ippy
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Posts posted by ippy
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I aint getting the snip dude. Well, not for a few more years at least. Never say never on gender reassignment. It might be a fun way to lead out the last twenty or thirty years of your life to be honest. Im doing it Pete Burns though. No sex, no drama, no desire to even attempt 'passable'. Im going big rubber lips, anime eyes, and a dirty scouse accent.
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Its very hard getting a job in korea. Its an extraordinarily image driven culture. And images come from the telly and magazines. Ipso facto...
Well, ill leave you to do the math. But its amazingly lucky i got a job at all in this climate. Almost all jobs want the following magic three things: Female, recent graduate (mid 20s max), from USA/Canada
The more you move out of that happy threesome the less chance you have. Ill add mroe later, but its home time
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As a fellow scotsman, can i just confirm the stereotype. When he said "decent hotel?" my first thought (and only thought) was "toyoko inn?"
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We is booked for Myoko - Akakura Onsen - for Jan 21 - 29
Waiting is a PITA!
Akakura onsen: all the joys of sitting on a fun fair ride without any of the funfair. Or the ride. Enjoy the onsen... thats not there. Isnt it just a few crappy hotel baths? Sorry, the red mist descends at the mere mention of akakura onsen. Im hoping you of course just mean youre just staying there and not riding that crap hole. Of course you are! As i say, red mist! It gets in the way of logic
Myoko = lovely. Akakura onsen = cute. Akakura onsen ski jo = **** that place. -
yongpyong
pyeongchan
high1
phoenix park
Im on a 6 day a week schedule, so trips any further than that are... unlikely. Late season i might try and cash in 5 of my vacation days though giving me 7 or 8 days in Japan. Probably going hakuba way. I feel ive always just sort of never done enough hakuba.Entirely contingent on cashflow though. Hope to give some reviews of stuff up gangwon way before the olympics
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I had these wicked spy ones that fit snugly into any gloves, Im sure i bought them in korea, but cant find anything now except the bulkiest pieces of crap out there. I cant stop either, because i just know that the day i dont have them will be the day i need them. Its like the psychology of insurance.
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Less talking you say!
Ummmm...
lets see...
I went snowboard shopping in Korea and bought:
1. An airblaster hoodie knocked down to 20,000 won (2000 yen) that cannot be worn in general everyday affairs since its made for a giraffe.
2. Three cheap 10,000 won t-shirts i hate but i need new tshirts.
3. A kitty airhole facemask that im pretty sure is for girls. But its kitties!
4. 3 new beanies. Well, 2 technically (one was a beanie i already have and abused so much its completely out of shape). Each cost 10,000 won
Thats all the boring stuff. But filled three of the four big holes.
1. New pants. Green Burton cargos (10k/5k) for 100,000won (reduced from 250,000)
2. New helmet. Dont know what it is, but reduced from 100,000 ---> 50,000
3. New goggles. EG2. 139,000won, reduced from 239,000.
Lots of bargains. Really tempted to pick up the EG3s. The frame of view is mad, comes with a free clear extra lens, can pick my color/design (EG2 was only one pair - white rim, red chrome lens), but costs around 300,000. Im ghetto snowboarding
That was a nice bit of stoke. Only missing a nice pair of wrist guards and im all set. Could do with new bindings and did see some forces for 100,000. Might pop back and grab them if theyre still available. Definitely need some new boots as well especially given that mine were leaking in the off season slush. Maybe have to run with plastic bags on my right feet until then, but only saw 32 boots (they seem to have cornered the market). Speakig of cornering the market, bataleon is BIG in korea. Not sure if thats because polaris or whoever it was that held the distibution rights for korea no longer exist. Maybe theyre open distribution now so have a presence up and down the street instead of just the couple of shops last time.
And speaking of shops, seems we've lost about 20-30% of the stores from a few years ago. Recession definitely hit the snow market.
One last thing to point out, its definitely a somber season out there. Colors are all dark and BORING AS SHIT. Even hoodies and layers. Its all dark and moody. Guess Holden won.
Anyways, thats korea. Winter stoke success!
