Today I went to Shanghai Asian Manor to eat some xialongbao with a friend for lunch.
The thing is, it wasn't just a friend, and it wasn't just a lunch.
It was a goodbye lunch with my very special friend, mentor, and senpai, Mirina. Mirina senpai is quitting her job in New York and flying back to Japan, where she will be starting her job and fulfilling her dream of working for an education company.
Mirina is special in so many ways - but primarily because she's probably my "oldest" friend in New York City. Not because she's actually old age-wise (I think she is sort of? lol), but because she's the only person right now who I could think of who was there for me in Manhattan the summer of my Junior year, when I was interning in Atalaya, when I was new to the city, lonely, and overworked. She took me to a bunch of restaurants and bars, and always was an amazing company. And most importantly, she continued being a great friend and senpai ever since I moved to the city last July. I still credit her for finding my favorite pasta place in the city. (the Supper! I'm so excited to take the next lucky girl to this place for some meat pasta, red wine, and quality time!)
But anyways, what I really appreciate about Mirina is how unapologetically frank and open she is about everything, and nothing is ever taboo as a conversation topic between the two of us. She has always been open about numerous extremely personal things, including family affairs, trysts, and sexuality. Speaking to her has always been refreshing, she's always on to something interesting, and I always learn of good food or desserts after hanging out with her. Heck, she's the first woman I've ever shared about the Taoist method on male ejaculation (Google it if you must, not terribly safe for work). This attests to how open and comfortable we are with each other.
And yet, our paths must diverge, at least for now.. Thank you for everything, Mirina senpai. I'll miss those days we share exploring restaurants together, from taking the Ikea ferry to go to the Brooklyn Crab to going to this janky hole-in-the-wall place in Chinatown to grab some tasty hand pulled noodles and to buying chestnut pasta in Eataly. I am truly grateful to have met you and known you and to have had a lot of fun together with you. I wish you all the success and love and happiness in Tokyo, and I look forward to continuing our epic culinary adventures and wonderfully inappropriate conversations sometime soon. And I'll miss you.
Ja, mata ato de, senpai. Arigatou..
R
Sunday, 25 March 2018
Sunday, 18 March 2018
Life Cont'd
Hi readers,
Just figured that you might want me to continue on what I wrote yesterday. Hehehe.
Today was an amazing, in many ways, perfect Sunday for me as well! I got up around 9:30 am and lazed around in my bed, before transferring some Zeny to my younger brother who just started playing Ragnarok Online again. RO is a throwback to us growing up, we spent many hours of our early teenage years glued to the computer screen playing this MMORPG. I went on to meditate for half an hour or so, and then steeled myself for a run.
Despite telling the said lady yesterday that I was planning to run in Central Park, I changed my mind and gave the East River a shot. Honestly, it was a tad chillier than I anticipated, but the run was nothing short of gorgeous. The promenades were such a treat, plus I ran far down enough to see the piers and the tourists and a bunch of green-clad musicians playing St. Patrick's songs. I also bumped into Liora (a coworker) on my way up! All-in-all, I ran a total of ten miles, and I can say confidently that I am ready for a half marathon. Thank goodness.
I wisely brought my credit card with me while I was running - I was super hungry by the end of it and decided to treat myself to my favorite buffet restaurant in the city: Darbar Grill. I was this random Asian kid with a grey long sleeve, damp shorts from running, and a frazzled hair, but I mustered all my confidence and piled heaps and heaps of the delicious and creamy Goa fish curry and the spicy goat curry onto my plate. And boy did I gorge it down - pretty certain that if all customers ate like me they'd go bankrupt in less than a week!
So when I got back, I was delighted to learn that Jihong agreed on having dinner with me. I gave my daily thanks and got ready for my CMB coffee. Yushu is pretty chill, I had a great conversation with her, learned a lot about her love for travel and stocks. After talking to her, I am definitely going to look into investing in JD, a Chinese e-commerce company that she says hasn't been recognized by the American public yet. T'was nice meeting ya, Yushu!
