Do you remember when we got an alert about the new virus, the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and we were all so scared about it in 2020? People die every day, plus, we know nothing about this new virus. We stayed home and used Rubbing alcohol to spray everywhere when we got home right away. We began to lose the ability to connect with the other person. Sometimes we call our family or friends saying Hi to them and talk about how they are doing recently just to try to imagine we were talking to a “real” person. After a year in online class or work, we lost the motivation to do anything, we only have that little energy left to keep scrolling on our phones. Watching the public prank videos on Youtube from years before, and started to imagine when am I going to talk and meet new friends after the pandemic. At last, we all laughed and cried to celebrate the 2021 new year at home.
It’s only been two years but feels like it happened a long time ago.
When Omicron came up almost at the end of 2021, it didn’t scare anyone much. I noticed that people started to see this type of virus as a common cold. People don’t wear masks around, even gather with another person in the same room. People tell others that they have COVID, but they don’t care about it as long as they know they are fully vaccinated. Time has changed the way we see or think about the virus. The Covid deaths have begun to spike quickly after people gathered to celebrate the 2022 new year without putting their masks on. However, I wish we could go back to “normal” life when we all go to school or the amusement park without having our masks on.
Recently I have devoted a majority of my free time to watch a popular show known as Ozark, In this show, a financial advisor named Marty Byrde launders money for a Mexican cartel led by Omar Navarro. This intriguing show has made me question the difficulty and danger brought on by working for the cartel. In the show, the money laundering is the easiest part, with the true difficulty pressuring the financial wiz when the cartel’s enforcer demands millions of dollars through a plan that Byrde made while grasping at straws, with his life on the line. Marty’s predicament is an interesting one as his life is at stake not due to his own actions, but because of his business partner named Bruce. Bruce messed with the gas gauges on the trucks that move the money-making them appear heavier, allowing him to skim money from the cartel. Bruce’s ingenious strategy was uncovered when the cartel’s enforcer got him to tell him in a very large bluff. Bruce’s decision is the only reason why Marty is in danger.
For this reason of other people being the sole reason why Marty and his family are in danger, I question the difficulty of actually working with this fictional cartel. I understand it may not be broadcasted as a direct correlation to a real cartel or their actions, but if I was working for this cartel alone, I believe I could become successful. It seems to be nothing more than keeping your head down, doing your job, doing it well, and doing it right. By following these four self-help tips, I could prosper in this minacious work environment. In my opinion, the difficulty would come in the numbers. Although Ozark paints money laundering as a walk in the park, I believe I would face real difficulty in making millions of dollars simply appear. Marty Byrde truly is a miracle man in this right and in the right of evading the cartel for so long, however, I think I could be a valid replacement with a small crash course on laundering money efficiently. Not that I would do it 😃.
“Practice makes perfect” but nobody cares about practice, they care about applying said practice. When I go up and down a basketball court practicing my jump shot, I don’t like tirelessly throwing the ball straight up and down, I like watching my jump shot clearly improve when I start shooting. My jump shot in the past struggled, it struggled to even hit the backboard. My jump shot would consistently sky the backboard by a cool 6 inches, I sucked. Perfect. The worse I am at something, the more I can improve. The worse I am, the faster I can get better. Liking something to improve is not the best quality however, because when I attain a goal I had been striving for, I become intoxicated by my achievement, but I feel nothing for the sport. I find joy in reaching a goal that once felt unreachable. This has lead me to succeed at many thing and then quickly quit, wether it be certain video games, skateboarding, lacrosse, or basketball. I don’t count this as quitting, I just count it as losing interest.
This is just a compiled list of stuff I have liked or thought is cool recently
Vests:
It is most definitely vest season. Recently, I have been waking up in the morning to an extremely damp 55 degrees, enduring 85-degree highs on the hill, then returning home to frigid cold. Ventura County can’t decide if it’s winter or summer, still clinging on to aspects of summer while embracing parts of winter. I guess it’s fall but I like my longwinded description better.
Anyways, I’ve been super hyped on vests recently, specifically this Stussy Sherpa Vest:
PC;
Mine is purple and green. It’s sick.
I like to wear it with shorts, a white tee, and my Birkenstock Bostons (which we will touch on later), but it can also be worn with jeans and a tee-shirt or literally anything. That’s the beauty of the vest.
