Hi, I'll provide a brief explanation before providing answers to the template. Apologizing in advance for the fact I have very, very low financial literacy. Getting a little overwhelmed by the pressure of preparing to start my real adult life in a little over two months.
Just graduated undergrad. I'm starting a PhD in August. Will be getting an apartment with my girlfriend of five years, who plans to start her career in event planning/project management while I pursue doctoral studies. Serious relationship - we plan on marrying and having a family together. We're both looking for credit cards. Her family recommends Amex, but I've been recommended Discover and Visa too. Have absolutely no idea and I start to fall asleep when reading about all the options.
If it helps for determining what cards will have the highest number of accepted places, I'll be living in Charlottesville, VA, and the nature of my studies will possibly put me anywhere from Europe, to the Middle East, to South Asia (probably only India and Pakistan) for educational and research trips.
I'm thinking it would be nice if we got cards from two different companies to take advantage of their unique benefits and avoid their unique drawbacks. Correct me if I'm wrong.
All I can say is I've been considering Visa (possibly CapitalOne backed by Visa) for the sole reason that our apartment is very close to a Costco.
Anyways, here's my completed template.
CREDIT PROFILE
Skipping most questions in this section because I have never had a credit card and don't understand half of the questions anyways. Also I have no debt whatsoever and completely own everything I possess.
* Annual income $: $30k PhD stipend (free insurance etc., so I keep most of the money - GF's first job will be in the $30k-$45k range, and hopefully closer to $45k!).
CATEGORIES
* OK with category-specific cards?: I guess
* OK with rotating category cards?: Should I be?
* Dining $: Limited. Broke 22yo PhD student with broke-ish 22yo girlfriend starting her career in a not-so-lucrative field.
* Groceries $: No idea. 2 people, hoping to shop at Costco if I get a Visa card. In any case, wanting to make groceries as cheap as possible. Idk what's realistic - $300/mo for us?
* Gas $: Again, sorry but I have no idea. We'll bring a very efficient Hyundai Sonata and my 1994 chevy pickup for backup, which gets like 17mpg. Probably won't drive much as I hope to bike to school, but if gf's job requires, she could have to commute. That's it except groceries/random errands. In any case, living in town.
* Travel $: Probably next to nothing in terms of personal cost. All my traveling comes from institutional grants, and the most we'd do is go camping or fishing in the nearby national/state parks.
* Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: Yes, would use it on any foreign research trip, ideally. Could last anywhere from a week to a year, but will definitely be spending some summers abroad. Listed the countries of likely travel above.
* Any other categories (examples: phone/internet, insurance) or stores (example: Amazon) with significant, regular credit card spend (the more you specify, the better): Not a lot. Might want to pay the electric bill with it if possible, but have no idea what I should do. Rent is $1499 with a $215 utility fee - could I use the card for any of that? Also, I buy stuff quite often on Amazon. My grandfather calls me to order things for him, and was hoping to use my credit card to pay for his stuff too (getting paid back, of course) in order to build my credit. My only subscriptions are Prime and Spotify, and my grandfather, for as long as he lives, will probably continue to pay my phone bill.
* Any other significant, regular credit card spend you didn't include above?: Don't think so.
* Can you pay rent by credit card? If yes, list rent amount and if there's a fee for paying by credit card: Just signed the lease and haven't paid rent or anything yet, but the website says there's a "small convenience fee" for paying with credit or debit cards.
MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS (delete lines that don't apply)
* Current member of Amazon Prime?: Yes
* Current Verizon postpaid customer?: Nah, handled by grandfather.
* Current member of Costco or Sam's Club?: See the stuff about Costco above (but currently, no).
* Current member of Chase, US Bank or any other big bank?: No, but my small hometown has no national/chain banks so I'm thinking about switching to Bank of America as there's one in C'ville and some in some larger towns near where my family is from.
* Are you open to Business Cards?: (these are an option if you have any kind of side gig, such as selling on eBay or Etsy) Nah, I sell the very occasional book on eBay but it's not a business.
PURPOSE
* What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: First credit card.
* If you answered "first credit card", are you an authorized user on any other cards? No.

I just discovered this and it is truly incredible to me. Not that these people have been swindled, since they're somewhat famous for that, but that the swindlers have managed to take the same spiel butters fell for (alternative banking system) and fleece people outside the internet. It's like when the machines figured out how to leave the Matrix (did that happen? I don't remember those movies).
So I'm hoping the mods don't delete this thread because as far as I'm concerned this is analog buttcoin.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-bucks-promise-wealth-maga-loyalty-lose-thousands-rcna84965

‘Trump Bucks’ promise wealth for MAGA loyalty. Some lose thousands.

The products are advertised online as a kind of golden ticket that will help propel Trump’s 2024 bid and make the “real patriots” who support him rich when cashed in.
...
John Amann told NBC News he bought $2,200 worth of Trump Bucks and other items over the past year only to discover they were worthless when he tried to cash them in at his local bank. So he’s gone on Twitter to warn other Trump supporters not to fall for this scam.
...
But on social media and in promotional videos — many featuring faked celebrity endorsements — the sellers have tapped an audience that believes Trump’s ouster was part of a great conspiracy and that by investing in the Trump Rebate Banking System, or TRB for short, Trump will reward their loyalty by making them rich.
Those who buy these items, the ads from Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots suggest, will be rewarded when Trump unveils a new monetary system that will turn these products into legal tender worth far more than the purchase price.
Invest in a TRB membership card “issued by Donald Trump,” the ads from Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots claim, and the purchaser who spent, say, $99.99 on a “$10,000 Diamond Trump Bucks” bill will be able to cash it in for $10,000 at major banks and retailers like Walmart, Costco and Home Depot.
“TRB system membership cards are official cards issued by Donald Trump to allow Trump Bucks holders to use Trump Bucks as legal tender and deposit them in banks such as JP Morgan Chase, the Bank of America and Wells Fargo,” a narrator identified only as “John” that appears to be a computer-generated voice says in one YouTube ad just moments after cautioning viewers that “Trump Bucks are not legal tender.”
...
How it spreads
Fawning reviews are posted on dozens of websites with the headlines “SCAM OR LEGIT” that can stack Google with positive results and in hundreds of YouTube videos.
In AI-generated promotional videos shared on social media and in chat groups, celebrities and politicians, including Trump, appear to endorse the scam.
In one, Trump appears to announce the launch of the TRB system on Fox News.
“Let’s make America wealthy again,” the artificially generated voice of Trump says.
In another, Twitter-owner Elon Musk appears to say “That Trump certificate is not a joke, it’s real. Everyone needs to get as many as they can. I spend one million dollars on Trump certificates and this week I’m going to cash out my Trump items. Soon I will be the richest person on the planet again.”
In reality, the advertisement features footage lifted from Musk’s appearance at a TED event in 2022. The video ends with a slide advertising a free app that promises to “make your favorite celebrity say anything.
...
“I saw all these ads on Telegram that had Trump pushing coins and checks that he endorsed and how you can cash them in after a year and make a profit,” the grandmother, who lives in Mobile, told NBC News. “I was told how you can go to Bank of America or Target or Amazon to cash them in.”
...
To prove to her mother-in-law that she had been swindled, the Florida woman said she drove her to a nearby bank and urged her to try to redeem the Trump Bucks in her possession.
“We thought she got it, she even admitted she got scammed,” the Florida woman said. “But then giant boxes arrived at the house full of Trump checks and other stuff that she bought for $500 and that would supposedly be worth $6 million one day. We tell her she’s getting scammed and she says, ‘Just wait, Trump will make all the patriots rich.’”
“It’s like she’s in a cult,” the Florida woman said.