I stepped to the office really briefly, bumped into (and had a lengthy conversation with) Francesco, the really funny Italian Associate in my office. Went to the 41st floor and bumped into Catherine, and gave her a hug (she's so sweet), and then watched a bit of Alan Watts before readying myself and heading out to meet Jihong for dinner. I was so lucky too - the 6 train wasn't running from the station near my office, but I was able to alternatively take a bus that got me there only a few minutes late ;)
Earlier in the day, she told me that she wanted sushi, and all the options I could thought of weren't ideal as they'd typically make us wait, especially at a 7pm on a Sunday. Fortuitously, one of her friend recommended a place called Ise, which was very convenient for both of us, and also had a rezzy spot available. Grand. Anyways, I stepped into the restaurant and saw her sitting in a quite, private room-like booth that sat four but was given to us anyways. She dressed stunningly, looked truly attractive, and smelled like heaven. I forgot how beautiful and attractive Jihong is.
Ahem. Anyways, I gave her a hug and had the most amazing conversation and dinner in a while. She told me that she got an internship with the Cravath or Wachtell equivalent law firm in Korea, and I was so happy for her! We caught up on life, our workout regimen, and our friendships and relationships. I was so glad to share food with her too! I was planning only to eat some salad (given the Darbar above), but we ended up sharing a magnificent sushi/sashimi combo, a delicious bowl of seaweed salad, and a delightful charred salmon head. Tasty!
We decided to go get some drinks afterwards, and she suggested to go to Bookmarks, a bar that I mentioned to her a long time ago. Before we get there, I just wanna talk about the Universe being playful today. When we were at Trader Joe's, I was asking the cashier if TJs sells flowers, and the cashier said yes. I thanked him and then told him that I'd buy it next time. The cashier then looked at Jihong who was standing right next to me and told me: "you should buy her the flowers now." And I looked at Jihong and asked her: "Do you want flowers or alcohol from next door?" And the cashier guy yammered: "You don't ask her, just buy it for her!" Hahahaha. When we were on our train up to Bookmarks, Jihong for some reason wasn't holding onto the poles in the subway properly, and she almost fell over when the train abruptly stopped. Fortunately, I caught her in time and guided her hand to the pole. The woman sitting behind her immediately said: "Lady, you should've grabbed the pole, not your man." Hahahahha. The Universe truly loves to tease us.
Anyways, we arrived at Bookmarks, it is in the 14th floor of a hotel somewhere near Grand Central ;) It was such a beautiful and cozy setting (although drinks were less tasty) and we eased ourselves up and talked and shared for hours and hours. It's funny that I was able to learn a lot more about her and the way she thinks, and I think I was able to cheer her up a bit too. I am also really grateful because today she was so at ease, she was in no rush to be anywhere, and it was really nice being around her. Doesn't hurt that she was a bit touchier than the usual ;) hehehe. We ultimately moved to a pair of sofas near the fireplace, and we were reminiscing about how the place reminded us of the Lord Jeff's Inn, which we visited when we had our restaurant week date in Amherst.
Ultimately, I walked her back to Grand Central, which was adorned with colors and lights so beautifully. I gave her another hug, and asked her to text me when she got back to her dorm safely.
Thank you so much for today, Jihong :) I am so happy that I got to spend time with you, it was so warm and so nice to be around you. Hehehe. It's funny that you told me that you don't believe that a guy and a girl can never be truly just friends. Hehehe. I guess we'll see about that, for now let me say that I am grateful to have you in New York, and I would love to see more of the face of yours. Til' next time :)
Thank you, Universe, for such an amazing and perfect weekend :)
R
Just figured that you might want me to continue on what I wrote yesterday. Hehehe.
Today was an amazing, in many ways, perfect Sunday for me as well! I got up around 9:30 am and lazed around in my bed, before transferring some Zeny to my younger brother who just started playing Ragnarok Online again. RO is a throwback to us growing up, we spent many hours of our early teenage years glued to the computer screen playing this MMORPG. I went on to meditate for half an hour or so, and then steeled myself for a run.
Despite telling the said lady yesterday that I was planning to run in Central Park, I changed my mind and gave the East River a shot. Honestly, it was a tad chillier than I anticipated, but the run was nothing short of gorgeous. The promenades were such a treat, plus I ran far down enough to see the piers and the tourists and a bunch of green-clad musicians playing St. Patrick's songs. I also bumped into Liora (a coworker) on my way up! All-in-all, I ran a total of ten miles, and I can say confidently that I am ready for a half marathon. Thank goodness.