Birkenstock Boston’s:
The most comfortable foot experience ever.
If you’ve been on the hill in the past month you may have noticed I have worn clogs every day for 2 months now and it’s safe to say there is no going back. I used to be really into sneakers, but recently, I find myself picking birks over every other shoe.
In my current period of grinding college applications and AP class homework into the midnight hours, I care far less about my appearance in the morning: as long as I apply the stick of Old Spice Fiji floating around my truck before being around my peers, I’m valid. That’s not to say these shoes don’t look great with most outfits, I just have been putting less thought into outfits and my tan Birk clogs are perfect for that. They are also great for slipping into after hours of cramming my feet into soccer cleats for 2 hours or for skipping down chicken trail.
They are just the best
PC: Birkenstock
The Top Gear Radio Special:
Top Gear is my favorite show of all time. I was not a car guy when I got into it and still wouldn’t categorize myself as one, but there is just something about the humor, wit, and gab Clarkson, May, and Hammond have that makes me keep coming back. This is a radio segment from when the guys took over a random BBC station outside of London in 2006. The old news and hilarious traffic advice make this a must-listen. I play it in the car on my way to and from school periodically, and I really enjoy it. You don’t have to like cars. You don’t have to like Brits. Just listen. Trust me.
VC: Top Gear (posted by freshrigi)
Anyways, I might make this a recurring thing. Consider yourself
The Gerber Brand baby: I’m beating the stuffing out of him. Dude simply stands no chance against me; I am SIX FOOT, 180 Gerber baby is probably 2’9” maybe 45 pounds. So there is absolutely no chance for him.
Caillou: Dude is a four year old toddler that’s bald. I easily have 100+ pounds on him and probably a foot or two as well. Basically dudes got no chance \_(‘-‘)_/
Maggie Simpson: She stands no chance; like do you really think Maggie Simpson can beat me (A SIX FOOT disturbance to democracy) like c’mon really. Maggie doesn’t has a shot.
Russell from UP: Russell is defiantly a nice, goodhearted kid but he’s not beating me in any sort of physical interaction. I would feel awful after beating the kid’s ass in a fight.
Any one of the Minions: Now a purple Minions would put up a good fight but a regular ole yellow Minion stands no chance. A Minion is half my size and softer than toilet paper, they have small arms and hands so it’s not landing a punch on me. I would rank a Minion a spot higher but they’re designed and created in lab so you never know what could happen.
I’m going to a Glass Animals concert soon because they’re my favorite band, so here are my favorite Glass Animals songs. They’re a great band, and if you don’t know them you should definitely listen to them.
Content warning: talk of drugs, self-destructive behavior, mental illness, suicide, sex, pedophilia, and other mature themes
Also a disclaimer- my favorite album by them is How To Be A Human Being so most of these will be from that album. This album explores the stories of 11 characters (some based on real people) in the 11 songs on the track. The album cover shows every person who’s story is told. The album is seriously amazing, both sound-wise and because of the story behind it.
Number 5- Agnesfrom How To Be A Human Being
Agnes is such a beautiful and bittersweet song that I can’t help but put it in my top five. The song is about a woman named Agnes who is struggling to cope with addiction and mental health issues. It is told from the perspective of someone who is presumably very close with her. It’s a meaningful song for people who have watched a friend – or even themselves – be lost to their self-destructive tendencies. The song ends with the narrator implying that Agnes has committed suicide, which is fitting because it’s the last song on the album.
Lines from the song that hit especially hard are, “I want to hold you like you’re mine,” and, “You’re gone but you’re on my mind; I’m lost but I don’t know why.” The first line implies that the narrator might be in love with Agnes but never got the chance to act on his feelings because she killed herself. The second line makes the concept of suicide feel more real for people who have never had someone close to them commit suicide or attempt to. It also gives perspective for suicidal people that people care about them and they have so much to live for.
The narrator of Agnes is pictured in the center of the album cover on all three covers. He is either holding a camera up over his face, looking straight ahead, or holding his hands over his face. He faces forward in each album cover whereas every other character has their back turned on one version of the cover.