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Re:
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Over the past year and a half, following my complaint to the EEOC, I have continuously been subjected to harassment and retaliation by my former employer. The situation escalated when I came across an audiotape revealing the company's VP of Finance discussing financial fraud. I have attached my EEOC complaint and rebuttal to provide you with a better understanding of this situation. The company has embarked on a campaign of retaliation and attempts to cover up the truth. Recently, I discovered that my phone was under surveillance by private investigators hired by my previous employer, Socure Inc. As mentioned earlier, this harassment began at my local YMCA, where multiple individuals were instructed to participate in a planned campaign targeting me. Socure extended their actions beyond the YMCA by continuously tracking my cellphone's location wherever I went. Initially, I suspected I was being followed, but I later realized that my phone had been compromised. My messages and calls were being monitored, and even my home internet seemed to be tapped into. Furthermore, I have reason to believe that my bank transactions were being monitored as well. I am being targeted because I disclosed illegal activities involving the VP of Finance, which he was afraid to share. I’m one hundred percent certain that Socure hacked into my cellphone to eavesdrop on all conversations. Any and all things that I discuss with my wife would later be discussed amongst gym goers, at multiple Mosque, and random places I often visit. I have attached my EEOC compliant for further assessment of this situation.
​
The following individuals, whom I suspect were compensated, were involved in collecting information about me and fabricating false allegations:
* Sonia Atherly, the Director of the YMCA
* Stephin Roberts, a YMCA member who became a friend
* Ade A. (last name unknown), a YMCA member who became a friend
* Andre Nelson, a friend from Downtown YMCA Brooklyn whom I haven't spoken to in two years
* Austin Hill, a YMCA member who accompanied Andre Nelson
* Ethan, a YMCA member (last name unknown)
* Torell Taylor, a YMCA member
* Multiple neighbors: units 5A, 5F, and 2X PHE
* Serdar Cam, former neighbor and new neighbor at 322 Gates Ave
* Trevor (last name unknown), a YMCA member
* Justin (last name unknown), a YMCA member
* An unidentified female YMCA member who unexpectedly appeared at a restaurant where my wife and I were in Puerto Rico
* Gavin Tseng, a former friend who orchestrated a scheme involving real estate and a startup concept
​
Retaliations took place at the following locations:
* Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA: 1121 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216
* Brooklyn Mosque Khalifa: 120 Madison St, Brooklyn, NY
* Islamic Mission of America/Dawood Mosque: 143 State St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
* Airport Travels: JFK AirTrain
* Puerto Rico Vacation: Hilton Hotel
* Trip to Milwaukee: Airbnb rental at 1028 East Juneau Avenue, Unit 416, Milwaukee, WI 53202
* Supermarket in Brooklyn: 1420 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216
* Multiple Banking Institutions: Chase at 1380 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216 & TD Bank at 957 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216
* Multiple NYC Train Platforms: Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station & 125th Street Station
* Apartment Building: 322 Gates Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216
​
Types of framing and allegations being built against me:
* Resume fraud
* Real estate fraud
* Influencing people to file lawsuits
* Influencing neighbors to complain
* False restaurant reporting
* False robbery attempt
* And more...
​
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Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA Director, Sonia Atherly - Staged Office Phone Video Recording:
Sonia Atherly, the director of the Bedstuy YMCA, participated in a retaliatory campaign. On September 29, 2022, she requested a meeting with me in her office. During our conversation, she pulled out her phone and began recording from her work monitor, alleging that a masked individual had entered the gym. She even asked me to view the video footage. While I complied, her phone continued recording, capturing my voice in the process. This action appears to be an attempt to counter the accusations made by the VP of Finance regarding fraudulent activities and manipulate my voice recordings to paint a negative picture of my behavior. In response to my concerns, the YMCA director provided the following reply: "Hi Lou. I believe that it was on Tuesday, and I was actually taking photos, so no, your voice would not have been captured in any way. To be clear, we do not record conversations at the Y in any way, shape, or form unless we have signed event waivers. I hope this clarifies the matter for you." On September 30, 2022, Sonia orchestrated an incident where the same individual showed up at the front desk as I was leaving, hoping to provoke a response from me and involve me in their investigation. For months, non-members of the YMCA were allowed to come into the facility and harass me while surveillance cameras were purposely turned off to destroy any possible evidence.
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Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA Program Coordinator, Jeff (Damian Best):
Upon my arrival at the basketball gym, Jeff, the program coordinator, and a parent with her child were already present. After requesting Jeff to wait a few more minutes, the parent engaged in a heated argument with him, demanding to know why her child couldn't participate since no one else was there. I reassured her that while I didn't mind, Jeff was responsible for setting the rules. She eventually left the gym in an angry state. Their intention was to have me report the incident to management and portray me as someone who constantly complains. On October 4, 2022, I sent an email to myself for record-keeping purposes.
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Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA Member, Ade (last name starting with "A"):
On Saturday, October 8, 2022, Ade and I agreed to meet for a late lunch at "The Green Place" in Brooklyn. I noticed that he kept referencing financial figures related to specific people he worked with. I suspect he has also been recruited to participate in Socure's retaliation against me. Their goal is to capture recordings of me to use them against me, claiming that I habitually record people. Ade also expressed dissatisfaction with the YMCA's adult open gym times during Saturday's basketball hours. He mentioned having discussed it with the front desk. On October 9, 2022, Ade sent me a screenshot of the YMCA's response to his request. It's important to note that I never made any complaints. As someone who lives near the YMCA and often wakes up early, I told him, "I don't want to play." Once again, Socure is attempting to build a case portraying me as someone who incessantly complains and records people to divert attention from their own misconduct. Multiple members were instructed to complain to me so that my name can be implicated. I believe that individuals are being compensated to assist them. In early May 2023, both Ade and Stephin Roberts repeatedly interrupted my workout in an attempt to initiate a conversation with me.
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Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA member, Stephin Roberts - Staged information gathering:
Stephin Roberts, a fellow YMCA member, unexpectedly called me after we crossed paths at the gym, which was an unusual occurrence. We exchanged brief greetings, and I proceeded with my workout. I suspect that his intention in calling me was to record our conversation and use it against me, falsely claiming that I frequently record people, which is entirely untrue. Given that my cellphone was being tracked, it seemed that whenever I left my home, I would coincidentally encounter Mr. Roberts. He had been instructed to fabricate a false DUI incident to elicit personal information from me regarding a case on my record that had been expunged. During our conversation, I shared a past experience of mine involving a car accident I had when I was younger while dating someone, as well as my advice on expungement, recounting a personal incident that happened to me. At the time, I thought Mr. Roberts was a genuine person with good intentions. I believe Socure will be attempting to coordinate and get me arrested for theft or burglary based on the previous expunged records, trying to paint a negative image of who I am. I believe Stephin Roberts has been recording me as a tactic instructed by Socure's private investigator.
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Friend from Downtown YMCA Brooklyn whom I haven't spoken with in two years, Andre Nelson at Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA:
I haven't had any communication with Andre Nelson for more than two years. However, he unexpectedly appeared at the gym I regularly attend on a Wednesday evening, despite it not being in close proximity to his residence. Subsequently, Mr. Nelson started frequenting the gym with his friend Austin Hill. Together, they began coordinating with YMCA members, informing them about my situation with Socure. Within one week, one of Austin Hill's Facebook friends reached out to me, mentioning a potential collaboration with someone they knew, namely Austin Hill. As I stated, I've never met Mr. Hill nor had any connection with people he knew outside of Mr. Nelson. When I encountered Mr. Hill during the following open gym session, he acted as though nothing had transpired, and I played along. Additionally, Austin requested certain documents from me for his business, but I never fulfilled his request. To confirm my suspicions that Austin was attempting to set me up, I orchestrated an event by telling him, "Yeah, man, girls don't care if you have a ring on. They will approach you. Come to this bar tonight." Upon my arrival at the bar a few minutes later, a woman wearing a wedding band tried to get my attention. However, I sensed that it was a staged occurrence. When Andre Nelson and Austin Hill arrived, they infiltrated the group of members, instructing them to provoke me during the basketball game while secretly recording my reactions. At one point, a member named Justin threw a water bottle, and the situation escalated.
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Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA member, Trevor - Staged information gathering:
Trevor started asking and mentioning multiple work-related questions. On October 7, 2023, he mentioned having a quarterly review and asked for suggestions. Within weeks later, Trevor asked me if I knew any lawyers as he was dealing with a housemaid who was suing him. This same situation happened with more than two other members (Stephin Roberts, Kadeem Kirsten) in which they asked me attorney-related questions. I believe he was instructed to record our conversations.
Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA member, Torrell Taylor:
As previously mentioned, I believe that the YMCA's Director is monitoring my interactions with other gym members in order to collaborate with them. Their objective is to falsely claim that "Lou is influencing people to document incidents," all with the intention of tarnishing my reputation. Additionally, Socure allegedly requested Torrell to open a restaurant in downtown Brooklyn as part of their scheme to build a case against me. YMCA member Justin repeatedly approached me, informing me that Torrell had opened a restaurant with poor-quality food and suggested I visit. Upon receiving this information from Torrell himself, I decided to pay the restaurant a visit. However, Torrell was not present during my first visit. I attempted a second visit, only to discover that the restaurant was closed. When I texted Torrell to inquire about the closure, he responded that there had been an issue with the owner's licensing. It is apparent to me that this was a staged event orchestrated by Socure to fabricate a case against me by falsely claiming that I reported violations against Torrell's restaurant. As mentioned earlier, I strongly believe that my phone was being tracked, and it is possible that a separate line was used to make false reports under my information.
Furthermore, my emails were also subjected to hacking.
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Wireless Earbuds Planned at the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA open gym by Kadeem Kirsten - early 2022:
To ensure my privacy and personal space during the YMCA open gym sessions, I started choosing a spot away from others. I made sure to thoroughly clean the area where I sat, removing any bottles, wipes, or other items. After finishing my workout, I briefly went to the bathroom, and upon my return, I noticed a wireless earbud near the window close to my chair. I suspect that Khadim Kirsten intentionally placed the earbud there as he kept watching me closely. Mr. Kirsten also asked me for legal advice as well as a UX Designer, the same exact topic that Gavin Tseng asked me. Mr. Kirsten is one of those new members who never came to the YMCA. Upon rejecting Socure's settlement offer in January 2023, that's when all of these new members started coming to open basketball nights.
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Mosque Khalifa on Bedford Ave: Sept 2, 2022, at 120 Madison St, Brooklyn, NY, United States, New York:
During the service at Mosque Khalifa on Bedford Ave, the preacher persistently addressed a specific topic related to my case. He made references to "a brother within this community, one of our own, who made a recording" in an apparent attempt to divert attention to the tape I had recorded. Following my complaint to the EEOC through email, the recording was promptly deleted on the same day, which I later submitted to the EEOC. I started attending Islamic Mission of America/Dawood Mosque at 143 State St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, and immediately, I was followed by an individual who repeatedly tried to have a conversation with me. I was also followed to a Mosque in Harlem, NY.
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T-Mobile Visit Tracking / Unauthorized new number added at 574 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217:
Concerned about the security of my internet connection with Verizon, I visited T-Mobile to add a new line specifically for internet access. To my surprise, shortly after arriving at the store, a male approached the same register I was standing at and started asking questions. A few days after leaving the store, I discovered that a new phone line had been added to my T-Mobile account without my knowledge or consent. I promptly contacted T-Mobile customer service to inquire about the data usage associated with that particular number, but unfortunately, I did not receive the requested information. I believe Socure hacked my home network, such as my laptop, tablet, Television and home camera. For the past year and a half, Socure has managed to view all of my browsing history. I believe they kept contacting lawyers that I reached out to after every visit I made on their website to avoid me from being represented. In additional, after noticing that my email accounts were hacked, I wrote a statement indicating that my emails were hacked in which I got notarized at TD Bank.
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Grocery Shopping Brooklyn:
During my visit to the local supermarket, I noticed several individuals following me closely, paying particular attention to the food items I was selecting and the card I used for payment. I believe I was being followed long before I started to notice.
* May 8, 2023, at 1420 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216
* May 1, 2023, at 1420 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216
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Online Job Targeting:
I have been repeatedly targeted for specific jobs and companies, which I believe are staged by Socure, just as they did by involving me in a company backed by their investors to stage multiple events against me while interfering with my employment. I was lured into Plural, formerly known as Civic Eagle, where multiple African American candidates who did not qualify were being hired without my knowledge. All whom I’ve never spoke with. I suspect that Socure somehow gained access to my T-Mobile account and requested my entire call history to monitor my communications. Furthermore, I believe that when I sought legal counsel after receiving the EEOC's authorization to file a lawsuit, Socure clandestinely intervened in my calls to every law firm I contacted.
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Puerto Rico Vacation on Dec 23, 2022:
Upon our arrival at our room in Puerto Rico, we noticed a black male who entered a room adjacent to ours shortly after us. However, after a couple of days, we did not see him again.
During a visit to a restaurant in Puerto Rico, I recognized the hostess as the same woman I had encountered multiple times at the YMCA. She had her head covered with a white scarf. As I was seated facing the entrance, she deliberately made eye contact with me, seemingly aware that I recognized her. After finishing lunch, this same woman followed us to the waterfront and watched us closely.
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Neighbor Tracking Movement at 322 Gates Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216:
Every time I left my building, I noticed a consistent pattern where the neighbor from 5F would coincidentally head towards the elevator, wait in the lobby, and enter the building exactly at the same time. This behavior raised suspicions and led me to believe that individuals from 5A were strategically positioned next door, potentially tapping our walls to eavesdrop on our conversations. The neighbor in 5A, whom I knew through the YMCA, repeatedly complained about the building while urging me to submit a work order. I also suspect that Socure assisted one of my former neighbors, Serdar Cam, in moving into the building after they discovered my text messages about potentially moving there. Immediately after moving in, Serdar started complaining as well. I believe Socure was involved in placing a previous female tenant in the building, who also complained to me on multiple occasions about the building.
​
Uber License Training:
Once again, Socure monitored the location of my phone and deployed individuals to the classroom where I was attending classes in Long Island City in early March 2023. After completing the classes, I became too afraid of potentially facing false rider allegations.
​
New Open Gym Invitation by Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA member Ethan, Andre Nelson was present on March 2, 2023, at 300 Adelphi, Brooklyn, NY 11205:
Ethan, a fellow YMCA member, invited me to join him at a nearby gym. To my surprise, Andre Nelson was also in attendance. While playing on the court, I noticed one of the players guarding me had a conspicuous microphone attached to them, and an Asian woman diligently captured footage from different angles with a video camera. I believe they were recording my voice and actions on the court. Additionally, it seems that after complaining about what happened at the YMCA, members are being instructed to engage me outside the YMCA to diffuse the situation. This incident further raised my suspicion that our apartment might be under surveillance, as I had previously mentioned Andre Nelson's presence at the open gym to my wife. Moreover, during the open run, I noticed the unexpected presence of multiple YMCA members from the Downtown Brooklyn location, whom I hadn't encountered in the past four years. I firmly believe that Andre Nelson orchestrated their participation and that they were strategically placed as collaborators by Socure.
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New Gym Invites
After fully understanding that I knew about all of the plans in place at the YMCA, with the help of the YMCA Director, Sonia Atherly, multiple members were told to invite me to other gyms to built a campaign of “ this is Lou everywhere he goes”. Over six plus individuals were asked to invite me to new open gyms and men’s league to play in. This is all to avoid further problems at the gym.
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Real Estate / Startup Venture Inquiry by Gavin Tseng:
Due to ongoing targeting, I decided to distance myself from everyone for months. However, my friend Gavin Tseng, whom I knew while living in Downtown Brooklyn, repeatedly invited me to his upstate home and wanted me to see properties he was interested in purchasing. It was quite unusual that Mr. Tseng would frequently text me, asking about my availability on specific days. I suspect that Mr. Tseng was recording our conversations during the trips and multiple phone calls, where he sought my help with UX Designing for his apartment rental car service. I believe Socure conducted research on my past work history, including my involvement in a Delegate campaign in Maryland for a real estate professional. I suspect that Socure fabricated false accusations against this individual and used my information to create misleading claims, leveraging my network and devices.
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Subways / Stores Staged Evidence Building:
Regardless of the subway station I find myself in, I consistently experience being followed by random individuals who are instructed to approach me closely while holding their cellphones up to my face and posing questions. On multiple occasions, I recall three females approaching me seeking guidance regarding subway directions, and I willingly offered my assistance. However, I have recently become aware that individuals, including camera operators, have been capturing these interactions on film as part of what appears to be a deliberate campaign to discredit me.
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March 28, 2023 - Travel to Milwaukee:
While traveling to Milwaukee for a getaway from my wife after several disputes, I noticed that I was being followed at the airport. The surveillance continued throughout my stay at the Airbnb located at 1028 East Juneau Avenue, Unit 416, Milwaukee, WI 53202, from March 28, 2023, to April 11, 2023. I also experienced being followed at the Hertz car rental at 804 Vel R. Phillips Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203, on April 6, 2023, and at the Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlet at 11211 120th Ave, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158, on the same day.
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April 12, 2023 - Returning back from Milwaukee:
Immediately after arriving back in New York City from my two-week vacation, at around 3:45 pm ET, just two minutes after landing, I received a text message from a YMCA member whom I hadn't communicated with in over three weeks. The message mentioned something along the lines of "See you tonight," which I promptly deleted. This unmistakable occurrence served as a clear indication that my phone was under surveillance and being tracked.
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April 21, 2023 & May 7, 2023 - Vitamin Shoppe at 12 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217:
As I entered the Vitamin Shoppe in Downtown Brooklyn on Atlantic Ave, I noticed that I was being followed. While at the checkout counter, an African American gentleman positioned himself next to me, seemingly eavesdropping on my account information and the items I was purchasing. I strongly suspect that a similar incident occurred during my previous visit on April 21, 2023, although I was not actively observing at that time.
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On May 6, 2023, between 11:30 am - 12:45 pm - JFK AirTrain:
Once again, I became aware that my phone was being tracked. I accompanied my wife to the airport as she was departing for Milwaukee. Upon arriving at the station, an assertive African American woman in her late 30s hurriedly approached us, despite the presence of multiple station operators. She aggressively stopped us and began asking for directions. Sensing something amiss, I promptly distanced myself from the situation while my wife attempted to assist her with the directions.
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Friday, May 11, 2023 at Costco Eyewear at 517 E 117th St, New York, NY 10035: While I was sharing my information, a woman in her late 50s approached the counter and closely observed my personal details. I have come to believe that Socure has someone at Chase informing them of my location whenever I use my Chase bank card. The day before, I made purchases with my Chase card at Costco.
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Friday, May 11, 2023 at Costco at 517 E 117th St, New York, NY 10035: While conversing with a product representative at Costco, a young female employee in her late teens or early twenties approached with an older Senegalese gentleman in his late 60s. The gentleman sought assistance with a product due to his limited English proficiency. As he showed me his phone up close, I noticed someone recording our interaction from a distance. Once again, I felt as though I was being followed. It seems that a private investigator was aware of my recent purchase of fish oil at Vitamin Shoppe on May 7, 2023, as well as my pursuit of becoming a personal trainer. They orchestrated the scenario with the gentleman asking me specific questions about fish oil. It's worth noting that the material I was studying for personal training explicitly states that trainers should not recommend any medication to individuals.
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Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Hoyt Station in Brooklyn: Once more, I found myself being followed into the train station. While I was waiting there, a woman approached me once again, seeking directions. Without hesitation, I gestured towards someone else nearby and firmly replied, "No, ask her." Interestingly, there was a man across the platform holding two cameras, capturing the entire interaction between us. Following the unsuccessful attempt, the woman conversed with the man briefly before they both boarded the train.
Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Bedford and Quincy in Brooklyn: As I neared my apartment building, I noticed two cameramen once again attempting to record me. Sensing their presence and their intention to cross the street, I quickly changed course and crossed over to the other side, putting some distance between us.
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Saturday, May 13, 2023 - TD Bank at 957 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216: While I was withdrawing cash from the ATM, a white male in his late 20s, accompanied by a dog, was recording me from outside. I also believe Socure did some digging into all of my transactions at my local banks, such as Chase and TD Bank.
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Saturday, May 13, 2023 - Credit Card information altered: When I logged into my Discover Credit Card account, I observed that my information had been modified.
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Monday, May 14, 2023 - Best Buy Brooklyn at 625 Atlantic Ave Ste A7, Brooklyn, NY 11217: Upon reaching the printing department at 12:14 pm ET, I was harassed by an African American woman in her late 60s. I ignored her and left through the opposite side, but she continued to follow me and tried to engage in a conversation.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at Target 517 E 117th St Suite 201, New York, NY 10035, at 10:46 am ET: Upon realizing that I was aware of the cover-up occurring, where individuals were tailing me and inquiring with their phones in hand, Socure strategically positioned an African gentleman near the entrance of the targeted bathroom. They had been closely observing my actions. Remarkably, this man was dressed identically to me during the incident that unfolded on Friday, May 11, 2023
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While waiting in line, I believe a Senegalese couple were instructed to chat about illegal activities intentionally while I was behind them and they absurdly moved to another line.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2023 - Cohen’s Fashion Optical at 86 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027: While retrieving my reading glasses from Costco, I discovered that the prescription was stronger than what was indicated in the eye examination. The lenses ended up negatively impacting my vision. I requested to review the physician's notes from the exam, but despite waiting for over 30 minutes, they were unable to provide any documentation as the physician was acting very strange. Instead, they gave me evasive responses, leading me to ultimately leave without a resolution.
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May 18, 2023 - Chase Bank at 1380 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216 @ 12 PM ET: Around 12 PM ET on May 18, 2023, at Chase Bank on Fulton Ave in Brooklyn, I experienced another incident I believe involves Socure. An individual was sent to tail me, and it began at TD Bank where this person approached the teller in an ostentatious manner, loudly expressing their intentions. I suspect this encounter was being recorded in an attempt to frame a robbery on me. It seems that Socure is continuously monitoring my activities, possibly as a diversion from the fact that their former CFO was untrustworthy. Regardless of where I go, I am constantly being followed, with new tactics being devised every time I step outside my home.
I’m writing to put a stop to this targeting and ongoing harassment.

