Blog about Art, Poetry and Prose

Blog about Art, Poetry and Prose

Friday, February 28, 2020

Coronavirus: How China is keeping busy during quarantine


With millions of people across China under lockdown, businesses across the country are trying to come up with ways to keep their customers occupied and connected.

In Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, at least 56 million people remain under strict instruction to remain inside their residential communities and villages. At one point, around 500 million people were said to be affected by movement restrictions to contain the virus.

Many people have turned to the internet as one way to cure their boredom.

According to The Paper, searches for the word "boring" on social media site Weibo grew by 626% on 26 January and topics such as "how to spend time at home when bored" also started to trend on the website.

Entrepreneurs began to realise there were ways of keeping in touch with their customers. Here are a few of the methods being used in China right now.

Workout videos at home

Gyms across China have been forced to close amid fears that they could help spread the virus. A number of gyms have started classes online so their customers can keep fit from home.

Lauren Hogan, General Manager for F45 in Shanghai, told the BBC that her gyms are offering workout sessions on WeChat, a popular messaging app in China.

"Every day my trainers have created a circuit-based workout depending on our programming. They've created a sheet of exercises and they are recording videos, but having fun with it too."

Ms Hogan said there are groups in WeChat for customers where they can write in and tell other people they have completed the day's exercise.

We also did a plank challenge and they had to tag someone in the group to take part," she added.

She said the videos have helped people talk and know that there is a resource for them, and customers have been appreciative.

"We've had personal thank you messages and also messages in the group chats. People are happy and grateful that we're taking the time to do it and show that we care. When you're stuck in your house, it turns into very long days and having someone else to talk to helps."

Other chains are following suit including Gravity Plus in Beijing. Aside from running online classes, it has also rented out gym equipment as an extra way of bringing in income, Reuters news agency reports.

Clubbing from your living room

With nightclubs closed and music events cancelled for the foreseeable future, a number of DJs and clubs in China are turning to "cloud clubbing".

Cloud clubbing is where people can watch live DJ sets and send in messages to give them the feeling that they're in a club. The cloud clubbing events usually take place on apps such as Douyin, China's TikTok.

TAXX Shanghai is one club that has taken advantage on the demand for "cloud clubbing sessions".

Ruan Liangliang, manager of TAXX Shanghai told Sixth Tone: "Recently many of our friends and customers have said they are bored with their indoor lives. So we planned a live broadcast to share pleasant music and ease their anxiety. "

He told the website he was surprised at the positive feedback from those who took part. However despite earning about $104,000 (£80,000) in tips, he says it is not enough to cover the rent.


Strawberry Music Festival, an indie music festival that has been hosted in several Chinese cities, put on its own indoor music festival named "Hi, I am also at home".

The festival was held for five days and featured shows from many musical acts. The shows were pre-recorded, however viewers were able to discuss the music together in the comments section as if they were watching a show together.

Bookshop groups and book lists

Bookshops have also had to think of new ways of reaching customers, a double blow to an industry that is already competing against online shops.

Chengdu Fang Suo Bookstore is located in the trendy Taikoo Li shopping centre in the city. One bookseller who gave their name as Jin Jin told local media that it usually brings in customers with its scenery and displays however it has turned to Wechat to help bring in any revenue.

Shop workers made their own lists in WeChat groups including "selected books of the year" and the "recommended reading list of Fang Suo house". Customers could then order the books via their online store.

Elsewhere in China, 1200 Bookstore in Guangzhou, a 24-hour shop, has been selling gift cards, tote bags and "blind gift packages" as a way to bring in income.

In a post written on social media, the store's owner warned its customers that it might not be long before 1200 Bookstore would have to shut permanently. He was inundated with supportive messages from followers

Copyright © 2020 BBC.



Thursday, February 20, 2020

7 Ways People Will Hold You Back--If You Let Them


Don't allow anyone to make you feel less than you are.

Think about the people you've encountered throughout your professional life. There's probably a range, with some who have gone out of their way to help you learn and grow, others who may have helped a bit when it wasn't too much trouble, and perhaps a few who seemed to actively be working to hold you back.

If you're working with someone in that last group, it's important to respond to their actions in a way that helps you get the best out of yourself and others instead of reacting to their negativity.

Here are seven of the most toxic weapons ways these people wield, with strategies to overcome them. With a little help, you can overcome anyone who's trying to stand in the way of your success.

1. They make you doubt yourself.
Don't allow someone else's doubts about you to turn into your own. If you find yourself doubting yourself because of something someone said or did, remember how far you have come and how strong you have grown. Whatever you believe about yourself is what you will manifest in your actions. Believe unwaveringly in yourself and others will have no choice but to believe in you too.

2. They keep reminding you of your faults.
If others find fault in you, you can consider their criticism objectively and then move on. If it's valid, you can let it help motivate you to learn more, know more and be more. And if not, you can ignore it. But never allow it to become a reason to get stuck or play small.

3. They are constantly criticizing your ideas.
Some people almost can't help responding to any new idea with negativity. But even unworkable ideas often have elements that are worth preserving or that lead to something that does work. Find others who can help you explore new ideas in a spirit of discovery and invention.

4. They discount your strengths.
The best way to combat someone who tries to undermine your strengths is simply to know yourself. When you have a clear sense of your own strengths and weaknesses, you're well situated to ignore the uninformed opinions of others.

5. They minimize your contributions.
Often when people minimize the contributions of others, it's because they're trying to take more than their share of the credit. Lead by example--give credit to others ahead of yourself, knowing that shining a light on another's efforts does nothing to take away from your own. Meanwhile, continue to do great work.

6. They try to make you feel unimportant.
The first thing you have to get past when someone puts you down is this: it hurts. So feel what you're feeling. Allow the pain to make you stronger, the fear to make you braver, and the heartbreak to make you wiser. Then go invest in the opinions of others who know better.

7. They want you to think you have no options.
Negative people sometimes enjoy backing others into an imaginary corner, maybe to make up for their own feelings of being trapped. But of course, the truth is that life is full of alternatives and choices. Simply choose to live your best life, every day, no matter what the options before you may be. Even if you don't have a choice about doing something, you always have a choice about how you do it and what you learn from it.

The bottom line is this: Don't take to heart the negativity of others. Remember that it has more to do with their own situation than with you. Stay tough and know what you're worth.

By Lolly Daska
https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/7-ways-people-will-hold-you-back-if-you-let-them.html

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

THE THINGS OF LIFE

When there are good tidings
Favor comes your way
But be kind and delightful
Life is not always reassuring

Dew makes the morning repose
Sunshine wears the day a smile
This may all seems beautiful
When the rain is upon your life

Too many times we think life is made of roses
And look down on the other man
The moment hard-luck falls
The tender leaves withered

Swivel from green to grey
And life becomes an isolated
Too late to make an amendment
For the promising days thrown away

All Rights Reserved @Akan Udofia 2020