Number 4- Poplar Stfrom How To Be A Human Being
Poplar St is told from the perspective of a boy who lived on the street the song is named after. He starts off talking about his childhood living on Poplar St and how he would climb trees and scrape his knees. He mentions that he saw a woman named Mrs. Moore having sex with one of his other neighbors. Since she uses the prefix “Mrs.” it’s likely that Mrs. Moore was having an affair.
In the next verse, the narrator says that his mom never liked Mrs. Moore and thought she looked like a prostitute because of the clothes and makeup she wore. It’s assumed that the narrator has aged and hit puberty because he then says that Mrs. Moore seduced him and brought him to her house to have sex with him. This reveals the true nature of Mrs. Moore that was hinted at in the first verse. She’s a predatory woman who uses men – or even teenage boys – for sex.
The first line of the chorus makes sense now- “I feel like a new man.” The narrator is only a teenager, but he feels like a mature because he has a relationship with an adult woman. He is driven by hormones and doesn’t realize that what he is doing is completely wrong.
In the last verse, he says, “Just another boy who lived on Poplar St; tangled up in lust and her exotic needs.” He isn’t the only teenager who was a victim of Mrs. Moore’s pedophillic actions. He then says that Mrs. Moore called collect (which is charging the calling fee to the person who you call, so he had to pay the fee) and broke up with him over the phone.
Mrs. Moore is on the right side of every album cover. She wears a white dress and sometimes sunglasses.
Number 3- Heat Waves from Dreamland
Heat Waves has been Glass Animals’ top hit since it came out, and for good reason. It’s a great song that has addictive sounds and meaningful lyrics. It’s stated by the band on the storyline feature of Spotify that the song is about noticing that you’ve changed from who you used to be and that an important relationship in your life has been ruined by who you’ve become. This hits home for me because I’ve definitely had points where I realize that I’m a different person and that I can’t go back to what used to be. I’ve also seen it happen to my close friends where they drift away because they’ve become someone who isn’t compatible with me.
The line “Sometimes all I think about is you” makes me think about myself before my ADHD started to really impact my life. Everything got harder around the time I hit puberty because of the new mix of hormones interacting with my ADHD. Sometimes I think about where I would be if I didn’t have ADHD, but then I realize that I am who I am because of my ADHD. My favorite things come from my hyperfixations, my personality from my symptoms, and my mannerisms from mimicking the people around me. It’s a lot to deal with sometimes, and I feel like this song encapsulates my own struggle even if it’s not specifically about my situation.
Number 2- The Other Side Of Paradise from How To Be A Human Being
This song is my favorite solely because of the music behind the lyrics. It’s mentally stimulating to listen to, especially with the volume all the way up and the bass boosted. It’s catchy, fun, and kinda gives me an adrenaline rush if I’m being honest. The story behind it is cool too, but honestly the instrumental is my favorite part of it.
The Other Side Of Paradise was their top hit before Heat Waves came out. It was definitely my favorite song by them at one point. I love to listen to it when I’m writing fighting scenes because I think of choreography while listening to the song and then translate it into words.
The story of the song is about a man who leaves his girlfriend to become a professional basketball player and ends up becoming a totally different person than the person she had been dating. The girlfriend is the narrator. The character of the basketball player is pictured in the center behind everyone else. He is either spinning a basketball on his finger or holding the basketball in every cover.
Number 1- Season 2 Episode 3from How To Be A Human Being
This was actually the song that got me into the band. I heard it on TikTok and immediately searched the lyrics to figure out what song it was. I listened to it alone for a few months, then decided to check out the other songs in the album. The rest is history.
This is another song that I love because of the music. Glass Animals has great percussion in all of their songs, but this one definitely is the best. The vocals are super good too, though.
The story is about a girl who’s has a marijuana addiction. It’s told by someone who is presumably her partner. They talk about how she can’t seem to get off the couch, is always high, and isn’t prioritizing their relationship anymore. They say, “So it hurts to say it’s hopeless; and we ain’t gonna make it.” Her partner is planning on leaving her because of her dependency on marijuana to get through the day and inability to live without it. It’s a message about the ways drugs can change people for the worse, like a few other songs on the album.
The girl being described in the song is in the bottom left corner of the album cover. She wears a blue sweater and has a small gaming device in every cover, which is a reference to the style of the music video.
Those are my favorite Glass Animals songs. It was hard to choose rankings for them. I’m really excited to see them live.