Madison Geraldine Scott, better known as Maddy, was described by her brother as someone who was just as comfortable in a party dress as she was in oily coveralls. Maddy liked dirt biking, figure skating, horse riding, hockey, rugby, photography and making amateur movies with her friends. She came from Vanderhoof, a small mill town in BC, Canada with a population of <5,000 people. Maddy had a nose piercing and a tattoo of a falcon silhouette on her inside left wrist. She worked as an apprentice heavy duty mechanic with her father at MBG Logging. Maddy was said to be someone who would “give the shirt off of her back” to help a person in need. She was also described as having a fun-loving, playful personality and would often do things on the spur of the moment. She was 20 years old.
On Friday May 27, 2011, Maddy went to a party at Hogsback Lake with Jordi Bolduc, an old school friend she’d recently reconnected with. Maddy cancelled plans with her cousin to go to the party, probably because her crush was going to be there. Maddy and Jordi planned to camp overnight. The party was thrown every year by the host for his birthday and took place over the entire weekend, with gatherings planned at the site on both Friday and Saturday nights. The event was advertised publicly on Facebook. Maddy drove with Jordi to Hogsback Lake in her white 1990 Ford F150 pickup truck. On arriving, she realised she’d brought the wrong tent poles so she went home to fetch the right ones. Maddy briefly spoke to her mother back at her house, at which time all seemed well. Maddy returned around 9.30 PM. Jordi says the gathering turned into a “big party”. Around 50 people attended, most between 18 and 25 years old.
Timeline
> 10 PM: Maddy retires to her tent
Maddy retreated into her tent only half an hour or so after putting it up. Around this time, Maddy texted her parents to tell them her crush had told her he just wanted to be friends. Her parents say she was upset but nothing drastic. Jordi was busy hooking up with someone new and Maddy probably wasn’t in the mood to party anymore but she didn’t make any attempt to leave. She likely didn’t want to take down her tent after just putting it up and/or didn’t want to leave Jordi stranded, so she decided to stick it out. Maddy brought a six pack of beer and a bottle of wine, which she shared with Jordi and others. Unopened cans and some wine were recovered by police so Maddy didn’t drink to excess. Jordi says Maddy was probably the most sober person there.
> 12:30 AM: Maddy receives her last call
Maddy took a short call from an unidentified young man who is known to her family. Though the content of this call is undisclosed, based on what Maddy’s mom says it might’ve been the son of her parents’ friends who was apparently camping nearby. In any event, it is said to be of no importance to the case. There is no indication that Maddy disclosed any relevant information during this call but it’s notable because this was the last activity on her phone.
> Sometime before 1 AM: Jordi leaves
Around midnight, a small group of people arrived who were unknown to the others. Jordi describes them as being from out of town. A fight broke out and Jordi was accidentally pushed into the camp fire, hurting her knee. It’s not clear what the fight was about but the gatecrashers quickly left after that. Witnesses say Maddy was in her tent during this incident and didn’t come out. She likely wasn’t involved, if she was aware of it at all. Drunk and mildly injured, Jordi now wanted to leave with the guy she’d started dating that night. Maddy begged Jordi to stay but Jordi really wanted to leave. She tried to convince Maddy to come with them but Maddy was already in her sleeping bag. “She wanted to stay there with her tent for it to be safe. She thought it would be fine,” Jordi said. Maddy’s brother describes her as stubborn. Her mother says she liked having nice things and took care of her belongings. Jordi left in her new boyfriend’s vehicle, leaving Maddy behind, but there were still other people at the party at this point, plus Maddy had her truck.
> 1.30 AM - 3 AM: Everyone else leaves
Between 1.30 AM and 3 AM (some timelines stretch this to 4 AM but most use 3 AM), other partygoers started leaving, even those who originally planned to camp. The fight may have soured the mood. Some of those leaving asked Maddy if she needed a ride, which she declined. No one reported that she appeared inebriated or otherwise in need of help, though it’s arguable whether they were paying close attention. She was alone in her tent, by all accounts. The last people at the site other than Maddy were the party host and his girlfriend. Around 2.30 AM, they got into a disagreement and decided they were no longer going to camp. They claim to have offered Maddy a lift, which she turned down. It’s unclear whether Maddy knew she was the last one at the party at this point. Her mother says there’s no way she would’ve stayed if she knew she’d be totally alone.
> 8.30 AM - Jordi returns
Maddy’s phone allegedly continued to connect to the same local cell tower until 8 AM, when the battery died or it was switched off manually. Around 8.30 AM, Jordi returned to the campsite with her new boyfriend to retrieve the belongings she left behind before heading to work. She says she found Maddy’s tent unzipped. Her sleeping bag was pushed to one side and her rings were scattered on the grass. These were rings Maddy wore all the time, which had sentimental value to her. Jordi was slightly worried but apparently not suspicious. She didn’t try to contact Maddy. The party host also noticed Maddy’s tent when he returned to clean up around 10.30 AM. It was now zipped up (likely by Jordi). Since Maddy’s truck was still there, he thought she might be inside sleeping.
Investigation
Maddy’s family weren’t concerned at first. Maddy was very independent and had planned to stay for the weekend. That night, a second party happened at Hogsback Lake with 150 people in attendance including Maddy’s sister, who didn’t yet know Maddy was missing. Because her tent and truck were there, there may have been some confusion as to whether Maddy was present at this second party too, yet no one had seen her since the early hours of the morning and her phone was inactive. Maddy’s tent was flattened when someone drunkenly fell on it, revealing it to be empty. On Sunday, Maddy’s parents drove to Hogsback Lake to look for her. They found her collapsed tent and locked pickup truck and called the RCMP.
The search for Maddy was one of the largest in BC history. They re-traced her movements throughout the day as she visited a liquor store and later bought snacks. She can be seen on a security camera recorded just hours before she vanished. In the early stages of the investigation, police thought Maddy was trapped or injured in the surrounding area: a patchwork of gravel pits, creeks, swamps, forests and fields. Hogsback Lake was searched by divers and boats, including its small island. The lake is about 128 acres and 22 feet at its deepest, with 10+ feet visibility. The surrounding area has been searched by foot, quad, horseback, helicopter, cadaver dogs, car and truck. Search crews walked in lines, hand-in-hand. The helicopter search used infrared. The boat search included side-scanning sonar.
There was no sign of a struggle. Maddy’s tent, truck and belongings had been left unattended over the weekend but nothing was damaged or stolen. Police examined Maddy’s sleeping bag and pillow, her purse, a camera, toiletries and jewellery, a hatchet, a cooler with wine and beer in it, a gas can with gasoline and motorbike boots. They found nothing of interest. The only items missing were an iPhone 4 with a robin’s egg blue case and a large cluster of keys on a Gothic-style lanyard, which have never been located. Police presumed that Maddy left voluntarily, taking these items with her.
Detectives on the case say they have interviewed and ruled out all party attendees, including most of the 150 guests on Saturday night. Jordi became a popular suspect in the media but she passed multiple polygraphs and was cleared by the Scott family’s PI. In addition, Maddy was seen alive after Jordi left in someone else’s vehicle, which would mean both Jordi and the guy she just met that night would have to have returned to the campsite after 3 AM. Everyone else seems to have been ruled out, including the party host and his girlfriend, Maddy’s crush, the mystery 12.30 AM caller, a guy whose feelings for Maddy weren't reciprocated and a murdered man she was rumoured to be acquainted with. The RCMP stated: “we haven’t identified anyone that would have a grudge or had any reason to harm or cause Madison’s disappearance.”
Theories
Voluntary disappearance/suicide: Maddy was close to her family. She had an active social life and lots of hobbies. She left on foot and without her purse, which her mother says she took everywhere. It’s questionable how far she could’ve travelled with no vehicle or money, and there are no witness sightings of her after 3 AM. Maddy’s mother also says she always shared if she had a problem and we know she was communicating with her parents that night. She had no history of mental illness. Maddy retreating into her tent could be seen as a sign of distress but we do have an explanation for that. She’d been turned down by her crush, so her reaction seems reasonable. Maddy was on dating sites and had probably experienced rejection before. I don’t think it drove her to run away or take her life.
Party conspiracy: Some people have suggested that Maddy could’ve had a bad reaction to drugs at the party. There is no evidence that Maddy ever used drugs but it has been heavily implied that they were present that night. In this theory, Maddy took something offered to her by another party guest, felt unwell, retired to her tent and died sometime between 1AM and 3AM, causing people to flee the site in panic. Instead of calling 9-1-1, the remaining attendees presumably then conspired to dispose of Maddy and stage a disappearance, either to protect their own futures or in fear of retribution from the person who sold them the drugs. But for this to be true, multiple witness sightings would need to be outright lies. A group of unknown number would’ve had to establish a pact of impenetrable silence that has held up for twelve years. The more people know a secret, the harder it is to keep it. Surely someone would’ve talked by now?
Accidental death: If Maddy had an accident after leaving her campsite, why did she exit her tent and where did she go? There was an outhouse 50 feet away across a gravel lot so if she needed the toilet it seems unlikely that she’d get lost. Any other errand (food, charger, first aid) would have required her truck. The search was extensive yet no sign of her travelling from the site was ever found. Witnesses reported a cougar in the area but there were no tracks, droppings, rips, blood or any other sign of animal activity. Maddy was outdoorsy and a seasoned camper, adventurous and perhaps a bit impulsive. The nearby trails are clearly signposted and it would’ve just been getting light at the time so maybe she went for an impromptu hike, though I question whether she would’ve been in the mood for a sunrise stroll or a dip in the lake after the night she’d had. Maddy did like photography but she didn’t take her camera. She took her phone but she didn’t get to use it. If she did leave voluntarily, I don’t think she planned to go far.
Foul play by known individual: Police thought Maddy might’ve left in a vehicle with someone she knew since she took her phone and keys, but she was still alone in her tent when the last witnesses departed. There was no activity on her phone between 12.30 AM and 8 AM. If a known person turned up after 3 AM, why would she now ditch the belongings she’d stuck around to protect? Why would she leave her own working truck to ride in another car when she very likely wasn’t over the limit? Maddy was friendly with a 28-year-old man named Fribjon Bjornson, who allegedly told friends he knew what happened to her after she vanished. There were rumours that he owed drug dealers money and that they abducted Maddy to teach him a lesson. Fribjon took a lie detector test and passed. Police cleared him of involvement. Two weeks later, however, his severed head was found in an abandoned house. Police have said his murder is unrelated to Maddy’s disappearance.
Foul play by unknown individual: Vanderhoof is off Canada’s Highway of Tears, where countless women have gone missing or been murdered. Vanderhoof is linked to serial killer Cody Legebokoff, though he was already in custody when Maddy disappeared. Maddy is sometimes connected to Israel Keyes, who targeted random people at campgrounds and isolated locations, but he isn’t known to have been in the area at the time (he lived over 300 miles away). The party was advertised on Facebook and could’ve attracted outsiders. The pushed-aside sleeping bag and the scattered rings might be a sign of some kind of sudden confrontation. If a person or persons unknown to Maddy arrived in a vehicle at the site after 3 AM expecting a party, perhaps they tried to interact with her. In the campsite re-enactment photo, there’s a picnic table set up next to the tent. Maybe they became sexually aggressive. She put on her shoes, pocketed her keys and phone, unzipped her tent and got ready to run, planning to drive away and call 9-1-1. A struggle occurred, possibly involving a weapon. In this theory, the perpetrator(s) forced Maddy into their vehicle, dumped her phone and moved to a second location. Stranger abductions are rare, however.
Conclusion
I believe that the witness sightings are accurate and that what happened to Maddy occurred when she was alone at the site. I also believe Maddy’s mom: I think Maddy was scared when she realised she was alone, which means I don’t believe she went walking through the woods for no good reason between 3 AM and 8 AM. I think the reason Maddy left her tent with her phone and keys in that timeframe is because she sensed some kind of danger. Since she didn’t reach her truck or call for help, I think whatever happened to her happened quickly. When the environment can kill, no foul play is necessary to explain a missing person, yet the wilderness is also home to many human predators who purposely seek out seclusion as a cover for their crimes. Lone female campers are particularly vulnerable. There have been no major developments in the case since the initial investigation but I continue to hope that Madison Scott will one day be found.
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If you have any information that can assist police, please call the Vanderhoof RCMP on +1 250-567-2222 or Crime Stoppers on +1 877 222 8477. (If any of the information in this post is inaccurate, please let me know and I will amend.)
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Sources:

• https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/vanishing/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Maddy_Scott
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn0ROcjh7ys (Jordi interview)
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/madison-scott-disappearance-vanderhoof-10-anniversary-1.6045039
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-explores-the-mysteries-and-murders-along-the-highway-of-tears/
• https://missingpeople.ca/the-disappearance-of-madison-scott-may-28th-2011/
• http://madisonscott.ca