Also spent the entire day going through the threads in the build up to 2013 season here. Its been a proper fun stoke out
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I cant understand how this thread died. Ive no idea how to genuinely bump it back up, but im hoping now that you layabouts have had over a year to come up with stuff, youve got some additions.
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No contest: China.
Students are high level, smart, motivated and energetic. They respond to mad serious disciplined teaching without complaining of boredom (theyre very much used to grinding through lessons), but will absolutely bounce off the walls if you give them a fun game or activity. You get total respect as a teacher as well. You arent just the foreign dude babysitting them.
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Before I waste 40 minutes of my life is anyone riding in deep pow or is it all rails and ramps?
These are probably the droids youre looking for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibmyOF8Q4UQ
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I had honestly forgot how much i like Korea. Its such a cool place.
Now bad news for Grungy Gonads. I saw a lot of 7s or 8s, but maybe not a single 9 or 10. Must be all the Japanese girls doing shopping bringing the average way down. To be honest though, ive also plummeted down the leaderboard. I reckon im hovering at a 2 or a 3.
Best get back to the gym and stop eating my nacho cheese sauce with Lays (walkers) ready salted cri... ooops! too late!
And the twix multipack! And the johnny walker double black i treat myself to at the airport.
Basically im going to get fat as **** and theres nothing this world can do to stop me.
Anyways, a few pics from tonights wander about myeongdong. Man, its good to be back. Its like having a haze lifting. Hopefully the self-deception will kick back in for two years time when i suddenly realise i hate korea and need to leave for China again. Im sure i can trick my brain into thinking i really enjoyed Tianjin... Actually, i reckon that puts me near to ten years out of the JET programme! Perhaps it'll be time to reapply
Anyways, 3 pics of tourism!
South gate (the one hit my arson in 2008)
Myeong Dong. So many plush hotels! wild to think that people have that much money theyre basically renting a view for the night. What a thing! Imagine the pure peace of mind that lifestyle gives you. It genuinely blows my mind. I dont begrudge them it. In fact im delighted that in the cosmic scheme of things, some humans escaped.
I totally forgot these things existed. But can i point out: that front bench is 2 20kg plates (bolted in - about 90lbs) and the back one is 4 25lb plates and 2 10lb (120lbs). Its usually just little old men and women doing their morning workouts that use these things. Thats some hardcore little old men and women.
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Its a bit nasty, aye. But its just a burn mark. Someone SOMEHOW left an iron on it.
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Ippy's Korea!
Yay! Well, not entirely legal at the moment. Until the E2 gets put into my passport im technically on holiday.
And my oh my, in case you ever had this question:
At the airport, should i switch my money in Korea or China.
Beijing 11pm Oct 30th:
5000CNY ----> 710,000KRW
Incheon 5am Oct 31st:
5000CNY ----> 840,000KRW
So glad to help clear that up. Dont change money in Beijing.
Anyways, after an incredibly stressful day of will they/wont they pay me my final salary. at 6.30pm got the email telling me it was in my bank. Ran downstairs, checked and sure enough! 17,000 yuan! hoorays! Took out 15,000, hit my daily limit. Grabbed the first train to Beijing south and as luck would have it, it was the next one (this is not as odd a statement as it sounds - of the three times ive used the bullet train in china, ive always had to wait for the next but one train (and even "missed" the very last train despite being... er... 10 minutes early for it - seating room only).
Easily transitioned from Beijing south to the airport (not half as complicated as people seem to suggest on line - in fact very straightforward) and arrived at the aiport around 10.30
So only 3 hours to kill...
Amazingly wriggled through check-in with nary a glance at the size nor weight of my snowboard bag (which was too big to fit comfortably on their scales - rocking it at a cool 12kg despite clearly being low 30s). No one seemed bothered and just sent me off with it to oversized luggage. Which was nice.
Then off to the plane, guardians of the galaxy, no sleep, and 1.5hours later, incheon.
Breezed through immigration without even a question about my intentions.
I pulled up to my house around 7 or 8 and said to the cabbie, yo holmes, smell ya later... except there was no ****er at the desk at my hotel until 9am.