I wisely brought my credit card with me while I was running - I was super hungry by the end of it and decided to treat myself to my favorite buffet restaurant in the city: Darbar Grill. I was this random Asian kid with a grey long sleeve, damp shorts from running, and a frazzled hair, but I mustered all my confidence and piled heaps and heaps of the delicious and creamy Goa fish curry and the spicy goat curry onto my plate. And boy did I gorge it down - pretty certain that if all customers ate like me they'd go bankrupt in less than a week!
So when I got back, I was delighted to learn that Jihong agreed on having dinner with me. I gave my daily thanks and got ready for my CMB coffee. Yushu is pretty chill, I had a great conversation with her, learned a lot about her love for travel and stocks. After talking to her, I am definitely going to look into investing in JD, a Chinese e-commerce company that she says hasn't been recognized by the American public yet. T'was nice meeting ya, Yushu!
I stepped to the office really briefly, bumped into (and had a lengthy conversation with) Francesco, the really funny Italian Associate in my office. Went to the 41st floor and bumped into Catherine, and gave her a hug (she's so sweet), and then watched a bit of Alan Watts before readying myself and heading out to meet Jihong for dinner. I was so lucky too - the 6 train wasn't running from the station near my office, but I was able to alternatively take a bus that got me there only a few minutes late ;)
Earlier in the day, she told me that she wanted sushi, and all the options I could thought of weren't ideal as they'd typically make us wait, especially at a 7pm on a Sunday. Fortuitously, one of her friend recommended a place called Ise, which was very convenient for both of us, and also had a rezzy spot available. Grand. Anyways, I stepped into the restaurant and saw her sitting in a quite, private room-like booth that sat four but was given to us anyways. She dressed stunningly, looked truly attractive, and smelled like heaven. I forgot how beautiful and attractive Jihong is.
Ahem. Anyways, I gave her a hug and had the most amazing conversation and dinner in a while. She told me that she got an internship with the Cravath or Wachtell equivalent law firm in Korea, and I was so happy for her! We caught up on life, our workout regimen, and our friendships and relationships. I was so glad to share food with her too! I was planning only to eat some salad (given the Darbar above), but we ended up sharing a magnificent sushi/sashimi combo, a delicious bowl of seaweed salad, and a delightful charred salmon head. Tasty!
We decided to go get some drinks afterwards, and she suggested to go to Bookmarks, a bar that I mentioned to her a long time ago. Before we get there, I just wanna talk about the Universe being playful today. When we were at Trader Joe's, I was asking the cashier if TJs sells flowers, and the cashier said yes. I thanked him and then told him that I'd buy it next time. The cashier then looked at Jihong who was standing right next to me and told me: "you should buy her the flowers now." And I looked at Jihong and asked her: "Do you want flowers or alcohol from next door?" And the cashier guy yammered: "You don't ask her, just buy it for her!" Hahahaha. When we were on our train up to Bookmarks, Jihong for some reason wasn't holding onto the poles in the subway properly, and she almost fell over when the train abruptly stopped. Fortunately, I caught her in time and guided her hand to the pole. The woman sitting behind her immediately said: "Lady, you should've grabbed the pole, not your man." Hahahahha. The Universe truly loves to tease us.
Anyways, we arrived at Bookmarks, it is in the 14th floor of a hotel somewhere near Grand Central ;) It was such a beautiful and cozy setting (although drinks were less tasty) and we eased ourselves up and talked and shared for hours and hours. It's funny that I was able to learn a lot more about her and the way she thinks, and I think I was able to cheer her up a bit too. I am also really grateful because today she was so at ease, she was in no rush to be anywhere, and it was really nice being around her. Doesn't hurt that she was a bit touchier than the usual ;) hehehe. We ultimately moved to a pair of sofas near the fireplace, and we were reminiscing about how the place reminded us of the Lord Jeff's Inn, which we visited when we had our restaurant week date in Amherst.
Ultimately, I walked her back to Grand Central, which was adorned with colors and lights so beautifully. I gave her another hug, and asked her to text me when she got back to her dorm safely.