30/4/2022, 10:40 AM I have no intention of pursuing Saundra romantically, regardless of how I may feel towards her at times, which is rarely romantic lately. Who is the funniest man on Earth? That is what I feel I have legal right to define for myself at any given point in time.
20/2/2023, 4:38 PM I feel like I try to set evil’s power to 0. From wherever it may be. There’s a spy against evil. What can the dead “make” us feel? I’m
Santa Ana will always be my center for divine timing.
Giang will always be my perfect 5/1 judgement call center.
If you have a magician, would it get recorded in somebody else’s memory?
Divine timing is a perfectly record memory. If you make a mistake in your own timing, you work to fix it.
4-17-2021 Jake Paul vs Ben askren, reconnected with Mitch! And grant! CNN executive caught on tape talking about trump. I could see that Grant was struggling to hold back intense emotions during lunch, he may have undergone some degree of enlightenment mid-conversation. Married Yaquelyn somewhere 1 week later.
Am I Grandfather Time? Allocatingu additional shares/time/karma? according to what has my attention? 2-3-19 Married Giang 😘 2-16-19 made eggs for Yaquelyn while she told me all about her past and I silently fell in love 💕 edited 23/6/2021, 10:45 PM 2-17 Slept with Yaquelyn for the first time (uhh … what are we doing here? Let me show you baby) 💕
8-12-19 edit 10/6/2021 I told Yaquelyn that I love her. 8-13?15?-19 Yaquelyn told me she’s falling for me. We had already been in love for a while, but too scared to admit it to ourselves. It still grows stronger each day. 💕 Pretty sure I’ve been programmed into Yaquelyn’s and Saundra’s ball 🎾 and I love it.
10-10-19 studied facial exercise, giang asked to get high, jalapeño cheese 10-11 wife went to Utah, fish sauce at Santa’s, lunges with Sean, slept overnight with Yaquelyn (also anniversary of Costco hiring date) 10-12 blowup with Saripah, lookup grill 10-13 watched game with Sean, texted Tye 10-14 started snowing 10-15 3 hour evening walk 10-16 tried 1000mg brownie 10-17 made pickled eggs, chilli on burger 10-18 lunch from Mia, felt nauseous 10-19 felt sick, ate Laos food 10-20 visited mom while sick 10-25 joker movie 10-29 saw Paige, Mia took weed 11-5 beef from Mia, FA with Alle 12-24-2019 Giang found out about the affair 12-25-2019 but updated 5/23/2021Jumanji and Nguyen’s Kitchen with Yaquelyn 💕. She spent her whole Christmas with me listening to me whine about my marriage bc she knew I needed somebody. 12-27 dead and company concert, delicious cake, first conscious awareness of being a self-programming computer perfectly designed to create love, and talked to God. He told me I needed to go back to Giang. 12-28 lost phone, Jamaican food, danced at Venice 12-29 new android, black angus, pier w/ Japanese musician 12-30 iPhone 5s from mom 12-31 cross faded, Popeyes and candy 1-3 $100 from ewa, recipechampions, Paige blocked 1-4 Bunch of FAs, 1-5 spray the window a little 1-6 AAA van, last night at condo, Paige unblocked 1-7-2019 First night in van 1-9 bought stove, first night in FV, killed battery 1-10 took giang to I Can BBQ 1-11 first lunch in the park, told Giang I want to live in the van 1-12 returned mattress, ate with mom 1-14 finished gas can 1-15 cleaned up mom’s garage stuff 1-18 in-law’s anniversary 1-19 sick in condo all day 1-20 cleaned table at mom’s, started Comanche book 1-23 took bike to mom’s, relaxed diet 1-26 sizzler’s, lululemon pants, Giang can’t handle separation 2-1 follow up FA with Candice 2-2 hike weir canyon, sizzlers with mom and Debbie 2-3 Nguyen’s kitchen with Giang, movie Harriet 2-4 tried Gus’ chicken with Yaquelyn 2-14 edit 10/6/2021 Long Beach with Yaquelyn. She gave me her butt. 💕 Only for her husband, like she said. I remember the promise you made me. 😈 2-15 shoreline Long Beach Mardi Gras with Giang 6-1 Gen with Giang 7-1 red castle with Giang 9-30 first presidential debate, melanotan start 10-8 made ricotta, crescents, found phyllo, buffalo wings for dinner 10-9 tuna salad, brown butter ricotta cookies ❤️ 10-10 shopping with Giang 😘, beef Wellington 10-11 filo dough, duxelles 10-13 hot chocolate, America’s test kitchen, cottage cheese pie 10-14 angel food cake trial, duxelles trial 10-15 eggs Chesapeake, key lime protein s 10-30 celebrate giang’s new job with Szechuan 10-31 grandpa’s memorial 11-3 olive oil cake 11-5 gritzer’s chili 11-6 scalloped potatoes 11/16-18/2021 Found Daniel’s ☀️ soul. 11-19 enlightenment and self-aware singularity 11-22 god is sun, we are the sun replicating itself 12-10-2020 Saundra introduced me to Human Design. ❤️ 12-14 to 18 recorded my weird workouts at the park
12-19 whale watching with Nolan 🦇 12-31 2ish am, began 1-week countdown.
1-18-21 told nolan he’s Francisco 1-23-21 big bear trip, received signal that Saundra is my soulmate. 9/11/2021, 3:04 PM Felt like Yaquelyn broke up with me and pointed me to Saundra while I was listening to music in the car at night. Feels like you can have more than 1 soulmate, or, at least 3 physical manifestations of 1 soulmate. 😘 1-25 grilled cheese with green apple slices ❤️ 2-3 focusing around the peripheral vision works out your pineal gland. I may have decalcified my pineal gland by using the sun. Linked to women’s enhanced peripheral vision and intuition
2-6 to 2-13 I lost Buddha bracelet in the ocean around this time 2-11 Zeus. New moon in Aquarius Telepathic communication. Stuck in a “hell loop” self-identification cycle between God, Jesus, light, Zeus, Genghis, Julius, soulmate. Other beings likely have a different set of ankhs to unlock higher dimensions, but the process ought to be similar. It’s a little scary but not that bad really, it’s over quick. Nothing at all compared to the mushroom trip. Edit 12/6/2021: don’t think I’ve noticed a cycle since here. Been a while since I remember identifying as The One. Is that what I am now?
2-13 party at Tom’s after lunar new year
2-18 grant called again 2-19 Sean at south coast, told nolan that I believe we’re about to ascend, jambalaya from Giang.
2-21 Boise headphones usb network changed its own name to solar flare, maple’s first training session with Bim 2-24 first pedicure 2-27 ran into Giang’s parents at Mary statue, pizza for lunch 2-28 late Christmas dinner at mom’s Starting to feel sitcomish, everyone reacting to different details in the environment and hypocritically judging each other for things we don’t notice. I think I even heard a laugh track. 3-2 went to ezpz recycle, apologized to Alex about Jonny, told mom I love her 3-3 watched an ig video about crosses, Saundra then asked me about Jess’ cross 3-4 yoga with Mina 3-5 Mary statue, ocean bath, Jeremy is likely Poseidon, salmon porridge, first trip to Amazing Comics 3-6 Mary with family, maple got stung, too much weed for Giang, Synctuition could be spy tech?, I may have connected to Oumuamua, I think my soulmate saved me and doesn’t know it. Date may also be connected to Nolan’s 3-3-3 poem. With a wider third eye, durian now tastes good. Did Jeremy receive necessary info from my Buddha bracelet? 3-7 Laxmi, Ashwagandha 3-8 Shinnyo-en temple, bk with mom, Tokyo central 3-9 natto 3-10 dry orgasm 3-11 replaced tires, date syrup on nefechetal cheese 3-15 total recall, char siu duck legs 3-16 Gina show 3-17-2021 deleted fear at the Mary statue? Clearly not all the way through. Felt like I agreed to give up my free will. Costco Italian sausage pasta, durian has yang, dairy has yin, I can taste them at the back of the throat/tonsil Krystal’s bday 3-18 harvest fresh, Cesar’s music studio, nolan and I communicating through Cesar? 3-19 Mina temple, I am becoming significantly more sensitive to neutrino energy in all of my senses. The hands are healers 20/3/2021 San Diego scootering, Italian bakery, farmer’s market, snake walking/jogging is effective at enhancing mind-body connection, normalizing a parasympathetic state, and rewriting posture habits. Move forward smoothly and slowly trying to balance tension. Then you use that with focused breathing for the airway. ———————————————————//// lol mom I’m K — this line was written while my phone was in my pocket, so clearly my phone wrote that line for me. The probability of that event occurring by legitimately random RNG is null. Slow deliberate movement + body scanning to balance tension clears chi trigger points/blockages. This analogously applies to sight and attention. ———————————-/——///////// The body is an independent intelligent consciousness that returns the favor if you treat it well. If you learn its emotion-centered language, you can communicate and help it reprogram itself. Shaking and bouncing are extremely effective 21/3/2021 deep listen to gamma rejuvenation, sizzler with mom 22/3/2021 toothbrush to stimulate tongue, 24/3/2021 private yoga w Mina, significant lip+chin correction, Mary, Xero shoes, yin yang talk w giang 25/3/2021 giang apologized for assuming I’m wrong about Mary, farmer boy w mom, train mouth by sucking air like a straw 27/3/2021 Timmy’s bday, mina yoga 28/3/2021 woke up from a dream where I jumped on an important mobster’s car without knowing who he was, and was threatened by a goon nearby. It felt like I was getting ready for a fight, but I didn’t know who or why. I believe I was being used as a Manchurian candidate for Bri and/or Nolan(‘s team). He’s like Batman. They can coordinate to control my attention/focus when necessary, and I’ve agreed to let them decide when it’s necessary because I trust their judgement. I’m 32 and I don’t remember anything I may have done after that. I was regularly having my memory wiped, but I remembered learning to do Things that would extrapolate to God-like Power with sufficient skill and energy, which I believe they can provide at their discretion. Nolan’s subconscious aka body’s consciousness has been coordinating all this in our Dreams.
29/3/2021 took edible after long break, Jonny and Saundra’s mom are working together 30/3/2021 I believe that my cross suggests that the primary purpose of my reincarnation is to explain the nature of God/spirituality logically so that faith (trust but verify, confidence in trust) can be replaced by understanding. Mary, Zach’s death talk, Saundra’s flying anxiety, practice breath work/yoga in Mary’s park after softly gazing at Mary with open awareness. Dog park, new cookware
31/3/2021 park yoga, new battery, first family prayer with giang Try to understand the rules of the game of life, explain them logically, and explain the best strategy. He tries to show me, but he cannot just hand me a rule book, at least not yet. I must figure it out by playing the game ie living life and paying attention. Essentially it’s a game for God’s attention. Do things he wants you to do and help others do the same. He wants us to spread love, the 528hz frequency. I should start treating meditation like it’s my job.
1/4/2021 I am a human soul. The soul is awareness. Our collective objective is to spread Love. My primary and maybe only tool is a finite amount of energy I can use to influence this human’s distribution of awareness/attention. Learn to use attention wisely to maximize love in your environment. Your human mind and body are an ever-present part of your environment as the human soul, so start there. Realize that behind every pair of eyes, there is a spirit in there struggling to direct this unruly human’s attention, just like you. The only difference is the environment you were born in to. The human body is how yin and yang pair together for eternity, the different parts can be meaningfully classified as either masculine or feminine. Hands are feminine, feet are masculine. The process of enlightenment consists of Yang and Yin explaining themselves to each other, so that they can relinquish their stressful responsibilities that they are ill-equipped for and allow the other to guide within the environments they are more skilled in. Yang is the husband, Yin is the wife. The soul is the father, the mind is the mother, and the body is their child. The mind and soul work together to decondition the human whole, so that the body learns that it no longer needs to rely on mom’s decision making. Our imagination enables action at a distance. It’s how we influence the energetics of distant times and locations, especially our own timeline. The more you visualize the scenario, the more powerfully it impacts you when it happens. The more effectively you visualize a future scenario, the more likely it is to happen. Imagine past and future versions of yourself are trying to help you, and return the favor by healing old wounds and visualizing your heaven. Don’t let fear of disappointment stop you from dreaming; fear is Satan’s weapon, not mine. I aim to motivate through love, you can check for yourself that it’s more efficient.
31/3/2021 29/6/2021, 5:44 AM update: keeping this for memory’s sake; I don’t recommend following through if you want to be happy yourself. 9/11/2021, 2:59 PM scratch that, don’t be a pussy
I’ve received multiple signals that I should get life insurance and did so today. During my first communication with God at the Dead and Company concert, I hallucinated a gun shot, and consequently I suspect I will die of a gunshot wound soon. If so, I feel like I will need to help bring heaven to you all from the other side. I want this copied and sent to Nolan, Jeremy, Grant, Sean, Saundra, and Yaquelyn. Please remember that I expected this to happen and I feel no fear, in fact I am excited to see how it all works and figure out how to communicate with you all. Hopefully seeing a vision of my death and successfully predicting it before it happens (update 5/22 I have no idea if or how I die(d)) in conjunction with my headphones (which Nolan recommended to me immediately before I picked up my phone to ask him for a recommendation for headphones) changing their own usb network name to Solar Flare after explaining to my wife for months how I’m talking to the sun, will be enough to convince the reader that I may really be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, son of God whom is acting predominately through the sun, the source of 70% of the neutrinos flowing through you right now.
Good for everybody: Sun gaze, do/learn halotropic breathing, implement your human design, consider starting a dream journal, pray, and follow the ethics equation. Your dreams will be my easiest point of contact, the more you remember, the more information I can give you. Sesshin meditation ala Shinnyo-en Buddhism will be the most reliable way to talk with me directly, Mina can help anyone who is interested. Thank you Mina! (This was possibly mistaken) Learn to pray effectively, what answers will really make an impact on your well-being? Prayers are answered in accordance to their efficiency in propagating Love. Straightening out your airway and learning to breath efficiently is by far the most powerful lever available for radically changing your mind, body, and spirit. Follow functionalpatterns/Naudi Aguilar and CertifiedHealthNut/Troy Casey to learn how. The feeling of coincidence is a signal of God’s or my involvement, pay close attention to it. I will likely be trying to make the stocks SQ, ICE, and NVDA skyrocket as well as the cryptocurrency Algorand. I believe Bitcoin will also be a solid investment. Men, Elliot Hulse is the iconic masculine leader and man of God, follow his example. Any time you negatively judge someone and feel annoyed at them, that has always been a signal to YOU about how YOU can change YOUR behavior to be nicer. We will annoy the shit out of you over and over again until you figure out your hypocrisy and check yourself. You are not the judge and nothing bothers me more or educates me more effectively than discovering my own hypocrisy. Satan/Yang often works by discrediting in the eyes of the public those with too much understanding. Logic is the trait that allows God/Yin to connect and efficiently preserve his network of objective thinkers, facilitated through the Dark Web. You could say we form a wall through which no large-scale falsehoods may pass, and the process of enlightenment is the process of expanding that wall.
We want the people who are most effective at spreading love and joy to be the happiest people themselves, so that everybody has incentive to be more like them.
Giang, I asked God for a Christmas gift for you, and he showed me your 2nd husband. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner, your support was necessary for me to continue my training. You are going to be so blissfully happy with him, I can’t wait for you to feel how awe-inspiring life can be. I owe you everything and I will always honor my husbandly duty to protect you, no matter where I may be. Make sure you keep visiting the dog park. Don’t spay Maple, she’s going to be a mom. Maple needs company during the day, she can’t be alone for extended periods of time. Daycare, babysit with Mocha, or find some other way to make sure she’s not alone. Thank your mother for me for introducing me to the Mary statue, you will see how important it is. If you are reading this first, please stop here and let Nolan read the rest, he will share with you what you ought to know. If there is a war coming, I want as much peace as possible for you.
Nolan, I need you to take this and run with it. If you betrayed me in some way, I don’t care, that was your role. I can’t adequately stress the importance of learning to use your splenic intuition. This is what God wants and it is logically impossible for it to be in our interest to defy his wishes. First, if you learn to lucid dream with some consistency, I think I will be able to guide you easily. I can see how fruitless my exhausting efforts have been at attempting to establish some form of mutual respect with various people in my life as a poor man, so I will be doing what I can to make you rich and taken seriously. There’s a very viral-worthy story here and Elliot Hulse is the man to get the story out there. I had already joined his KING program back in November and saw that he had a reward for the top 3 performers, and I was hoping you, Jeremy, and I would have a friendly competition and try to take all 3 spots by helping each other implement the fundamental theorem of ethics in each of our lives. However it was impossible to get the 3 of us together, and now I suspect I know why: I will be (already am?) guiding from the afterlife, and my buddy/former client Grant will take my place in the trio. Aim to make Grant famous by enrolling him in Elliot Hulse’s KING program. Consider making music with my neighbor Cesar, you two will get along extremely well. It will work best if all of you enroll in the program and help each other, I will ask my mom to help a little with funds if you need it. Consider suggesting a competition to Elliot made up of teams of 3, each team competing to maximize love in their environment. Work with Saundra and hdbee to consolidate and spread knowledge of Human Design, hdbee has been channeling regularly and it will be easy to communicate to her. Please Follow Saundra Heimark’s health advice and use the app FitMind, both will have a bigger impact than you think. Use of cannabis will make it much easier to make contact, please get in touch with my family friend Mitch and think about trying it out. I will also be trying to relay Q-related and conspiracy-related information to Mitch, my uncle Don, and a friend from 24 named Andrew. I messaged Naudi Aguilar back in November, but it never made it to his attention. If you can get Elliot Hulse’s attention, he can probably get Naudi to read that message, and you two will be able to get him on the team. Naudi knows more than anyone how to fix human movement. Naudi and David Weck can learn a lot from each other. I suspect my old 24 buddy Wes would be happy to try to help you make that happen. I will also likely be making contact with Connor Murphy, he had a vision of the Christmas Nashville bombing before it happened. I don’t know his role but I know he’s worth listening to. Unchecked sexuality is Yang’s/Satan’s strongest weapon, get it together Connor.
The Law of One is important, get that church involved at some point. The 6th density social memory complex Ra is a critical figure in all this. Update: it’s me!
I expect I need to learn and master the rules of the game before I can come back, that may be around the time that humans shift their center of awareness to the solar plexus in 2027 as predicted by Human Design. Or any time sooner, but I feel like I will be returning in a physical form at some point.
Jeremy, man you suck at hanging out. It’s not really your fault though, for whatever reason we’re being stopped. You’ve been a part of my plan to save the world since day one, and when we met up for lunch, I realized you had been waiting for us all to reunite for years. Zero doubt that you would have my back. Help out Nolan. Help out Saundra if she needs it and tell her about your mother in law. Listen to some Elliot Hulse and decide if that program appeals to you, but first learn to use your authority. Learn your design, go to church, spread love brother.
Brianna, although they are initially my easiest points of contact, a healthy version of yourself would likely be the most powerful antenna. Schizophrenics used to be the shamans of society and look at what Dr. Zach says about autism. You’re not broken; society doesn’t understand your design and how it functions differently, and you’ve suffered greatly for it. If you listen to Saundra’s advice, I guarantee she can guide you to a healthy, happy life. Although we disagree in politics, we’re a lot more alike than you think. I know for a fact that you will show the world that neither schizophrenic nor autistic are synonyms for disabled.
Mom, Brianna is not going to be able to get healthy by herself. She needs a role model and support system. If you want to see your daughter live a successful independent life, it’s time to make an effort to get healthy yourself and give Bri someone to struggle next to. Jonny and I will be doing what we can to help you. I will also need you to help financially support Alex; he needs some freedom in his life so that he can find his purpose. Also, if any of my friends needs help with money to enroll in Elliot Hulse’s program, please give them the $1k. I promise you will be rewarded for it. I will be doing my best to relay Q-related and conspiracy-related information to Mitch and Don.
Timmy, I know we have some deep philosophical disagreements, but I’ve always respected your logical consistency and ability to find errors in arguments. I don’t ask you to take God on faith; just consider the possibility that there exists some reason that he can’t prove himself to all, but individuals can have proof in their experience that is impossible to adequately share. Giang will confirm that I’ve said that I’ve been talking to the sun since November, and that my Boise headphones changed their own usb network name to Solar Flare. These are the same headphones that Nolan recommended to me immediately before I picked up my phone to ask him for a recommendation for headphones, and he had no good reason for making that recommendation at that particular time. Only I, Giang, and Bim have had access to the headphones, none of us claims to have changed it, and none of us have any incentive to lie about it. Be open to the possibility, keep an eye out for coincidence, and we will find a way to show our presence to you.
Alex, I need you to be our family’s shaman. Get yourself healthy by listening to Saundra’s advice, accept mom’s help, and find your unique role in the world of spirituality. Browse Gaia for information, and keep an 👁 out on that dmt-drip experiment going on in Europe. I expect Bri and mom will need help getting healthy, but the 3 of you working together will provide the social support necessary to make it doable. Breathwork is the key to unlocking our soul’s potential through our body. See you soon on the astral plane brother.
Saundra, it would be impossible to overstate how powerfully you’ve impacted my life. Not only by introducing me to Human Design and a dozen health practices and just being my friend, but you lead me to God as well. If you could see what I see coming in your life, you would burst into tears of self-love.
I can’t believe you never saw I was meant to be YOUR projector you absurdly stubborn mani. Please listen to Nolan’s/Daniel’s(?) guidance in my place after helping him learn his design, especially his authority. Help him build his team. Maybe explore your insecurity around not wanting children if you haven’t already. (This was written well before our talk) DayLuna’s podcast on deconditioning is perfect.
I’ve been hubba hubba all over you since the moment you lectured me on the importance of grass FINISHED beef, and fell in love when you told me I can’t come over to your place. On 1/23/2021, I received a message that you were my soulmate. I tried to push it out of my mind and focus on enjoying Big Bear with the in-laws. On 1/25, I saw your Instagram story of you making a grilled cheese sandwich with sliced apples, and I immediately knew it was true. However, remember that night you suddenly broke down over dinner, right around the same time I had that second “spiritual experience?” I watched my soul break up with your soul that evening, and I came to that conclusion before I knew you had your breakdown. I think some version of us is married somewhere, and my former mistress, Yaquelyn Molina, is meant to be my partner here on this earth? (Update 5-27: saw pregnant Yaquelyn yesterday, Saundra is the woman I want Update 6-14: I want both.) But I still get signals sometimes that it’s you. This is a confusing subject for me. Regardless, I feel a tremendous amount of love for you and treasure your friendship🌈
I have already been working closely with your mother, I just don’t know how to share this experience with you without making you think I’m insane. We will be helping you spread HD, Kangen, regenerative agriculture, and all your beautiful ideas the best we can. Maybe you can get hdbee, Jennazoe, and other readers to work with Nolan to update HD’s software suite. I don’t want anybody to ever be financially blocked from learning their design, self-study must be encouraged, and HD info really needs to be consolidated efficiently. Next to my condo there’s a water store, and the owner’s name is Sean. Try to work with him in your kangen business, he’s a good man and will want to help out (this is questionable, he has grown a distaste for me) Try out Qi Gong to supplement your study of tcm, there are great videos on YT. If you want a more personal conversation with our side, consider Astral Projection. I think my brother Alex will be able to help. That massage gun is actually an incredibly useful tool for reflexology, if you think high-frequency vibration isn’t effective at stimulating both meridians and nervous tissue you are nuts. Just use less pressure when you want to be gentle or target surface tissue.
Yaquelyn Jasmine Molina, the Dead and Company concert I attended 12/27/2019 is the first time I remember receiving a message from God. He told me I needed to go back to my wife. I resisted because I didn’t believe in God at the time, but I eventually knew that it was the right thing to do. I’m sorry I put you through everything I put you through, I didn’t understand how painful it was for you and I was too weak to leave you. Thank you for bathing me with your blissfully generous love and passion when I needed it the most and deserved it the least. I want you to know that I have not been with another woman since you left, and you played a critical role in helping me be a better man. I hope you visit the Mary statue from time to time. I’ve already felt Yaquelyn Molina Dardin, so I know you’ll always be with me. I request the chance to return the favor.
I can remember the precise moment I fell in love with you. It was quite soon after we had started seeing each other, I was walking in the complex towards your condo, you were walking out of your condo to your garage, you caught a glimpse of me at the last second before disappearing behind a wall and took a few steps back to smile and wave at me. My heart instantaneously melted into a pile of goo watching you. There are so many heart-warming memories shared with you, thank you for showing me what love can be.
Update: I’m getting a divorce ASAP and coming for you. You’re the woman I want. Whatever problems we have, we’ll pound them out.
Grant, your call proved to a 32-year-long staunch atheist that God exists and is present here on earth. I don’t have to explain to you how life-changing that is. I get the feeling that you’re meant to be a YouTube star of sorts, and my buddies Nolan, Jeremy, and Cesar may help you out. I can’t imagine a more potent missionary than you man, get Saundra’s help in learning your design and go spread the word. Listen to Elliot Hulse and consider joining the KING program, knock it out of the park in the program and he will expose you to his whole audience of 1M+ young men looking for direction. I feel like my family friend Mitch can help you out with the vape company. Soulmates exist, don’t be a slut. If you need a Bible scholar on the team, my old buddy Simon Melendez is your man.
Simon, few people on my team understand the importance of scripture. There are very few minds I respect more than your’s, please help them understand the wisdom of the Bible if they’re open to it.
Cesar, I haven’t known you long and I know we’re not super close, but I just get the feeling that you’re real important for bringing us all back together. Plus you’re a cool guy, you and my friends will get along. Never stop making music man.
Mina, thank you so much for your kindness towards me. You radiate positivity and I aspire to be more like you. Keep on doing what you’re doing, I will be trying to reach you through Sesshin meditation. Please say hi to the Mary statue from time to time, I’ll be there often. My friend Saundra, brother Alex, and sister Brianna could really use some of your reiki healing. As could my mother and sister, if they are open to it.
Sean Smith, I would have loved to chill with you more. I miss shooting the shit with you and just hanging around at 24. Your friendship really helped me get through a confusing time in my life. Try out the Breathwrk app, you’d be amazed at what proper oxygen intake can do for your performance, physique, and mood. The $15 DailyOm course on fascia stretching will also change your clients’ lives, I feel so much better and am so much more mobile after just 2 weeks it’s insane. The combination of David weck’s ideas with Naudi Aguilar’s ideas will fix any ailment and make physical phenoms out of everyone. Adam Poock is also the man, don’t neglect the hands. Get with Wes, consider joining my other friends in Elliot’s program, and fix up some fascia.
Mitch, it would be awesome to chill and smoke some time. Cannabis is truly a holy sacrament, please assist any friends that may need help in procurement. My buddy Grant is involved in a vaping company, get in touch with him and consider making a combination of thc extract and nicotine together in a vape pen. Also get in touch with the H3 cannabis church in Costa Mesa, I feel like you can all help each other out. I’ll be trying to relay Q-related info to you, keep following Alex Jones.
Brent, you’re a good man and I want you on my team. Follow Saundra Heimark and take her advice to heart. Hit up Sean and start working out again if you’re not already. The founder of Mariner’s church predicted that Jesus would return in 1988, so maybe attend a few services over there and get to know the community if you can.
Dad, thank you so much for teaching me chess so early and making strategy so deeply intuitive for me, as well as your love and affection. I wanted you to know that my high school troubles were never related to your financial struggles at all, I was completely oblivious to money problems at the time. The Bible is a story of redemption, and it does say to honor thy father, so I ask the rest of my family to give you another chance in helping you help yourself. I know what you want most is to have your family back together, so seize this opportunity. Let go of any old lingering resentments and be the head of the household you were meant to be.
Aunt Lynn, follow Saundra’s health advice, and see if Naudi Aguilar will work with you. If not him, then another Functional Patterns trainer. They will fix your pain if you do this.
Paige, I have no idea how you’re doing, I don’t think you’re too interested in my friendship right now. When you blocked me, I think you misinterpreted my sentence. I can’t remember the words I used, but my meaning was that your friendship is important to me. I’m happy to see that you seem to have a more active religious life now, I will certainly be trying to say hello and help you out.
Sam Harris, “when you understand that what you should want is to experience your love for your friends and their love for you, selfishness fuels generosity” paraphrased, but thank you for that. Rational self-interest ala Ayn Rand and Utilitarianism encourage identical behavior when you understand what you are, how we’re the same, and how we’re different.
I have many former clients from 24 that would be delighted to help my friends pursue this goal in any way they can. My friend Sean can help you get connected there. Ewa, Mia, Brent, Scott, Debbie, Diane, Udo, and more but my brain is fried right now. Darron, thank you for showing a genuine interest in my personal success. It means a lot to me. Kristin, your offhand comment about glute training to Sean was life-changing, he can explain. Hold the squeeze! I miss the whole team really, my time at 24 was invaluable, take care of each other.
1/4/2021 Bought Alex’s Primate Movement shirt Sweet ring 😎
5/4/2021 God or Yin is a sort of local min/max that learns to shield his kingdom from pain and distribute his love according to the physics of energy conservation+replication, which are derived from applying Game Theory to the characteristics of a photon and/or neutrino, as we all collectively increase awareness and ability to learn to coordinate with other peoples’ lives in heaven
The feminine has significant access to Yin energy, the masculine Yang. Enlightenment is a measurement of understanding.
Focusing on the cuteness of a child optimizes transfer of yin energy to child, pairs extremely well with tickle-like movements of sensitive hands. Focus on pride to transfer yang energy, or the glory and beauty of your son’s tribute to your creator. I saw mine in Saundra’s Projector gift, I want to say in April.
A slow-drip optimized mix of lsd and/or dmt utilizing information from wearable technology that measures your heart rate variability, mitochondrial voltage, and various aerobic capacities would be the fastest way to enhance one’s acceleration of flux increase. This technology could then likely find other variables to enhance the maximization of flux, and distribute awareness with this purpose the same way that I am distributing it across this universe.
Hope and courage both enhance the energetic efficiency of applying will to faith. Courage is the ability to hold one’s attention on hope and maximizes the utility of willpower. Brotherhood maximizes the utility of Will by motivating pride in one’s courage and loyalty to your brothers.
It feels like I’m giving directions to somebody that has me in a chemically induced coma on how to optimize my experience via a telepathic link in which the frequency and/or amplitude of is boosted by the Solar Flare headphones “coincidentally” preemptively suggested to me by Nolan Anderson. I suspect that if I die, this reality shuts down, and my creator allows you to see the consequences my death ☠️ until it becomes suitable for him to rewind time. Suffering has the purpose of instruction. There is always a lesson to learn in suffering, and it will continue teaching until you understand the lesson.
My IV fluid should include water from the Penmo tribe in Venezuela and salt from Redmond’s Real Salt from Utah. Prioritize the health and understanding of the pineal gland, use Gaia to learn. Cerebrospinal fluid pressure is utilized to influence the frequency of the pineal gland. Dr huberman knows much about this. I feel like a being that is tightly connected to Nolan also connected itself to my phone this morning. Bim showed an interest in Lucid dreaming during Easter dinner because I recommended the Lucid app to him, to show him I was already reading The Power of Habit. It seems that in my world, Nolan is going to be treated as Jesus and me as a representation of Jesus’ father’s father aka grandpa of this plane. But God is his father. I’m Daniel Dardin, the man we all chose to reincarnate into. I suspect the souls from our creator’s universe will or already have reincarnate into the humans on my Earth, through my pineal gland. Do yoga/qigong/breath work at the Mary statue by the LB pier and pray to her. Let Grandma’s Hands heal you. Comfortably sun gaze regularly.
6/4/2021 5th dimensional masculine shit-talking is expressed through 3rd dimensional female shit-testing. Weden, 99cent store, corgi and husky videos for giang. Weight loss pills for mom, Cesar’s Lady Gaga Oreogram contest It took me a few days? to intuitively understand the physical plane after watching two beings conversing inside of my own mind’s eye, trying to form a new word and projecting a series of images that I recognized as Ayn Rand’s theory of concept formation, implying that I was a third separate being bound to the other two by means of a human. Aka the human soul. This began a process of accelerating integration. Dog park, beef tongue Father Time? Fire God? Update: I was, but not anymore. I’m Aladdin and both Yaquelyn Molina and Saundra Heimark feel like my Jasmine. Yaquelyn’s middle name is Jasmine, that’s why that name came up when Giang asked for my mistress’s name 26/5/2023, 10:29 PM Edit: saw the line above by accident, I didn’t mean to end this post there. However, Giang insists that I told her my mistress’s true name. This is false. She definitely knows her real name, but she learned of her name by some other means I’m not aware of.