Update from after I saw the concert: it was SO GOOD. They’re amazing in person and so passionate about what they do. I love Dave so much.
A few nights ago I decided to watch Fight Club. For a while, I had put watching Fight Club off because of all the hype, I had heard a lot about it and I didn’t really understand why there was so much fuss over a movie about people who fight each other. However, whilst watching a Netflix Special about cliches in movies, and the bomb scene from Fight Club was featured. I was a little confused having scene that since I couldn’t really connect people fighting with a bomb scene that looked like it was from Mission Impossible, but I was intrigued.
The movie begins with a slow burn. The first few scenes just introduce the main character, he’s really nothing special just a slightly nerdy white guy with mundane life and a mundane job. So mundane in fact that he begins to develop a major insomnia problem. As it gets worse, he begins to attend various support groups as it helps him cry and therefore actually get some sleep. At this point, I’m thinking to myself How the hell does this turn into a bunch of guys fighting. When his support group sessions get invaded by another faker, he quits. Instead, he takes up random one-time interactions on the plane as a form of therapy. On one of these flights, he meets Tyler, a young, attractive, charismatic, and interesting guy who makes soap for a living.
Although Tyler clearly is more interesting than the main character, they both share the same problem: their lives are extremely boring. They start the Fight Club, as the Fight Club grows, it gains massive traction, Tyler spreads it from city to city and basically becomes the god of people with mundane lives. His influence over them becomes so strong in fact, that he convinces them to become terrorists. They burn a smiley face into a building and even blow up multiple financial headquarters to erase people’s debt. The main character freaks out. He had no involvement in the terrorism, just the Fight Club but he knew that Tyler had dragged him into committing one of the most serious crimes.
In a final confrontation with Tyler, the main character begins to realize that he has been Tyler this whole time. Tyler was a figment of his imagination created by his insurmountable insomnia that represented everything he wanted to be in life. He was Tyler and even was so delusional that he sometimes pictured himself watching what Tyler was doing. I had begun to suspect that the main character’s insomnia had something to do with it because the plot was getting so bizarre that some of this had to be hallucinated. However, I kind of believe that this was one of those Usual Suspects type movies in which the viewers are meant to catch on earlier than the characters but still feel uncertain because of how off the rails the movie was before.
These types of movies are my absolute favorites. Much like No Country For Old Men or Momento, for most of the movie, I could not figure where this movie was going, and as the movie progressed, the plot spiraled further and further into its own insanity, and by the end, you don’t really know what to feel because you’re still trying to figure out what the hell you just watched. I’m still thinking about a lot of what happened in that movie, and some of it still perplexes me a little, but I am certain that it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in months, and it’s definitely about a little more than just guys who fight each other.
Here’s a My Hero Academia-centered post because I love it. There might be some spoilers, so probably don’t read this if you don’t want the show to be spoiled for you.
Number 5- Make My Story by Lenny code fiction (Episodes 52-63)
While this intro isn’t super flashy, I really like it. The song is catchy, and the intro shows all of the characters who matter during the Provisional Training License arc. It foreshadows that Bakugo will find out about One for All and become closer to Midoriya in a way that doesn’t spoil anything plot-wise. Also, I’m a sucker for transitions that go from showing All Might to Midoriya, so I love the beginning when All Might’s hair turns to the top of the hood of Midoriya’s costume.
Number 4- Singin’ in the Sky/空に歌えば by amazarashi (Episodes 27-38)
I love this song. It’s beautiful and meaningful while still being upbeat. The intro almost comes out of nowhere because of how abruptly the song starts and I love that. The only thing about it is that it’s actually a perfect intro song for the Shie Hassaikai arc. I mean, the English translation of the lyrics is literally, “Inevitable, inevitable. The future is determined, so rebel against it.” That’s literally a perfect description of Midoriya’s fight with Chisaki when he defies Sir Nighteye’s vision and changes the future.
However, besides the song choice, the intro is awesome. The intro goes from the Stain/Internship arc to the final exams arc, and it weaves in both arcs seamlessly. It shows all of class 1A showing off their quirks and looking super cool. I love the ending when they’re all looking up to the graffiti “Plus Ultra” and Midoriya has One For All activated in his arm. It’s showing that a big part of the episodes that the intro leads into is Midoriya finally learning to control his quirk without hurting himself, and everyone looking at their schools motto is symbolic of their aspirations to become the best of the best.