Thank you so much for today, Jihong :) I am so happy that I got to spend time with you, it was so warm and so nice to be around you. Hehehe. It's funny that you told me that you don't believe that a guy and a girl can never be truly just friends. Hehehe. I guess we'll see about that, for now let me say that I am grateful to have you in New York, and I would love to see more of the face of yours. Til' next time :)
Thank you, Universe, for such an amazing and perfect weekend :)
R
Saturday, 17 March 2018
Doing Life Right
Today started with Rhonda Byrne's book - The Power. It said that however the state of any aspect of your life is the reflection of how much good feeling or love that you have put into that particular aspect. For example, if you are enjoying a good relationship with another person, that means that you have put in plenty of good feeling into the said relationship. Conversely, focusing and channeling good feelings and love to something will guarantee an improved outcome to it! It is that simple.
Therefore, with that mindset, I gave thanks for a wonderful outcome to the lunch with Audrey, and sure enough, I had an amazing dim sum with her! (Oh well, I had a haircut first, to be fair.) It was such a pleasure seeing her again.
I first met Audrey at the second semester of my senior year, as I was tutoring for Microeconomics. Audrey is a gorgeous, tall Asian girl with puffy cheeks, long hair, an enormous ambition, and an outstanding talent for music. While I was her tutor, I was also in charge of 30+ or so students, and therefore I have never had the chance to get to know her personally -- until a few weeks ago, when she reached out telling me that she was visiting New York City and asking me if I could grab a meal with her. I said yes, because nobody says no to a getting a meal with such an attractive and gorgeous lady, but more importantly because I've told her not to talk to me (with jocose, clearly) unless it's about visiting me in New York.
Audrey - probably because of my age difference with her - also has a predisposition of asking me for advice. I think it is instinctual in people to enjoy being asked for advice, and therefore I happily obliged. We chatted about a range of topics: taking Art History classes, relationship and personal character issues, to studying abroad and learning about different cultures. I really enjoy her breadth of intellectual curiosity, her fresh ideas about the book industry, and most importantly, for being really chill when I showed up late (oops).
Today was a surprisingly productive (and ideal!) day in so many other aspects too. After my lunch with Audrey, a woman I deeply adore gave me a call. I ended up running in Central Park with her, having a wonderful conversation as we watched the St. Patrick's parade, and buying her a cup of hot chocolate as I walked her home. I truly love and admire the free, fun-loving, and adventurous part of her. She's truly kind and mostly positive - forgives people easily, only remembers the good times. She's also really easy to talk to, never afraid to try new things, and has a great sense of humor/is really fun to tease or poke fun at. I am truly grateful that she is in my life, that I got to spend time interacting closely with her, despite it being short. Thinking about her gives me a nice, warm feeling in my chest, a sort of detached gratefulness.
Blessed with some free time in the evening, I made some headway into philosophical/spiritual/self-improvement readings that I enjoy and that I have been meaning to delve deeper into. I tucked myself in the usual space in my office, and watched Vishen Lakhiani speak, read more about Burt Goldman, developed my options tracker, and obviously, writing this blog post.
Let me leave you with two things that I picked up from Alan Watts: Firstly, life is more like music than a journey, the point of life is not at the end destination but rather to play it well. Secondly, enjoying life requires skill - without practicing the savoring of life, it cannot be enjoyed.
As such, I am happy to say that today, I did life right. There was an amazing balance between beautiful human interactions and romance and solitude. Between physical activity and mental exercise. Between rest and productivity. Between indulgence and spirituality. I think I danced well today, and it feels very, very good. Thank you.
Therefore, with that mindset, I gave thanks for a wonderful outcome to the lunch with Audrey, and sure enough, I had an amazing dim sum with her! (Oh well, I had a haircut first, to be fair.) It was such a pleasure seeing her again.
I first met Audrey at the second semester of my senior year, as I was tutoring for Microeconomics. Audrey is a gorgeous, tall Asian girl with puffy cheeks, long hair, an enormous ambition, and an outstanding talent for music. While I was her tutor, I was also in charge of 30+ or so students, and therefore I have never had the chance to get to know her personally -- until a few weeks ago, when she reached out telling me that she was visiting New York City and asking me if I could grab a meal with her. I said yes, because nobody says no to a getting a meal with such an attractive and gorgeous lady, but more importantly because I've told her not to talk to me (with jocose, clearly) unless it's about visiting me in New York.