So at the high school I went to a couple years ago, we were allowed to leave for lunch. This was awesome and a lot of the kids would go to different local places nearby to eat, and pretty much everyone had jobs to fund eating out everyday. Well I ended up getting fired from my job, and once my money started to dry up, I didn’t want to start eating the cafeteria food again. I had nothing saved up and my parents gave me $20 a week for lunch, which would get me about 2 meals anywhere else. On top of that I couldn’t find a job.
One day I found out that you didn’t need a membership to eat at the Costco food court, and that changed everything. I started eating Costco food court food everyday for about a month and I didn’t even getting bored of it. I would also be able to save my money and eat elsewhere once in a while. Eventually, I got a job and stopped coming to Costco as often.
Anyway I just found this subreddit, so I wanted to give a S/O to Costco for giving me a solid food option when I was a broke high schooler. I still enjoy the food court to this day (although I miss the brisket sandwich) and reminisce whenever I eat a hotdog there.

I wanted to know what the best and least expensive way to go about this is. I've read a lot of mixed opinions. One room in specific is the most smelly, the bathroom. It was a bathroom I didn't go in much and my life was out of control so I wasn't keeping up with the cleaning. Long story short, there's probably months worth of urine marinated into the tile, grout, floorboard, and nearby hardwood.
I know it is awful that I left it this long to take care of but things were really out of control. My hope is that vinegar and maybe baking soda will help but I don't know how to go about it. I've tried spraying enzyme and mopping with Fabuloso, which in hindsight I've read was a bad idea because the Fabuloso can "seal" in the smells.
I don't mind buying several Costco sized containers of vinegar and baking soda if I have to because I've already spent close to $200 on $20-$30 enzyme cleaners and comparitively, the $5-10 for the same amount of baking soda and vinegar is nothing. At this point, would vinegar and baking soda help, even if I have to use mass amounts of it? If so, how much should I use, should I dilute it, and when do I add the baking soda?