Number 3- Peace Sign by Kenshi Yonezu (Episodes 14-26)
Peace Sign is my second-favorite song from My Hero Academia. I can’t even describe how good it is. If you listen to it, you’ll know what I mean. And I love seeing class 1A not in the middle of a life or death battle with villains, so the visuals in the intro are some of my favorites too. It’s exciting and makes you want to see what happens at the sports festival. Overall, it’s a perfect example of a good intro.
Number 2- ODD FUTURE by UVERworld (Episodes 39-51)
As I said before, I really like the abrupt start of intro songs, so I love ODD FUTURE. The visual of Nana Shimura and All Might in the beginning is so nice but always makes me a little sad because All Might clearly looked up to her so much and she didn’t get to see how amazing he became. I love seeing Shigaraki with All for One reaching through the portal to put a hand on his head for the same reason. Whether they’re good or bad guys, the mentor-student dynamic always makes me unreasonably happy. The ending is probably why this is my number 2 intro. Midoriya stands up and reveals that he’s standing in front of All Might, then they both pose heroically. I love their father-son relationship.
Number 1- THE DAY by Porno Graffitti (Episodes 1-13)
I think everyone who’s watched every season of the show expected this. Do I even have to explain this one? THE DAY is indisputably the best intro in the series. The song is a bop, the visuals are super cool, and it introduces every student in class 1A. As I mentioned before, I love the transitions between All Might and Midoriya, so the punch at the end where Midoriya’s arm flickers back and forth between it being his arm and being All Might’s arm makes me so happy that I want to scream into a pillow. THE DAY is obviously the best song used in the series, and it’s probably one of my favorite songs of all time.
I’m currently hyperfixating on My Hero Academia, so here’s a list of my 5 favorite arcs from the anime. This post will contain spoilers because I’m going to go in depth about why these arcs are my favorites.
Number 5– Work Studies group vsShie Hassaikai
In my mind, this arc includes everything from when Midoriya meets Sir Nighteye to when the work studies students leave the hospital to return to UA. I love this arc. My favorite thing about it is how seamless the character development is. For example: Amajiki overcoming his insecurities and absolutely wrecking the henchmen, Togata sacrificing himself for Eri even though it meant his future as a hero might be over, and Kirishima getting up and becoming a human shield despite being petrified by fear.
The fighting scenes are insane. They have such amazing animation and they’re choreographed so well. The final battle between Midoriya and Chisaki is literally one of my favorite fights in the whole show. I love the plot twists too, like the League of Villains being involved and Eri not having a quirk-erasing quirk but rather a rewind quirk.
This arc is definitely in my top five. I’ve read the manga of this arc too, and it’s even better than the anime version.
I think the Stain arc is so good because of the lead-up. The foreshadowing that starts toward the end of the sports festival arc is perfectly done. It was set up so well because the sports festival highlighted Tenya’s close relationship with Tensei and gave him a strong motive to attack Stain. The series of events makes complete sense both timeline-wise and in relation to the feelings and actions of the characters.
The fight between Todoroki, Ida, Midoriya, and Stain is genius because it’s both character exposition for Todoroki and Ida and it’s setting the three up to be closer friends in the later episodes. Todoroki’s relationship with his father is expanded upon a bit and Ida is shown to go against his morals because of his emotions, which explains his actions in the later Kamino Raid arc.
Stain is an amazing villain too. Stain’s actions and publicity lead to the organization of the actual LOV, who become the major antagonists for the rest of the entire series. This arc allows for almost every other arc in the series to make sense. Honestly, the Hero Killer Stain arc is the catalyst for the whole series.
Class 1A is fully introduced during this arc. It shows off their quirks and highlights the students who will be featured the most in the series- Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Kirishima. It also characterizes Aizawa, who was only shown as an uptight, exhausted teacher beforehand. His actions prove that he cares deeply about his students and his abilities as a Pro Hero are displayed.
Aizawa becomes a realistic representation of how good Pro Heroes actually are. Before the USJ arc, only All Might, Kamui Woods, and Mt. Lady are really shown in action. All Might’s power is unmatched at this time in the series, and Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady are both relatively new heroes who are only showing off their strongest ultimate moves.