Audrey - probably because of my age difference with her - also has a predisposition of asking me for advice. I think it is instinctual in people to enjoy being asked for advice, and therefore I happily obliged. We chatted about a range of topics: taking Art History classes, relationship and personal character issues, to studying abroad and learning about different cultures. I really enjoy her breadth of intellectual curiosity, her fresh ideas about the book industry, and most importantly, for being really chill when I showed up late (oops).
Today was a surprisingly productive (and ideal!) day in so many other aspects too. After my lunch with Audrey, a woman I deeply adore gave me a call. I ended up running in Central Park with her, having a wonderful conversation as we watched the St. Patrick's parade, and buying her a cup of hot chocolate as I walked her home. I truly love and admire the free, fun-loving, and adventurous part of her. She's truly kind and mostly positive - forgives people easily, only remembers the good times. She's also really easy to talk to, never afraid to try new things, and has a great sense of humor/is really fun to tease or poke fun at. I am truly grateful that she is in my life, that I got to spend time interacting closely with her, despite it being short. Thinking about her gives me a nice, warm feeling in my chest, a sort of detached gratefulness.
Blessed with some free time in the evening, I made some headway into philosophical/spiritual/self-improvement readings that I enjoy and that I have been meaning to delve deeper into. I tucked myself in the usual space in my office, and watched Vishen Lakhiani speak, read more about Burt Goldman, developed my options tracker, and obviously, writing this blog post.
Let me leave you with two things that I picked up from Alan Watts: Firstly, life is more like music than a journey, the point of life is not at the end destination but rather to play it well. Secondly, enjoying life requires skill - without practicing the savoring of life, it cannot be enjoyed.
As such, I am happy to say that today, I did life right. There was an amazing balance between beautiful human interactions and romance and solitude. Between physical activity and mental exercise. Between rest and productivity. Between indulgence and spirituality. I think I danced well today, and it feels very, very good. Thank you.
Thursday, 15 March 2018
Experiment
This is a continuation of the post titled "A Generator".
Dear readers, how are you? It is 9:44pm Eastern Time, and I am blogging this from my office. Nah, don't worry, I'm not working late. Rather, I am taking advantage of this wonderful, cozy office space to watch Vishen Lakhiani's webinar! I discovered, to my delight, that he is going to speak in at 10 pm today, and this is indeed the perfect end to a day/something really awesome to look forward to!
Anyway, I digress. I am writing (at least in the process of) to examine the results of my "Generator" experiment. To be more specific, getting through a month or so challenge to respond, instead of initiating. There were tough moments to be really fair, but there were also beautiful moments that happened spontaneously, without the need for me to initiate anything whatsoever. Giving you short of a laundry list: A Coffee Meets Bagel date (this Sunday! Will probably tell you how it goes), being invited to make dumplings and having a lot of fun, playing bridge with a bunch of old friends, lunch with couple different friends, a few hangout sessions with a particular extremely attractive lady that I love, and so on and so forth.
However, I also found that experiences that I initiated could be successful and extremely fun as well, such as the kbbq I had with Grace :) (she's so sweet btw, I'm so grateful to know her). I think what made all the difference is the mindset I have when I enter these events, and being grateful for the positive outcomes. The first few weeks of this experiment I was focusing on the crippling fear of being left alone and having nothing to do and no company, and as such my weekends were actually not the greatest. Funnily, as I started being grateful for amazing dates and wonderful weekend plans, they all started popping up and happening to me, without me even planning anything. For example, out of the blue, Audrey just asked me to get lunch on Saturday! Excited to enjoy dimsum with her!
So is the experiment a success? A failure?
I think I wouldn't hesitate to initiate if need be, in the future, definitely. More importantly, however, whatever activities I initiate or I choose to be part of, I shall remember to enter it with a great mindset, and being grateful for the most magnificent outcome, but at the same time being detached to any particular outcomes and having nothing to lose! Complicated? You bet. But the miraculous outcomes so far has been reached by applying this formula. hehehe. Hey, I guess I love my life. It's pretty darn amazing. :)
R
Dear readers, how are you? It is 9:44pm Eastern Time, and I am blogging this from my office. Nah, don't worry, I'm not working late. Rather, I am taking advantage of this wonderful, cozy office space to watch Vishen Lakhiani's webinar! I discovered, to my delight, that he is going to speak in at 10 pm today, and this is indeed the perfect end to a day/something really awesome to look forward to!