Anyways, im now here in a room akin to a low security prison cell. Still, free wifi
Nice to not have to use a VPN any more. Oh, and they let me check in early as well. So thats nice. I just realised though its halloween, i wanna go outside, but the forced jolity of it is gonna make me vomit right now.
0home sweet home
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Isnt it me?
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I just booked a flight for 1am on Friday 31st October instead of 1am Saturday November 1st to Seoul. So er, i guess im flying out tomorrow night then...
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Nug is special. Its actually designed FULLY to reproduce a standard sized ride with its longer effective edge and slightly wider than normal waist width. Its really not downsized at all in a weird bizarre way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhite7zb9QQ
(oh god! please tell me you werent talking about a nug all this time! im gonna feel like an idiot
Confirmed! idiot ahoy!
ETA: really want a fishcuit)
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I may or may not have only just noticed your actual question:
Downsizing rides entirely contingent on what youre downsizing for.
Simple logic = the following:
Take two boards that are the same. One is 5 or 6 cm longer than the other... actually, hell, lets take three boards. One thats your goldilocks board. One thats about 4-8cm longer, and one thats 4-8cm shorter.
Lets pretend that this goldilocks board has the right pop, the right edge hold, the right energy, the right turn initiation, the right spring, the right balance, the right arc length in yoru turn, the right flex and the right everything else.
Now lets size up:
This board now has two important actual changes: 1 - the nose to tail and are further away. And 2: the waist width of the board is very likely longer. I mention these two because theyre unequivocal. Flex, float, all that jazz is personal, but length is physical. The board is going to be longer and very probably a little wider.
Well, lets hyper exaggerate (tubby is right, much of this is just more than often imperceptible - most people have their size preferences entirely because thats what they first felt comfortable riding on and wont deviate even if their weight fluctuates - im 156-158 regardless of whether im 75 or 85kg. Any number over 158 feel like im riding a surfboard, any number below it feels like im riding a skateboard). So with that massive caveat in mind and playing total pretend. Heres some ridiculous over exaggerated issues you may or may not have at all:
1. Youre likely gonna get more float. More board area, less pressure...more float? Theres a tonne of powder nazis now scowling at me. But Bill Bye the Science Guy says so!
2. Youre going to probably have longer arcs in your turns. Turn radius is gonna be longer. Math.
3. Flex will be more erratic. And in many cases will be poorly distributed. That sweet spot will now require a bit more of a lean than youre used to since to get to the same point on the board, youre gonna have to lean over it. Turning forces tell you.
4. More than likely the board is going to feel stiffer because of this.
5. Torsional flex is goig t also feel a little stiffer. Twisting the board is going to feel a bit harder due to the increased area, extra flex, and of course the fact your little feets are now running something closer to a wide board.
6. Turn initiation is going to feel smooth as butter in some turns because that slower edge to edge coupled to the slight extra kick in float, and effective edge increase, and longer turning arc just means that your turns at a decent speed are just gonna glide. You aint gonna get half as much digging.
7. On edge youre going to feel super smooth.
8. But you might be a little wider in your stance than youd prefer.
9. Which of course makes the whole leaning over those yum sweet spots a little less comfortable.
10. Ummm, thats it?
Physics and math spods can come correct my wild claims but really youre dealing with simple stuff. And a quick search in history corresponds. People took longer boards not just for the float they offered, but also because this came with a lot of ancillary benefits that helped out in the terrain youd ride. Youd be hitting pow and steeps so you get these nice affects that help with float, but also give you more stability and a bit smoother initiations and movement through the arc. Throw in a progressive sidecut on a directional board with a setback and you have the master of the universe ride! You have that gorgeous soft initiation into the turn arc, then a nice long stable edge giving you a massive turn raidus (my ex boss once tried to see how many edge changes he could pull on a near top to bottow suginohara run - he did it in 4 if memory serves right - not entirely relevant, but a fun random bit of trivia), and then with the setback and a real sharp arc at the bottom of the board, you have that explosive pop at the end to really bounce your edge changes - best design ever! Just as a thing of pure logic, I love progressive sidecuts. Twins can suck it). So the point is that the logic fits with the reason why people used to do exactly this (and perhaps still do with their pow stick - though bazillions of variations exist to alter this basic idea now - though lets pretend they dont exist yet - i might actually mention reverse camber though in the next bit because its a common misnomer that always has me just screaming at people offering advice through my keyboard).
