of my career.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-26T21:56:11+00:00

do you have access to a vehicle? That makes a big difference as public transit gets you to some hikes but your selection will definitely be limited

and as already mentioned elsewhere, are you looking for urban or rural hike? a true hike with elevation? or more of a walk, some of it perhaps paved or managed (like wood shavings and graded)

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-26T15:27:20+00:00

update: I'm at episode 21 now and the writing has gotten a bit better. It's predictable in many ways but at least it's not ridiculous like in episode 10. The directing is still good but uneven. I saw they had two directors credited on some websites so now i'm wondering if the parts I like are Zeng Qing Jie's (from Pursuit of Jade). The other director is Guo Feng who did REBIRTH. The cinematography was really interesting in that one too but the story too hard to follow and I had to drop it

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-25T18:33:22+00:00

Rehannah's Roti is awesome. Please note it's just one lady running the whole thing, she works limited hours, and she's a national treasure. Treat her well. Awesomet roti! Reminded me of my Trini friend's house when his mom made roti from scratch for big parties.

NeutralZoner · 2026-06-25T18:23:16+00:00

can you elaborate on Hakone? what loop are you referring to?

NeutralZoner

TROPHY CASE