Anyway, I digress. I am writing (at least in the process of) to examine the results of my "Generator" experiment. To be more specific, getting through a month or so challenge to respond, instead of initiating. There were tough moments to be really fair, but there were also beautiful moments that happened spontaneously, without the need for me to initiate anything whatsoever. Giving you short of a laundry list: A Coffee Meets Bagel date (this Sunday! Will probably tell you how it goes), being invited to make dumplings and having a lot of fun, playing bridge with a bunch of old friends, lunch with couple different friends, a few hangout sessions with a particular extremely attractive lady that I love, and so on and so forth.
However, I also found that experiences that I initiated could be successful and extremely fun as well, such as the kbbq I had with Grace :) (she's so sweet btw, I'm so grateful to know her). I think what made all the difference is the mindset I have when I enter these events, and being grateful for the positive outcomes. The first few weeks of this experiment I was focusing on the crippling fear of being left alone and having nothing to do and no company, and as such my weekends were actually not the greatest. Funnily, as I started being grateful for amazing dates and wonderful weekend plans, they all started popping up and happening to me, without me even planning anything. For example, out of the blue, Audrey just asked me to get lunch on Saturday! Excited to enjoy dimsum with her!
So is the experiment a success? A failure?
I think I wouldn't hesitate to initiate if need be, in the future, definitely. More importantly, however, whatever activities I initiate or I choose to be part of, I shall remember to enter it with a great mindset, and being grateful for the most magnificent outcome, but at the same time being detached to any particular outcomes and having nothing to lose! Complicated? You bet. But the miraculous outcomes so far has been reached by applying this formula. hehehe. Hey, I guess I love my life. It's pretty darn amazing. :)
R
Tuesday, 13 March 2018
Detachment - Nothing to Lose!
Hahaha
The universe somehow knows what I need the most, at any given moment.
And if I surrender myself to it, I shall get it, whatever I needed the most, at any given moment.
I am in good hands.
---
I think life is all about feeling good about yourself. Genuinely feeling good. A singular devotion to genuinely feeling good.
A range of things can lead to you feeling good. Be it a thought, a word, an action, to building your own empire. A simple, single thought, obtained (or thought) in the right moment, can make all the drastic difference.
I was grappling with a not-so-good feeling the whole day because I was too attached, and basically my dad was spot on. He told me that I need to have a "nothing to lose" attitude. If you get what you desired, dope! If not, then that's cool, try again next time. I'm enough, I am worthy, and therefore I know that I will succeed, sooner, or later. :) Let it be known that I trust myself. My late mentor also once said: "Kalau kamu tulus, you have nothing to lose". It was a quirky, punny pun, but living it is never as easy as nodding to it and saying it. I don't know if it's easy for me to be "tulus" (Indonesian for being sincere), but I know for sure that I can be in a state where I have nothing to lose. I think it is easier that way.
Cheers,
The universe somehow knows what I need the most, at any given moment.
And if I surrender myself to it, I shall get it, whatever I needed the most, at any given moment.
I am in good hands.
---
I think life is all about feeling good about yourself. Genuinely feeling good. A singular devotion to genuinely feeling good.
A range of things can lead to you feeling good. Be it a thought, a word, an action, to building your own empire. A simple, single thought, obtained (or thought) in the right moment, can make all the drastic difference.
I was grappling with a not-so-good feeling the whole day because I was too attached, and basically my dad was spot on. He told me that I need to have a "nothing to lose" attitude. If you get what you desired, dope! If not, then that's cool, try again next time. I'm enough, I am worthy, and therefore I know that I will succeed, sooner, or later. :) Let it be known that I trust myself. My late mentor also once said: "Kalau kamu tulus, you have nothing to lose". It was a quirky, punny pun, but living it is never as easy as nodding to it and saying it. I don't know if it's easy for me to be "tulus" (Indonesian for being sincere), but I know for sure that I can be in a state where I have nothing to lose. I think it is easier that way.
Cheers,
Saturday, 10 March 2018
Know Thyself. Trust Thyself. Love Thyself.
"You have been grateful for your family and friends, for your work, money, health, and your dreams, and even for people you come across each day. But the person who deserves your gratitude more than anyone else is you."
hehehe I am grateful for myself. I'm in love with the man in the mirror!
hehehe I am grateful for myself. I'm in love with the man in the mirror!
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