Actually lets deal with it right now because it annoys me and i need to get it out of my system: If you size down in a reverse camber, you get nice float compared to your regular size camber or flat stick, but you get less effective edge and no contacts. This = loose and playful, and less edge hold. The end. I bring it up here just to make sure i dont bring it into the next bit by mistake and suddenly start waffling about a completely different deck from our goldilocks board above.
That being said: lets flip all that around and donwsize.
1, Less effective edge. Yay! Straight away, couldnt help myself. Less effective edge means very likely less stability.
2. A softer flex than anticipated. The board will become incredibly maleable compared to a similar ride in a larger size.
3. Same torsionally, much easier to twist about.
4. Smaller waist width --> boot drag. No one needs that.
5. Its going to wash a **** load more unless you compensate.
6. Narrower mid stance, it might feel good, it might feel awful. Who knows!
7. Turn radius is going to be far shorter. This is gonna gimp your speed a bit.
8. Turn initiation is going to feel a bit more diggy and catchy. Again, not smooth.
9. But easier turn initiation at slower speeds due to the 'feel' of the flex and the ease to lean back a little and let that front pop up a bit. So er, more skidded turns.
10. Huge and easy to hit sweet spot. Screw technique, youre probably sat over it just from stance width and size. Add in that its effortless to lean over it if you arent already because you almost have to do nothing, and you get to doink about a bit and just enjoy it rather than have to worry about loading and popping and other bullshit.
11. Because your pop is DEAD anyway. And you dont want pop because thats why you bought a board thats smaller than one with pop.
12. Spinning around is going to feel a bit quicker. Which might matter a lot if swing weight is a big deal to you.
So you can kind of see some key effects, Youre going to have a board thats more maleable and easier to just butter about on. Float is gonna suck of course, but thats not really what youre after. Youre not really going to get a lot of speed out of it either, i mean you can... 90/10 etc etc. But its just as i say exaggerating the differences a bit to help tease out the ideas rather than tell you how youre going to get on riding a downsized board.
Which of course is why i wrote my answer to your main question at the start. Its kinda contingent on why youre downsizing. If its because you want a board you can throw about a bit, feel a little more playful and loose, and just twist and mash about buttering the hill or hitting the street features in the park (and some of the more moderate hits) then it would work for what you want... itll do all those things. But as with everything its going to have those trade offs. When you sort of understand the bigger and smaller sizes you can balance them out and decide if its worth the pay off or whether youd just be better off with a different camber profile/flex/tip shape etc. So many ways to tweak your perfect ride. Size does a crap load to it, but id personally only be sizing down if i couldnt get what i wanted through just checking out another line of decks, or if my main motivation was that lower swing weight and easier to hit flex sweet spot.
It probably doesnt give you a satisfying answer, or more than likely, its shit you already are comfortable with but hope it gave you at least something to jump from in that case in your (now future) decisions
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Of course not GG. That being said, there is a girl at my workplace right now, from Cuba, stunning! Im sort of in puppy love with her at the moment.
Of course, wouldnt dreeeeamm of pursuing it. I prefer the internal drama of stalker unrequited love!As for gangwon, looks pretty chilly to be honest. Even out of season its got this cold grey feel to the pictures. Still, looking forward to the inevitable few weeks either side of summer where he temperature is perfect.
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Thanks dudes! Very tres excitement! Docs are now in the mail. No chance ill make the November 1st contract start date. Probably a week later. But still, looks yum!
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S'update!
Got a new job!
Im teaching English in Gangwon Do Korea as of next month. Got the contract today, so good to go.
Total luck! in a month of applying for no less than about 100-200 jobs, i got a total of 5 interview offers. FIVE. I also got two job offers. One i had to turn down because the contract was nasty. The other because i really think they offered me it by mistake. They never replied to my questions about the offer o_O?