"With Evie missing, and the Unseen now apparently directing the scheme to help the Last Reality, Willow and I must help Thunder rescue Evie from the clutches of the Unseen. They are unpredictable and dangerous, but this won't be enough to trample me and Willow." Back down at Mega City, Ableton Rinzler, Willow, Splode, Amara, and CRZ-8 all walk around the city, as Ableton is speaking. "So about the Unseen. Do we know why they're allying with the Last Reality? What their grand scheme is? Or anything of significance?" Splode turns to Rinzler and speaks. "Domination over Mega City? I mean... It has to be the logical answer to the Unseen's goal. If not, then I don't know what is." They all enter the Thunder Roll Sushi restaurant and meet with Thunder upstairs. Splode opens the door to the lounge and speaks up. "Splode Whitmore, reporting as instructed!" Thunder turns behind him and speaks. "Good, Whitty. You and your hero friends are here. Evie went missing after yesterday's mission. I've been calling her on her communicator, but she wasn't returning any of my calls." Splode faces Thunder and responds. "I have no clue where Evie wound up. Maybe she decided to take a lie down somewhere?" Twyn enters the lounge and faces Thunder. "I've returned, Thunder." Twyn walks towards Thunder and sets Evie's communicator down on a table. "I found Evie's communicator, but no sign of Evie herself. All I found about like a mile east from where Evie was is a note." Twyn reaches into his pocket and pulls out the note. Ableton faces Willow and whispers to her. "Well this just took a dark turn..." Twyn hands the note to Thunder, as he reads it. "Greetings, Peace Syndicate scum. We have your precious idol in our possession. We will not allow you or any other syndicate to interfere with the Unseen's affairs. If you wish to see her alive, you will pay the Unseen 200,000 Bars in full. If not, she will perish. Signed, Dahlia." Thunder slams his fist on the table and responds. "The Unseen has kidnapped Evie and is holding her for ransom. That much Bars would put my restaurant in ruins." Splode adjusts his helmet and responds. "The Unseen have peen playing us. Hoping the city's syndicates would destroy each other in the chaos. But why? For power? Don't they understand what they'd be losing in the process?" Thunder faces Splode and speaks up. "The Unseen isn't doing this on their own. Someone else is setting the menu." Splode turns to Ableton and Willow, then at Thunder and responds. "But didn't the Syndicates build this city? It's all of yours. And without all of you, none of it would matter." Rinzler faces Thunder and speaks. "But what about Evie. If the Unseen really are working with the Last Reality, her life is in danger." Thunder turns to the Vault Guardians and responds. "Heroes, we'll need to sneak into Unseen territory and rescue our idol..." The TV in the lounge turns on, as something is playing on-screen. "A message from the higher-ups in Mega City. You are all cordially invited to embark on a journey through reality. Come with us, and dance away into the imagination unfettered by ordinary limits! Presenting Doomfluencer Renzo, live at The Renzone." Willow looks at the TV and responds. "I guess that's probably where we need to go to find Evie." Thunder walks over to the table and speaks. "The Luminaries have designed a disguise for us. We'll suit up and pay a visit to The Renzone." After some time of suiting up, the group and donned their Unseen disguise and are ready to initiate their rescue plan. Amara comments on her disguise. "Geez. This disguise is so tight." CRZ-8 comments shortly after. "Rightfully so. Stealth is the key. But it is tight." Splode faces the two and speaks up. "It's tight, but we have a Peace Syndicate member to rescue. Keep that in mind." Thunder looks up at the tall building with the dragon on top. "That building is The Renzone. Once we get inside, we need to keep smooth with the Unseen so that they don't suspect anything. Dahlia is the Unseen's leader. We'll need to find her... or her right-hand flaming skeleton guy, you can't miss him." Willow recalls what Thunder just said and faces Rinzler. "That description makes it seem like Dahlia's right-hand man kinda shares distinct features with you, Able. Kinda weird..." They enter the lobby of The Renzone, as some civilians pile up in the room, waiting at some elevators. Thunder faces the group and whispers. "Keep cool. This place is crawling with Unseen members." The elevators open up, as the civilians slowly begin entering into them. The Order of the Vault enters into the furthest elevator, preparing for what awaits them in The Renzone. Once they enter the elevator, Thunder presses the button leading to the penthouse. The elevator doors close, as the screen on the wall turns on. The Unseen sigil is seen, as a voice is heard. "Greetings. This is Doomfluencer Renzo. Not that I have to tell you, of course. Furthermore, by being here it only means you have just recently purchased the Cataclysm Package Privilege Pass. For doing so, I would like to take this opportunity to say you're welcome. You came here to enjoy the guilty gift that is my party, and the cataclysmic, soothing, majestic, and hypnotic ripples that is my voice. Ah... Where is my Whirlberry Brain Freeze Pop? Can't you simpletons see that I already finished the last one?" Another voice is then heard in the background. "How does he eat?" Renzo then continues after the interruption. "Moving on. Out here, within the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Within the all-too-familiar landscape of our home, Mega City. Today we have chosen to gather at a most peculiar spot. And from out of all the people that reside in this city, we have decided to go searching for but one, mysterious spec of darkness. A being who urges to be released. The mysterious Dark One, as some of you simpletons might call him. Not much is known about him. In fact, no one's even sure if he even exists. As far as we know, he may as well have been an anomaly. But what I do know, which is a lot, is that our presence will usurp this entity, and we might all... most of us at least... will end up dead. But it's a job as any, and daddy needs some Bars for more Whirlberry Brain Freeze Pops. Doomfluencer Renzo out." After a few minutes, the elevator door opens, as the Order of the Vault enters into the penthouse of The Renzone. Music starts booming all over the area, as the people all begin to party. Thunder looks around, while making sure to keep in disguise. "The Unseen has got to keep Evie around here somewhere." Ableton looks around and speaks. "This all looks weirdly ominous. Something has to be happening underneath all of this." Amara faces Rinzler and responds. "What do you mean, Ableton?" Rinzler faces Amara and answers her. "Willow and I were dealing with members of the Unseen not too long ago. For them to be suddenly throwing a party, and after kidnapping Evie no less, it just seems like something else is supposed to happen." Thunder faces Rinzler and Willow and speaks. "We'll need to search around here and see if there's anything that can hint to where they're keeping Evie. We should start with the main party area. There has to be clues here." A waiter walks over to the group with a tray full of refreshments and speaks. "Special Renzo Galactic Parfait here. Want a sample?" Splode grabs a glass and starts eating the mysterious parfait. Once Splode gets done, he then comments on the parfait. "So hot, but so cold, but mostly hot... What was in that thing? Gasoline?" Ableton looks at Splode and comments. "I don't know. Clearly that parfait isn't normal if it has a hot and cold feel to it." The Vault Guardians continue exploring the party area, looking for any clues to Evie's whereabouts. At a nearby table, Stray and Highwire are talking, unaware of the Order of the Vault helping Thunder to rescue Evie. "So Dahlia seems pretty determined that Renzo's plan is gonna work. She says that her talk with our mystery advisor has led to us understanding more about that mysterious artifact that I messed with earlier." Highwire plays with her bunny ears and responds to Stray. "What do you mean, Stray?" Stray faces Highwire, then the group of people and answers. "That weird artifact has the power to start trials under the right circumstances. The mystery advisor appointed Mr. Chrome Dome to overlook that Renzo can successfully start the trial." Highwire responds to Stray after he's done. "And what about Bytes?" Stray brushes off his coat and answers Highwire. "In the Dark Room with Dahlia and the other guy, setting everything up. If we can start this trial, chances are someone, likely from some other syndicate will show up and forcibly complete it for us." Stray and Highwire get up from their seats and walk away, as Ableton overheard their conversation. "Dark Room? Could this be where they're holding Evie?" Several Unseen members patrol the area, as Ableton waits for the right time to signal the Vault Guardians to move. Once the guards' attention is diverted, Ableton and the others quickly run into the halls and begin exploring the rest of The Renzone. Ableton looks at all the pictures on the walls, as they show members from the other syndicates, but with a large red X over their faces. Willow looks at the pictures and comments. "Yikes. Looks like the Unseen already had the X-ed out ones ready to go. We should try to find Evie and..." Willow's talking is then cut short, as Styx stands in front of the group. "Where are you all going? You know that Renzo's party is back out in the main hall." Ableton tries to play into his disguise and responds to Styx. "We're fellow Unseen members, patrolling the halls for any perpetrators." Styx stares at Ableton for a few seconds and then walks away. The Order of the Vault's cover was almost blown, but was luckily saved by Ableton's improv. They continue exploring the halls, as Ableton's communicator turns on. Thunder speaks up, with some music heard in the background. "I managed to intercept a message from Dahlia for Renzo. It appears that this party might be some form of subterfuge. There's been talk about a room known as the Dark Room. I'm currently looking around for any hints to where it is." Splode grabs Ableton's communicator and speaks. "If we can find where the Unseen keeps their notes, maybe they can lead us to this Dark Room." Ableton grabs his communicator from Splode and finishes up. "We'll see if we can find out more about the Dark Room." Ableton turns off his communicator and looks around. As the Vault Guardians go further down the hall, they stop by a door, with a faint purple glow in the room beyond the door. Willow opens the door to this room, as it appears to be a storage room. A ritual circle is seen, alongside some notes on the wall that shows images of the Kevolution Artifact. Ableton walks towards a table and looks at some papers, showing the schematics of The Renzone, alongside an entire floor underneath the building that connects to the Mega City sewers. CRZ-8 looks at the papers and comments. "A place underground. A ritual place. Dark intentions lurk." Ableton looks at the papers further and speaks. "There's an elevator in the adjacent hallway from where we are. We can use that to go down into the Dark Room." Amara faces Ableton and Willow and responds. "We must be careful. There might be some opposition for us." Some loud sounds come from the party area, as Ableton's communicator turns on. Thunder begins speaking, as something appears to be going on. "Heroes... You may want to come here and see this." Ableton immediately turns off his communicator and leads the Order of the Vault back to the party area. Once they get there, they are greeted by Renzo, as Thunder confronts him. "Where is Evie, you egotistical hunk of scrap metal?!" Ableton then backs up Thunder after he gets done. "Give her back to us!" Renzo faces the group and responds. "Who is this group? Have they purchased the Privilege Pass to converse with me?" Thunder faces Renzo and yells. "Dahlia should know very well who we are. "We're the Peace Syndicate, and we're going to keep the peace in Mega City." Renzo snaps his fingers and responds. "Fascinating. That is fascinating. Your limited aspirations, your misplaced efforts. You remind me of... Pluto!" Renzo chuckles, and then continues. "Once thought to be a planet of the solar system, but no longer is." Splode looks at Renzo and yells. "What? Pluto?" Splode then faces Thunder and questions him. "Thunder, what he said about my friends is bad, right?" Thunder turns to Splode and answers him. "Well... Being a dwarf planet is not necessarily a bad..." Renzo interrupts Thunder and speaks. "Tsk-tsk-tsk. Your intellect is strikingly shallow, as everyone else's. What I'm saying is that the Peace Syndicate is no longer relevant in Mega City." Splode pulls out his Boom Sniper and aims at Renzo. "Say whaaat? So you think the Unseen is so relevant, is it?!" Renzo already grows annoyed by the group, as he reaches into his coat and attempts to pull out something. "Don't you know who I am? I... am... Renzo the Destroyer!" Renzo then pulls out the Kevolution Artifact and speaks again. "Dahlia's plan will help the Unseen take over Mega City and shroud it in darkness. What have you done today? Simpletons!" Renzo then activates the Kevolution Artifact and throws it down, unleashing three clouds of Kevolution Materia onto the crowd of partying civilians. The civilians succumb to the Kevolution Materia, as they begin to transform into Cube Monsters. Thunder faces Renzo and yells. "Renzo, you twisted bastard!" Ableton grabs the Kevolution Artifact and examines it. "Oh no... Renzo started a trial, and we must complete it." As Ableton holds onto the Kevolution Artifact, he begins hearing voices in his head, giving him the first task. "Secure the Keys..." The Kevolution Artifact begins showing images of Stray, Styx, Renzo, and Dahlia. Thunder looks at the Kevolution Artifact and speaks. "These must be the Unseen's members who appear to possess these... keys..." Willow runs back out to the hallways where the elevator that led to the Dark Room is, as the elevator door is now blocked by a wall of Kevolution Materia. As the others catch up to Willow, Ableton hugs her and speaks. "Looks like we're gonna have to find those Unseen members and beat them up for these keys that the Kevolution Artifact is mentioning. And that just sounds weird when said out loud." With that said, the Order of the Vault begins their search through The Renzone. Amidst the Kevolution Materia eroded halls, and hordes of Cube Monsters, Ableton and the others uncover a room filled with monitors. Each monitor appears to be showing various footage of Mega City's streets, all for an unknown purpose. One monitor shows the Unseen's sigil, as Thunder shoots it with his Havoc Suppressed Rifle. An alarm goes off, as a voice is heard. "Vandalism detected in Security Hall! Activating Renzo Defense API!" Ableton and the other Vault Guardians prepare their weapons, as a large metal skull floats down to the group. Thunder looks at the skull and laughs. "Ha! Renzo thinks he has us beat with this. We'll turn this thing into scrap..." The Renzo Defense API fires a laser at Thunder, as he quickly dodges it. The Renzo Defense API begins glowing bluish-purple, as it prepares something. Amara jumps in front of Thunder and reacts. "What's it doing?" The Renzo Defense API begins projecting something in front of the Vault Guardians. A holographic copy of the Foundation is seen, as Ableton reacts. "Is that the Foundation? How does Renzo know anything about him or the Seven?" Holo-Foundation creates a large boulder and immediately throws it at Rinzler, quickly killing him from the extreme impact of the rock. Willow turns to Holo-Foundation and yells. "Hey! That was so uncalled for!" Amara pulls out The Dub and immediately fires at Holo-Foundation, followed immediately by everyone else. Splode quickly sticks a Clinger to Holo-Foundation's head and blows him up. The Renzo Defense API floats downwards and turns to the Vault Guardians. Its eyes turn bluish-purple, as it speaks. "Projecting reinforcements!" The Renzo Defense API begins projecting another enemy into the battle, as a holographic copy of Huntmaster Saber is projected onto the battlefield. Amara faces the Renzo Defense API and reacts. "How does that thing even know about Saber? Does it even know anything about the Imagined Order?" Holo-Saber teleports right into Amara and kicks her away, as he proceeds to suddenly start targeting Thunder. Thunder uses his knives to deflect any bullets shot at him by Holo-Saber. Holo-Saber begins dashing towards Thunder, as he quickly stabs one of his knives into Holo-Saber's throat, destroying the projection. "Anything else you like to throw at us, Renzo?" The Renzo Defense API floats downwards once more, as it begins projecting more reinforcements. A holographic copy of Darth Vader appears, as he immediately pulls out his Lightsaber to fight. Dolly climbs onto Willow's shoulder and reacts. "Not Vader again! Didn't we get done with him back on Artemis?" Holo-Vader begins using the Force to pick up some debris to throw at the Vault Guardians. Rinzler quickly gets back up and just in time to dodge Holo-Vader's attack. Rinzler starts shooting his Shadow Tracker at Holo-Vader, as he uses his Lightsaber to block all of Ableton's shots. CRZ-8 builds up some Purity, as he yells. "Taste epicness! Come, Lucky 8!" CRZ-8 summons his Talisman, as he begins to charge up a large pink 8-ball. CRZ-8 then throws the Lucky 8 at Holo-Vader, completely blasting him apart in the explosion. "That was a fine fight. I say that due to your skill. Not because I won." Rinzler yells out in anger to the ceiling. "C'mon! Give us a real challenge!" The Renzo Defense API floats down, as its eyes now turn red. It begins projecting the final opponent for the group to face. A holographic copy of The Herald appears, as Ableton reacts with fear. "Except her! Except her!" Holo-Herald goes into a large orb, as two Holo-Chrome Wolves manifest from the orb. Splode quickly bombs the two Holo-Chrome Wolves, as Holo-Herald gets out of her orb and shoots at the Vault Guardians with her EvoChrome Burst Rifle. As Holo-Herald begins reloading her rifle, Splode snipes her in the head with his Boom Sniper and blows her up. The Renzo Defense API floats down and speaks again. "Reinforcements depleted! Activating desperation attack!" The Renzo Defense API begins charging a deadly laser, as Thunder grabs one of Splode's Clingers and throws it at the machine, blowing up the Renzo Defense API. As the Renzo Defense API explodes, a part of the wall opens up, revealing another room behind it. The group enters the room, as there appears to be more Renzos held in pods. Renzo is seen at the end of the hall, as he speaks. "Intruders! You mess with my troops, you mess with me! The Unseen never surrenders!" Renzo stomps the floor and yells. "Deploy! Maintain Operation: Party All Night!" All the pods open up, as all the Renzos activate, ready to battle the Vault Guardians. Thunder faces Renzo and yells. "We don't have time for this!" Thunder then throws down an EMP grenade and shortcircuits all the Renzos activated by the real Renzo. Willow then walks towards Renzo and punches him in the face. "And that's for eerily looking like Able!" A symbol then appears above Renzo, as the Kevolution Artifact begins to react. The Kevolution Artifact's trial appears to be diving into rather... dark territory with the Unseen. Whatever the Unseen attempts to achieve with this trial must be figured out, along with where they have Evie. The first of four keys have been secured. Onto the rest of these keys.