The League of Villains is first introduced in this arc as an organization of three powerful villains and a bunch of low-level criminals. Shigaraki, the main antagonist of My Hero Academia, is introduced. Kurogiri, who becomes important in season 5, is introduced. The first nomu is in the USJ fight. This arc is awesome on its own, but knowing everything it allows to happen makes it even cooler.
Number 2- My Villain Academia/LOV vs Meta Liberation Army
I mostly love this arc because I love the villains in the league. They all have backstories and motivations for being villains that actually make sense. In lots of other media, mental disorders are used as a scapegoat for why people are villains. However, the mental disorders that the members of the league have are in no way why they are villains. Even Twice, who is clearly severely mentally ill, isn’t a villain just because he’s mentally ill. The stigma around mental illness is broken by MHA villains, who show that evil people aren’t evil because of their conditions.
Aside from the characters themselves, I love this arc because the battle is super cool. There’s so much going on at once between Shigaraki fighting Re-Destro, Dabi fighting Geten, and Toga fighting Curious. Almost every member of the league ascends their previous power level. Twice creates his “sad man’s parade”, Shigaraki figures out how to disintegrate things without having to directly touch them, and Toga learns to recreate the quirk of the people she is transformed into. The animation is awesome, as per usual, and the emotional backstories of the villains are explored more.
At the end of this arc, the LOV and MLA combine into the Paranormal Liberation Front with Shigaraki as their leader. I’m super excited for the Paranormal Liberation War arc to come out in the anime.
This is by far my favorite arc. I’ve probably watched it about five times now. I love the teamwork between the classes, the introduction of the new members of the LOV, and the battles between the students and the villains are awesome. They’re realistic, too. Midoriya nearly kills himself fighting Muscular. It’s shown that the league has upgraded from the pathetic criminals that they used to have and now have members that hold real power.
We get introduced to new Pro Heroes, too. The Wild, Wild Pussycats are a new set of role models for the UA students. They end up being recurring cameo characters in the series. We also meet Vlad King, the homeroom teacher for class 1B. His attitude towards class 1A shows the influence 1A’s accomplishments have on the other members of UA. The other students’ disdain for 1A is explored later in the school festival arc as well.
The students become closer friends and bond over the experiences they went through at the summer camp. They all make dinner together, live in cabins together, and go in the hot springs together. Class 1A and 1B cross over and find friends. It’s nice to see the students relaxing and having fun, even if it gets ruined from another villain attack.
The summer camp arc has great fights and plot development. The best plot development is that it leads to the Kamino Raid arc. The Kamino Raid arc impacted every character in the series, but it was only really good because the summer camp arc set it up so well. The new villains are introduced and the students are set up to go try to save Bakugo even though it might kill them. The arc also is the reason why UA makes dorms for all the students, which makes for a lot more interaction between the students. This arc is hands-down the best.
Last night I got home and figured I’d watch a single episode of Squid Games before I did my homework.
6 hours later, it was 12:22 and I had finished the series. I knew I had homework. Homework I wanted to do. I knew it would take an hour or two, but I just kept watching. I ended up going to sleep at 1:30, throwing to the wayside the two supplemental essays I had planned to draft.
This morning, I absolutely mashed snooze on my alarm. I woke up at 7:30, the time that I need to leave my house to make it to school. I showered and ended up leaving at 7:45 getting here decently late.
The show was so good. I think because of the language barrier, some of the cues that would have made the storyline more obvious didn’t hit me, or the millions of others watching the show right now. I asked a Korean friend about his take on it and he said it was super obvious the whole time, but all of the twists didn’t hit me.
The binge I got caught in was not so good. I wanted to stop watching but I just didn’t. I still got the truly necessary work done but as usual, my head was barely above the water that is missing homework and B’s.
This is something I want to gain more control over, but can’t seem to achieve. I think it might be because I tend to be able to do work very well at the last moment. I have operated this way my whole life with a lot of things, but with certain things, like projects and papers, I know I should be starting earlier.
Especially heading into college, I want to be able to get things done early. I say early, but this definition of early refers to what I would imagine is everyone else’s regular.
I am slowly getting better at managing my time, some days go fine, but oftentimes, say once a week, I push things to the side and get LAZY.
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