Even though it was already the rainy season, the night of August 29th 2008 was hot and oppressive, much to the dismay of the firefighters working at Ho Chi Minh city District 12 fire department. On one hand, having to stay awake through the night in their stuffy office was an agonizing experience, and a cold rain would be a great relief. On the other hand, the fact there had been no rain worried them: summer, or dry season, in Vietnam was also known as the season of “Bà Hỏa” or “Madam Fire,” a time of building fires that could, and did, cause many unspeakable tragedies. They could only pray to Great Heaven that no fire would happen, a prayer they knew would go unanswered more often than not.
So nobody was surprised when they received a call at 8:25 PM. Passer-bys were reporting a fire in Trung Mỹ Tây ward, not far away from Highway 1A.
With haste the men rushed onto the scene, fully prepared to fight another fire.
What they were not prepared for, however, was to stumble upon one of the greatest, and forgotten, mysteries of Vietnam.
PART 1: The family
By all accounts, the family living at 46/5 Highway 1A, Trung Mỹ Tây district was weird to say the least.
The main character of interest was the patriarch of the family. At 83 years of age, Nguyễn Văn Cao was a complete enigma, and an annoying one at that. Friends and relatives would advise against doing anything to annoy him for he was known to be petulant. Neighbors too would say the same thing. His maternal granddaughter would point out, however, that he was a kind old man who had no grudge, and perhaps he was. But it was also equally likely that there were grudges she knew nothing about, or she simply did not want to speak ill of her old flesh and blood.
And to add further fuel into the gossip fire, he was an extreme introvert who actively tried to keep the world away from him. His house was a fortress, surrounded by not only a tall concrete wall but also a barbed-wire fence. Even by Vietnamese suburb standards, which is, in the best of time, a violent lawless place where killing, rape, robberies were as common as raw sewage on the street, his house was strangely fortified. If anybody wanted to reach out to him, they had to stand outside the house perimeter and yell as there was no door bell. He would only reply when he was in the mood and even then business would have to be conducted at the gate. Whenever he had to pay for utilities, he would come to the utility company himself. Not a single stranger was allowed to step onto his ground for whatever reasons and even his eldest son was explicitly prohibited from ever setting foot upon his land again for unknown reason. Neighbors, many of whom were his cousins, also tried to contact him but to no avail.
Then there was his family.
Cao married a certain Nguyễn Thị Kịch with whom he had five daughters and two sons. Of the seven, we have names and birth year for five of them: Nguyễn Ngọc Tươi (born in 1959), Nguyễn Ngọc Thanh (born in 1962), Nguyễn Ngọc Thạnh (born in 1964), Nguyễn Minh Quang (born in 1966), andNguyễn Ngọc Nhung (born in 1970). The other two were the eldest son Thắng and a young daughter by the name of Nguyễn Ngọc Anh.
What made this strange was that one respectable news article claimed that one of the children had died a decade before the incident, yet two of his children were still alive. So, did he have eight and one died, or was there some mistake?
Confused yet? If not, be ready to get even more confused.
On one hand, some newspaper articles claimed that the seven children lived in separate houses; other articles claimed that, usually, only two unmarried daughters and two maternal nephews lived with the old couple. Yet there were articles claiming that, with the exception of Thắng and Ngọc Anh, all five childrens lived with their parents. What’s more strange was that these five, for unknown reasons, decided to move in with their parents about a decade before the fire happened. There was also no mention of family or next of kins of these five, suggesting that none of the five who remained with Thắng ever married.
This was a major red flag: while Vietnamese society respects family and familial ties above all else, to live with your parents after you reach adulthood, let alone at 50 years old, was viewed as highly irregular. The fact that some did not get married also became a subject for gossip since being single in Vietnam was often stigmatized and characterized as being a homosexual which is still frowned upon in Vietnam up to this day, at least in the older generation. Their cryptic messages did not help alleviate their image: one of Cao's grandchild remembered how they would often make insidious remarks such as how “If one of us die, all of us will follow.”
But we are only getting started.
The family’s financial situation was just as unclear. The 45/6 house was a decrepit place, a 25-meter square house surrounded by overgrown lawn and next to a small pond where the family grew vegetables to sustain themselves. None of Cao’s five children who had moved in with him was recorded to have any jobs or business. To many, this was a sign that the family was in great financial difficulty, and some newspaper articles suggested this.
However, Cao’s maternal granddaughter claimed they were well-off. On one hand, Cao owned ten apartment rooms and rented them out for quite a hefty sum. It is unclear, however, if these are apartments or apartment complexes as the words “nhà trọ” could mean both. On the other hand, Cao’s house could be small, but it was built on a 1,000 meter square land plot, nearly the size of an Olympic swimming pool (at least one respectable article said it was actually 3,000 meter square). It was also a hot property: someone had asked to buy it for 25 billion Vietnam Dong or 2.2 million dollars in today’s money. Why he chose to willingly live such an austere lifestyle remains a mystery with no explanation.
PART 2: Anatomy of a fire
By August 2008, Cao was on his deathbed. With his demise creeping ever closer, his family began to prepare for his funeral. Two of his nephews, Nguyễn Đình Tài (born in 1976) and Nguyễn Ngọc Thành (born in 1987), had arrived to stay with their grandfather. As always, the family remained secretive: the last sighting of any members of the family was a few days before the fire. Nguyễn Văn Tốt, Cao’s cousin and neighbor, recalled seeing Tài and Thành gathering vegetables from the ponds until two or three days before the fire. Given the furtive nature of the family, he had thought nothing of it. There was no report of fighting or argument coming from Cao’s house, no visitors, no strangers in the neighborhood, no commotion, no nothing.
Then, came the night of August 29th 2008.
At 7:00 PM, Tốt reported seeing electrical lights coming out of Cao’s house. At 8:00 PM, Tốt was alarmed by sounds of explosion. He ran out of his house to find smoke billowing from Cao’s house. The flame was so large, travelers on the nearby Quang Trung bridge could see the fire. At 8:30 PM, the fire department was called but by then it was too late. When they arrived on the scene, they had to get over the two layers of wall only to be confronted by the blazing inferno. The heat was too intense, the smog too great, and the house too heavily reinforced. It took them a great amount of time just to break down the locked doors. By then, all nine were dead.
PART 3: The deaths tell no tales
When firefighters managed to put the fire under control, they were greeted with a sight as horrible as it was mystifying.
Nine bodies were found in the same room, stacked with their earthly belongings and doused in gasoline. Some newspapers reported that the bodies were lying in perfectly straight posture while others claimed they were lying on top of each other, even hugging each other. Every entrance and exits were locked from the inside and there was no sign of anybody attempting to exit nor was there any sign of resistance.
Or, was there?
When forensic examined the bodies, they noticed that two of Cao’s children, Nguyễn Ngọc Thạnh and Nguyễn Ngọc Nhung, had their hands tied up while Nguyễn Ngọc Thành had his feet tied up. No mark could be found on the other bodies, but one could not discount the fact that the intense heat could have burned off all the marks. There were no signs of food in their bodies, suggesting that they had not eaten for at least a few days. No mentions of drugs or other external injury was mentioned in the forensic reports.
Without any proofs or evidence, the police suspected that this was a mass suicide and the case was “solved.”
Or was it?
PART 4: What happened ?
Until this day, there was no satisfactory answer to what had happened on that night.
The official reason is that this was a suicide, but this was not deduced from fact but rather a lack of fact: because there was no evidence saying otherwise, the police treated it as a suicide. As time passed, the story went from a group suicide into a “cultish mass suicide,” similar to what we saw at Jonestown or Heaven’s gate.
As you can see, this line of thinking does not please everyone.
For one thing, there was no proof of cultish or religious activity. Both of Cao’s surviving children and their descendants were adamant that their relatives were in no way, shape, or form involved with a cult. There was no religious iconography on the site nor were there any reports of the reclusive family member admitting any strange person or going out to meet such a person. Sure, they were weird, but that did not mean they were part of a cult. And given how extensive the Vietnamese security network is, and how seriously they take the issue of religion, any cult popping up, no matter how small, will soon attract the attention of the dreaded A02 bureau of Department of Public Security, also known as “Bureau of Religious Security.” To give you an idea of how deep this system is: if you want to be a monk at a small temple, not even a pagoda, you have to be vetted by A02. There was little chance of a cult forming in Cao’s house without everybody knowing.
Even if this is suicide, the question remains: why ? Again, those close to the family did not notice that the family had any tensions grave enough to commit suicide. There were no monetary difficulties nor family disputes and even if there was a family dispute it could have been resolved by the other party moving out of the house. Even then, it would be hard to persuade not one, but nine people to go along with such suicide, and of the nine who died were two of Cao’s grandchildren. Two grown men who had their parents waiting back home, who had no reasons to listen to their grandparents and aunts and uncles. The facts at least three people were tied up and Cao's having split up his wealth to his children and grandchildren, include the dead ones, discredited this theory even further. Would someone about to kill himself and his whole family split up his inheritance for those who he knew would die with him?
This had led many to believe foul play was involved. Again, like the suicide theory, the foul play theory depended more on the lack of evidence than the availability of evidence.
First of all, the positions and postures of the bodies raised many questions: how could one remain perfectly still as fire burned around them ? Very few could lie idyllic as fire burned around them with the most famous being the monk Thích Quảng Đức who burned himself alive to protest Ngô Đình Diệm’s persecution of Buddhist back in the Vietnam war. The idea of the family using sleeping pills had been raised, but it was never clear if the forensics staff looked at this aspect.
We should not forget that the victims all show signed of starvation, not eating anything for at least three days. Why was this? Why did they have to starve themselves? Were they tied up, left to starve by some unknown assailants, perhaps as a form of torture?
On the topic of forensic, the rope mark raised concern: were the victims tied up ? Could it be the case of some of the family members refused to go along with the plan and were tied up by their family? Was the whole family tied up by their attackers and the rope marks on others were unidentifiable due to the intense fire ? This theory failed to hold any water: we are talking about a nine-person household, of which there were four fit adult male and three fit adult females. It would take a very large group of assailants to overpower them, to tie them up, to burn down the house, all without leaving any traces of resistances.
Then there was the fire.
If you recall, Tốt first saw the fire at 8:00 PM. Yet the first recorded call to the fire department was reported to be at 8:25 PM. Why did nobody call the fire department within that half an hour? Some would say the locals could have tried to reach Cao first but this was not the case: remember, the house was a fortress, inaccessible to anybody. There were no records of anyone trying to go in either. So, why the gap?
Why did the fire station not notice the fire? The fire station was a mere 150 meter away from the fire; meanwhile, the Quang Trung bridge was at least thrice the distance. Why did it take half an hour for the firefighters to know about the fire?
And to round it off, there was the explosion.
While it was noted that the room was covered in gasoline, it was not mentioned how the gasoline managed to be set alight or by whom. Then there was the explosion, heard by Tốt at about 8:00 PM. While some said the explosion could be the sound of the gasoline going up, I must kindly disagree: remember, the house was small but situated in a very large plot of land. It had to be a very large fireball to cause enough noise for someone living outside the perimeter to hear it.
So, assuming there was indeed foul play, what would be the motive to kill everyone inside ?
Land.
For foreign readers, it would be strange that someone would kill each other over a piece of land. But such crime is extremely common and extremely violent in Vietnam. Here’s one case.

In October 2019, due to tension over a piece of land less than 10-meter square, Nguyễn Văn Đông took a machete and killed his brother’s family. In a span of half an hour, he killed four people and permanently maimed another. What makes his crime extremely heinous was that one of his victims was a one year old child by the name of My. When Đông arrived, My’s mother held her and tried to hide in a room. Đông dragged both the mother and child out, cut up the child in front of her mother, then slashed her mother. Both mother and child died on scene . Đông was sentenced to death

So what do I bring this up?
Land in Vietnam is a lot of money, thanks to the real estate bubble. Some farmers became millionaires overnight because their land price shot up by 20 times within one week.
Cao could very well be one of those millionaires.
According to some articles, before his deaths there had been real estate agents looking to buy his land. The price was 25 billion VND which, in today's dollars, is about 2 million USD. A sum to die for.
But Cao, expectedly, refused to sell. He instead split up the land among his children, although it was unclear if all seven children were given land or just the five who had stayed with him.
Perhaps he had turned down an offer he could not refuse.
The land sector in Vietnam is heavily influenced by the mafia and their master the government. Gangsters had been known to terrorize locals into selling their land with stories of how they were willing to kill anyone daring to stand against them. The government is one step above that, not shying away from using police and army to forcefully take lands away from the people. In 2012, the army and police were sent to Tiên Lãng, Hải Phòng to forcefully seize the land of Đoàn Văn Vươn, leading to a shootout that led to 6 wounded police and military personnel. In 2017 the army and police were again sent to Đồng Tâm to seize the land away from the population. When the population refused to give up their land and arrested some police, the government relented. They would come back three years later in the dead of night, executing the leader of the protest in Đồng Tâm on the spot while claiming “self-defense” after the people of Đồng Tâm “killed three police officers”. The evidence for their claim was sketchy at best.
Perhaps that was Cao’s case: some power that be, tired of Cao’s stubbornness, decided his whole family had to go. And they did so in a brutal manner. Given the resources of the government, it would not be surprised that they could muster a large group of professional thugs to deal with a nine-person family cleanly and cleaned up whatever was left.
But there is one major issue: if such power decided to act, why did they not sweep in after Cao’s death to take up the land ? Why let his surviving children live in it ?
And this led us to the second suspect: the two surviving children.
From what little we could gather, the two children’s relationship with Cao was strained at best. As mentioned above, the eldest son got into a heated argument with Cao and had to move out of the house. Perhaps this tension, long with the fact that a lot of money was involved, motivated them to do so.
However, this theory also had its flaws. The eldest son never took any steps to claim the house. The house was passed down to Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh, Nguyễn Ngọc Anh’s daughter, who lived in the house with her husband. Despite many potential buyers, they had never planned to sell the house or the lands, wishing to use it as a place to worship the dead. Some took this as a sign of their innocence; some thought of it as a ploy. Afterall, Cao owned ten apartments and no news could be found regarding these ten apartments. Perhaps, the children, having killed their own family, decided to play it smart: they kept the land and played the role of the grieving children while secretly taking over the ten apartments. Again, this is just a theory: there is simply too few reliable news to either confirm or deny such accusations.
PART 5: The end?
Fifteen years had passed since that fateful August night; to this day, the fire had been relegated to the dusty archive of history, drowned out by the many many brutal and unsolved crimes popping up every day in Vietnam. The conclusion was final: it was a mass suicide with cultish trait. To many, this is the closure they need, an explanation that they can live with and move on.
But, is this truly the case?
Perhaps, we will never know.
Source
[1] https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/khu-dat-cua-gia-dinh-9-nguoi-chet-chay-tung-duoc-tra-gia-25-ty-1220235601.htm
[2] https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/loi-don-ve-ngoi-nha-9-nguoi-chet-vi-tu-thieu-5-nam-truoc-a116621.html
[3] https://vnexpress.net/co-tieng-no-lon-phat-ra-tu-nha-9-nguoi-chet-chay-2118124.html
[4] https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-trong-nuoc/9-nguoi-trong-mot-gia-dinh-chet-day-bi-an-237443.htm
[5] https://tuoitredoisong.net/chuyen-la/ghi-chep-tai-ngoi-nha-tung-co-9-nguoi-tu-tu-tap-the-o-sai-gon-40722
Shameless self promotion
In the next episode of "The mysteries of Vietnam": Did the Vice minister of the Ministry of Education slipped and fell? Or did someone push him to his death.

>**What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.**
* I will use it for a mixture of gaming and productivity as I am a college student majoring in IT. I want to be able to play Control, Borderlands 3, Dishonoreds, Fallout 4, The Division. I have a plethora of games I can't play or run digustingly.
>**What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?**
* My maximum budget is 1800 but I would prefer to go lower.
>**When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.**
* I plan on building it within the month.
>**What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc\)**
* I already have a set-up connected to my dell XPS. So I have every peripheral I just need the PC.
>**Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?**
* I live in the US but there is no reasonable Microcenter nearby.
>**If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.**
* I have a razer mouse, keyboard and pad I bought in a bundle from Costco. I have a MSI 165 hertz monitor.
>**Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?**
* I would be open to overclocking down the line but I need something functioning now.
>**Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)**
* I need storage but I can always get more down the line.
>**Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?**
* I don't need any eccentric colors. Black is fine. We can do away with RGB.
>**Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?**
* I need to run Virtual Machine so whatever version of windows is required.

Went to Costco today in PA and they only had choice beef. Everywhere. No prime in sight.
I asked the butcher and he said they stopped carrying prime briskets.
Anyone know what’s up with that? He didn’t seem to know why.
I called around to other nearby costcos and it’s the same deal.
Just curious if anyone heard any thing.

I just wanted to say, this area is awesome. I moved to Seaside last week and am falling in love with this place. Maybe it’s because I just got out of the military and spent the last 4+ years in central Texas and am no longer getting tornado warnings and sweating constantly, but either way I am enjoying the cool weather, freedom and amenities. Also, everything I need is within a 5-15 minute drive. I’ll never take having a Costco nearby for granted again.

Costco Travel booked us at Hotel Ariston in Rome Italy. Does anyone have any experiences at this hotel or nearby they’d share? I’m reading not to stay near the train station, and this hotel seems near the train station.
Thanks!

So a few months ago I could punch up a location in Google Maps, hit the "Nearby" button, search for something like "Costco" or "school" and then hover my cursor over each result on the left and the map would update right away with the route, distance, and time for each result as a destination from the original location. It was great for house hunting research. Lately, I still get the results on the left but I get nothing when I hover over them; it's no different from just doing your search over an area with nothing selected, making the "Nearby" button useless. Is this another victim of Google's habit of killing useful products and features without any announcement or explanation? If not, how do I get it back?

I understand not everyone is nearby a business Costco location but business Costco sells muffins individually. At least, at my local business Costco. Honestly, it’s a fresh breathe of air occasionally going to a business Costco. You find so many new delicious items you don’t get at your normal Costco. If you have the opportunity, I would highly suggest checking it out. Yes, your Costco membership works at business Costco!

I am a European, we moved to a place (USA) where there is a nearby CostCo and I am considering to join.
I have a few rather basic questions, any help will be appreciated:
- is it possible to simply visit the warehouse without being a member, i.e. entry into the warehouse is for members only? (We just want to see what we can expect)
- is it possible to get membership in the warehouse or do we have to "register" on the website? The nearby CostCo has a Membership department listed under Departments and Specialty Items.
- if I can join in the warehouse and my wife is not with me at that time, can we reqest a card for her later?
​
Anything in particular we should be aware of or look out for?
​
Thank you for any advice!

I wasn't going to post something like this until my "go f*** myself" post in a few years, but I have come to actually enjoy my job the last year, which was something I didn't think was possible after making the decision to work in investment banking / private equity. Now that I am starting to see this more as a journey and not just surviving until the end, I am writing this to take inventory of our progress to date, explain the career path for those interested, and hopefully motivate others pursuing the same path. Using a throwaway account for obvious reasons.
Disclaimer upfront that, based on my experience in this community, posts like this tend to draw snarky remarks, but hopefully some will see the value in the thinking / learnings shared. Feel free to skip past the numbers to the end of the post to the (hopefully) helpful / interesting parts. The PE industry is very opaque in terms of pay and career progression.
​
Background
I am 28M, and my wife is 28F. DINK. We met in freshmen year of college and got married in 2018. We both come from first-generation, lower-middle class immigrant families who instilled into us the value of hard work and financial stability. For me particularly, I always knew I wanted to pursue FIRE, even in high school -- I just didn't know there was a term for it back then. With support from our families and financial aid, we were both able to graduate debt-free. And I was fortunate to have found a partner who shares the FIRE mindset. Luck played a huge part in this part of our FIRE journey.
​
Our Jobs
I worked my way up the traditional investment banking (IB) to private equity (PE) route, and am at the upper-middle level at a large PE firm. For those unfamiliar, typically people do two years in IB (advising companies on things like M&A) with the goal of breaking into PE (buying / selling entire companies) or hedge funds (buying / selling shares of companies in the public markets).
My wife is a product manager at a tech firm. She has historically worked at start-ups; I always joked I was the steady income and she was the call option to the upside with her start-up equity. However, none of her start-ups hit. She is now working at one of the more established tech companies with less moonshot equity upside and higher guaranteed pay.
​
PE Pay Description & Our Income Progression
The majority of IB / PE pay comes in the form of a year-end bonus that is 100-200% of base pay; the payout is usually guaranteed, just the amount might fluctuate slightly. Also, as you move up in PE, you start earning carry. Carry is essentially a share of the fund profits. Funds usually charge 20% carry on excess profits above a 1x returns hurdle, so a $20B PE fund (which typically targets 2x returns) would generate $20B of excess profits, of which 20%, or $4B of carry, is split among the carry pool. If you are allocated 2 points out of the 2,000 point pool (i.e., the 20% in percentage points), you should expect $4MM over the 5-7 year life of the fund if the fund hits target performance, and if your firm is investing out of multiple funds (i.e., fund life overlapping), the $4MM is multiplied by the number of funds you have carry in. Carry is also taxed at capital gains rate (for now).
Hopefully the primer above is useful / interesting to those not in the field. Obviously, huge earnings potential if you work at a large PE firm deploying multiple large funds.
Anyway, our pre-tax income progression below. Note: "Pay" includes the year-end bonus, and "Equity" and "Carry" only reflect the values (at issue) vested in that year.

Year / Age	My Pay	Wife's Pay	Equity	Total Pay	Carry*	Total
2016 / 22**	$100K	[$90K]	--	$100K	--	$100K
2017 / 23**	$170K	[$100K]	--	$170K	--	$170K
2018 / 24	$340K	$115K	--	$455K	--	$455K
2019 / 25	$400K	$130K	--	$530K	--	$530K
2020 / 26	$525K	$140K	$25K	$690K	--	$690K
2021 / 27	$850K	$140K	$70K	$1,060K	--	$1,060K
2022 / 28	$680K	$160K	$130K	$970K	$500K*	$1,470K
2023E / 29	$750K	$170K	$180K	$1,100K	$1,500K*	$2,600K

\ Not guaranteed and assumes funds achieve target 2x returns* \* EDIT: Total excludes my wife's pay, to be comparable to the net worth table*
​
Monthly Earnings / Spending
While we make a decent amount a lot (EDIT: feels weird saying it, but comment section makes a good point), I try to move as much of our earnings as I can automatically to retirements / savings accounts. I find that doing this instills more spending discipline... though we are not immune to lifestyle creep primarily for our home and car. I think we are generally frugal (or at least not extravagant) in most of the other common categories of spend, e.g., 80% of my non-work closet is still free tech swag from college, and we bulk cook and meal prep every week with Costco.
Breakdown of our current monthly after-tax income and spending below. Note that we also try to save all of my year-end bonus mentioned previously ($90K in 2017 up to $525K in 2022, pre-tax), which is not included in the below.

After-Tax Monthly Paycheck (Excl. Bonus)	$28,600
(+) Rental Income	$2,100
(-) Max 401Ks (one Mega Backdoor)	($7,400)
(-) Max IRAs	($1,100)
(-) Max HSAs	($650)
(-) Max ESPP	($2,100)
Take Home Paycheck	$19,450
(-) Primary Mortgage Interest	($2,700)
(-) Investment Mortgage Interest	($800)
(-) Auto Payment	($1,250)
(-) Groceries + Restaurants	($1,000)
(-) Utilities + Phone + Internet	($550)
(-) Gasoline	($100)
(-) Pet Grooming	($100)
(-) House Cleaning	($200)
(-) Accrued Total Insurance + Property Tax	($2,000)
(-) Discretionary (E.g., Tech, Entertainment)	($2,000)
Retained Take Home Pay	$8,750
Total Savings (Incl. Automatic Deductions)	$20,000

Net Worth Progression
I have used Personal Capital since 2017; highly recommend to those not already using it. But I have never looked at our progression the below way before, so this exercise has been helpful for me. Not going to spend too much time explaining various accounts / trends, but I am happy to answer any questions.
​

Year / Age	Retirement	529	HSA	Taxable	Home	Net Worth
2016 / 22*	$24K	--	$4K	$17K	--	$45K
2017 / 23*	$56K	$9K	$9K	$35K	--	$109K
2018 / 24	$104K	$68K	$22K	$162K	--	$356K
2019 / 25	$182K	$125K	$29K	$468K	--	$803K
2020 / 26	$290K	$231K	$36K	$592K	--	$1,149K
2021 / 27	$469K	$337K	$44K	$897K	$242K	$1,989K
2022 / 28	$413K	$289K	$46K	$1,164K	$260K	$2,171K
Today	$548K	$313K	$49K	$1,105K	$266K	$2,281K

\ Excludes my wife's accounts pre-marriage*
​
Overview and Thoughts On IB / PE Career Path
These next few sections are what I really wanted to write. I went into PE very deliberately. My life philosophy has always been: work hard while you are young, so you don't have to work harder when you are old. I knew this path was going to be hell, but I knew I would push myself to persevere through it. This part is very important, because as you can see in the income progression, the pay increases significantly as you move up, but the pain that drives most people to quit is in the first 2-4 years. As a result, if you decide to go down the IB / PE path, make sure you have the grit to stick around -- otherwise you are bearing most of the pain without participating in most of the financial upside.
The IB / PE career path is not for everyone, and it is far from "easy money". The work-life balance is better for those starting out now, but when I started as an Analyst (and this was worse before I started), a good week is 80 hours, and I probably worked 90-110 hour weeks 50% of the time -- granted I worked at a firm typically considered to be a "sweatshop" but had great name recognition. The work you do in those first two years in IB is also very demotivating. Often you would pull all-nighters putting together long presentations that are ultimately not used or skimmed through very quickly. This can very quickly turn you cynical -- that nothing you do really matters. And the job is very unpredictable. Your weekend can look completely different on a Friday with no heads up, which really strains relationships with other people; my wife and I were doing long-distance back then, and there were times she would fly to visit me only to hang out by herself the whole weekend. I would say these are the main reasons many people quit these first two years: (i) the time demand, (ii) the lack of a feeling of purpose, and (iii) the unpredictability, day in and day out 7 days a week for two full years. Depending on where you work, and just like at every other job, there can be a (iv) -- the people you work with are a**holes, and this is especially true in IB.
If you have survived and are good at your job, you usually pivot after your traditional 2-year Analyst stint to PE / HF (though some people choose to stay in IB for reasons unknown to me). I will focus on PE since that was the path I chose. PE looks to buy entire companies (vs. shares of companies in the public markets) with the help of debt financing, hence the term leveraged buyouts, or LBOs, analogous to buying a house with a mortgage. As a PE Associate, instead of making presentations and running analyses like in IB to convince clients to, say, buy a company, you do the same but for your internal committee to decide whether to buy that company. There is just inherently less BS work because in IB, you are constantly pitching clients hoping that one idea sticks, whereas in PE, you are the client and can be more selective with what opportunities you spend your time on; because now your job is to make investments, theoretically, you should very quickly drop any ideas not worth pursuing. I say "theoretically" because nowadays, there is a lot of money chasing not as many deals, so depending on where you work, there could be a lot of BS work to chase opportunities that have a low chance of success.
I would say that being an Associate in PE is less physical pain than in IB, but more demanding in other ways. In IB, what you do is inconsequential. You are mainly just making pretty slides and running made-up numbers to show people, if they pay attention to them at all. In PE however, your analyses go towards justifying multibillion dollar acquisitions, and if you make a mistake, there could be multimillion dollar consequences. This creates a different level of stress, more on a mental vs. a physical level. And during crunch time, you do end up working more than in IB to minimize making any mistakes / missing something important. Ultimately though, the PE Associate job is relatively more interesting and intellectual, and gives a higher sense of "purpose". Though the latter is very luck based given the low hit rate in PE; some Associates can go years without closing one transaction, and that can be very demotivating.
Moving up from Associate to VP / Principal takes a lot of skill and luck. Now, instead of crunching the numbers and putting together the presentations, you are running the deal process. The cliché analogy is a quarterback, with your Associate being just one member of the team and groups of lawyers, accountants, consultants, etc. making up the rest. The job description now shifts from doing what you are told to telling people what to do to execute a transaction -- buying an entire company is as complex and has as many moving parts as you would imagine. In addition, you also need to make sure: (i) you build a good rapport with management teams so they are willing to sell to you, (ii) you pay the right price for the company and don't miss any red flags in diligence, (iii) you can convince banks to give you money to finance the transaction, (iv) you can convince your internal committee to approve the deal, etc. Again, less physical pain since you are more detached from the actual work creation, but significantly higher mental strain as you need to constantly think through what needs to be done when and by whom, and if anything goes wrong with the deal process, it is usually your fault. Most importantly in my opinion, it is such a different job that it can create a lot of self-doubt, especially in Associates who are used to being top of their class in the prior skillsets that got them the promotion in the first place.
This is where I tie it back to the beginning when I said I am starting to like my job. I truly, truly hated my job the last six years for all the reasons identified above, and only forced myself to do it to participate in the financial upside; I have thought about quitting too many times to count. The plan was always to retire by 30 with $5MM saved and pursue coastFIRE with my wife continuing to work (she really, really loves her job). However, I had a couple experiences the past year that mainly proved to myself that I am actually OK at my current role. Being the compulsive overthinker and organizer that I am, I have also come to like -- and dare I say love -- the project management side of the job; and as an extroverted introvert, I also embrace the "softer" side of the work, in moderation. I am distracted all the time now, thinking about how to frame the investment pitch, how to present myself to management, the analyses to highlight key diligence findings, the timing of all the work products to hit various deadlines, etc. -- and I love it, much to the annoyance of my wife when she is trying to talk to me at dinner. The public presenting and high consequences of the job still stress me out sometimes, but I now reframe these as opportunities to develop life skills that are useful beyond this job.
A natural question to end this section is: why go through all that pain if you can make the same or more with tech start-ups. That is a fair point. But the variance in outcomes was something I could not live with for myself and for my parents -- I wanted to make sure there was a high probability of our families living comfortable lives, and would gladly give up the (small) chance that we become mega-millionaires and the better work-life balance; the finance career path requires less luck to generate significant wealth and puts more control into your own hands in terms of working hard, networking, and grinding it out. Ultimately it is up to your risk profile: a more guaranteed path to an upper-middle class lifestyle or a moonshot at true FU money. Also, I know I am not smart enough to be one of the top engineers nor am I extroverted enough to go into sales, for example, but I have a good mix of both which is what you need to succeed in finance -- again, with less luck involved.
Next Steps
As I mentioned previously, I was adamant about quitting when I hit 30 and almost went as far as setting up a countdown clock for it. Now, instead of counting down the seconds to that day, I look at it more as a journey -- I may ride a bit longer or I might not, but how I feel about my job is less of a consideration now. I made a pact with my wife when I first started in 2016 that I will quit finance before we have kids, and I still believe in that; finance is a horrible industry to be a parent in after knowing many people who missed out on their kids formative years.
Despite knowing I will leave the industry one day, something I have struggled with and know will be an issue, especially given this change in sentiment, is when to walk away. I.e., "one more year syndrome", but with "one more year" netting $3MM+. Being risk averse, I like the thought of building a larger buffer for unexpected events, especially during my peak earning years. E.g., if I coastFIRE at a more relaxed corporate job earning $200K, it would take 10+ years excl. compounded growth to equal each year I stay in PE. This is still something I am working through and preparing myself for mentally. The framework I have come up with so far is to not focus on the absolute $ earnings of "one more year", but the incremental % it adds to our net worth. I.e., hopefully by the time I leave, we will have saved up $5-10MM, so "one more year" would only add ~20% to our net worth after-tax.
​
Concluding Remarks
Hopefully the numbers didn't turn people away from the thoughts I had on the IB / PE career path, which were really what I wanted to share. I see a lot of people defaulting to saying high earners -- particularly in finance in this case -- should have their FIRE journey discounted because they "have it easy" with their high earnings. Hopefully, people have a better sense of what "finance" actually does now, and the physical and mental (and relationship) strain involved in pursuing this career path. No question there is a lot of luck involved in making it to where I am today, but if you have a clear plan, the grit to grind it out, and the smarts (or at least the EQ to come off as competent), PE is a relatively high probability, generally accessible* path to get to an upper-middle class lifestyle quickly. (\ firms are starting to hire more from non-target schools now, and you just need to put more work into networking)*
I don't think I am necessarily at the life stage to give out advice, but if I had to, personally, I think the saying "find a job that you are passionate about" right out of school (EDIT) is a scam -- especially if you are pursuing FIRE. Very few people are lucky enough to find a job they are truly passionate about that also pays well. My view is to find something you are good at that pays well, then suck it up and work hard to become great at it. You might come to like it as you prove to yourself and others that you are good at what you do. And worst case, you FIRE earlier so you can go do what you are truly passionate about.

I was originally planning to get the portable Honda that everyone loves
However, Generac has some much bigger ones at Costco for the same price. Any reason not to go for the Generac?
My wife and I both work from home & our needs are small.. mainly to get the internet working. But may hook up the fridge for extended outages. Though with the Generac, it leaves the option to do the whole transfer switch option down the line

• Honda 2200W = $1200
• Generac 9200W = $1000

Other suggestions / perspectives welcome

April 6: Put in another order, just like any other that I'd been making for the past two years. Order gets cancelled, account locked.
April 7: Received a Verify Account email. Clicked the link, it just bounces me back to the instacart.com/help without actually processing it. Tried changing password, nada.
Tried to call Instacart support, but you have to be a senior; otherwise you have to log in to get to support. Called anyway, pressed 2 for "not a senior."
Account locked and not a senior? Piss off!
Got connected with a call center. They sent out an email with a link to a form where I enter my email address and government ID. I do that. Submit button does nothing. Tried several browsers, Incognito, VPN, everything.
Replied to their email saying it doesn't work. The email says "Please type your reply above this line," which suggests it's an attended address (through their support desk software, no doubt). No reply.
Checked instacart to see if anyone's having similar issues. Most of the time, there's someone suggesting that you try talking to them on Twitter. Bad idea. DMs simply get ignored, and you just get spammed by a dozen bots proposing to help you get random accounts un-hacked if you @ them. DO NOT FOLLOW ADVICE TO @ TWEET INSTACART. YOU WILL BE SPAMMED.
April 10: Called again. Was held on the line for about half an hour, then told to make a new account. No explanation. Made a new account.
Today, May 17: After using Instacart for about the third time on the same address, this time on a credit card, new email address/account, buying more or less the same stuff (broccoli eggs, blueberries, grapes, meat and eggs for the doggos, from Costco -- about $120 worth), my order gets cancelled and I get the familiar Verify Email Address email again. I simultaneously get a "suspicious activity on your card" (what card?? I used PayPal on that account) email from my old email address. I click Verify Account again, and again, nothing happens. Account is locked yet again.
I call them on their senior support line again. This time they escalate the case (they didn't last time??) and say they'll get back in a day. We'll see if they do or not.
I'm a senior software dev. I know my way around security. I never share my passwords or even email addresses these days between services, so unless my master password's been hacked, there's basically no chance this is on me -- and all my other stuff is fine. It's just Instacart with their myriad bugs and complete dismissal of anyone who runs into any issues whatsoever.
To make matters worse, my mom's area is being developed and gentrified and skyscraper condo'd to hell and back, and the only shops nearby that can afford the skyrocketing property taxes is a Safeway and a Walmart. Most other things have closed shop even prior to Covid. And public transit is comical. It's become virtually impossible to get any decent shopping in without driving a fair distance.
I thought food lines caused by bad logistics was Soviet era shit, not 2023 Canada. We live in a steampunk dystopian hellscape.

Just saw a post from a week or so ago asking about storing fuel inside a box truck. Dont do it kids, here is why.
Gasoline is a type of organic compound that is highly volatile (explodes or is igniteded easily) and always generates vapor due to its specific blending process. This unique characteristic enables it to ignite within a vehicle's engine, even in sub-zero temperatures. So regardless of what the temperature is, your gasoline is always off-gassing. The heat of being inside a trailer only makes it off-gas even more.
So when you have even a 5 gallon container, that has all the certifications from the EPA and everything, it is still going to emit gasoline vapor, which will accumulate inside your box truck or trailer. If there is an ignition source (spark from the slide on the overhead door, someone smoking, nearby firepit, etc) when you open said confined space, there is room for catastrophe.
This video shows pretty well how gasoline vapor behaves. Remember, the explosion (no gore in the video, but illustrates the point well) was not from the liquid gasoline, rather the vapor from the gasoline off-gassing and expanding to fill the open space. When you confine those vapors to a truck or trailer that has a decent volume, the opportunity for disaster increases exponentially.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln1FNbHAotI
Have fun out there, and if you have to use gasoline to accelerate a bonfire, use roman candles from a distance to light it. Diesel fuel is the much better option here.