Korea is a tough market to break into when you cross your mid-30s it seems. Its very much, and i shit thee not, 22, female, USA. Anything outside that demographic is liable to get no response. Im one of the cheeriest most positive dudes on this planet (with actual skills and qualifications - well, *A* qualification), and even i was struggling. Ive eben taught in the country before. I tick boxes dammit! but 5 interviews in about 4 weeks JUST to get my foot in the door! not even with the schools! Ridiculous!
So just as i was resigned (and actually sort of looking forward to) having to turn up in person and hit the pavements of gangwon do. I got an interview offer from a random job in Gangwon. Interview was delayed all through the day, but held my patience. Eventually got the phone call, breezed the interview and Boosh! got the job.
Gangneung City.
Its on the coast and 25km from Yongpyong. They said theyd send out the contract today. I waited all day. I was genuinely worried theyd changed their minds, but then at 4.30 my time the email came! Contract is here. Its on!
Its literally the job i would have listed as my perfect job benchmark: 2.3mill, gangwon do, near the resorts, easy going, medium city, with all main standard hagwon benefits - house/severance/airfare/health/ten days vacation - im not greedy). It has the lot, plus a beach, mountains to cycle in and explore, and traffic all going the wrong way after a day on the slopes (theyll all be going back to seoul, my house is the other way). On top of this, its a host city for the 2018 olympics. Party at mine then, since ill be doing what i can to keep this job until then. If that means dressing in a stupid costume and flyering elementary kids' parents in the local supermarket, you bet your ass ill be doing that
Honestly, the karmic wheel exists, Last year was brutally unfair (i feel). This year, lottery winner jamminess!
Apparently, it does get snow
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Heres my winter stoke: I just scored (today) my next job, teaching english 25kms away from Yongpyeong. And on the fekkin beach. And for a salary i was kinda hoping for but not expecting (2.3).
The plan was to go back to EPIK and score exactly that location. Now i dunno. I think im gonna turn their business into an industry just so i have a job there for the 2018 olympics. Im literally in one of the core towns! Im so happy i could puke!
And now ive jinxed it!
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Demo
Best way to find out im afraid.
As for machete. MickRich had one. He loved it i think. Still, Machete GT has popwalls. It also runs a bit stiffer so er, your call on that
Were it not for the fact its a twin (and er, rockered), id pick it up.Then again, if i was picking up a ride twin, id go for the buck up:
Tweak on flat cam (micro rocker/micro camber, which basically means a broken in cam ride with detuned contacts - well, a bit more than just detuned, but you get the picture). Has CA5, and i posted a bit a while back about why carbon array 3/5 makes me SQUEEEEE!!! And then the punchline! Sans popwalls, this would be a cool fun board. Itll have that nice broken in feel, itll feel loose and playful, and with CA5 (which LOCKS) youll still get solid edge giving you some of that camber style precision, hold and energy through your edge. But you will be losing a bit of pop with the micro camber. You can load it, but it wont pop, it might give you a boost, but its not going to really launch. Now you throw in pop walls and BOOSH!!! off to orbit. Suddenly flat cam is viable. Why the **** this tech is not on every non-camber board on planet earth is beyond me. Maybe everyone loves that real slack feel of reverse camber or something. Not me. I want to fly to the moon! So in sum: its a super charged flat cam ride. And if you like flat camber or like the feel of that 50/60 day ride thats lost its bite, but you cant get rid of because it still feels like a comfy slipper, then this is the solution. Pop walls are...and ive said this before... immense! theyre game changing, and ride have been sat on them for three seasons like theyre just some dumbshit minor tweak. I DONT UNDERSTAND!!!! They literally solve the biggest problem for me with reverse and flat camber. They turn one dimensional ripper boards like the HL into fun resort cruisers (if you cant be bothered loading it all day). They turn lifeless (but fun) boards into bursty energetic springy decks Its so diverse! It fits everywhere. It makes cam easy, it makes reverse cam poppy, it makes flat cam poppy, it makes charger planks FUN outside of its element. Who the hell doesnt want pop?
That all being said though, id go for the highlife UL. Im sure in the pow its a surfy goodness, i just need to give it more time in its element. As a speed freak, that board scared the pants off me. I felt a burning need to pull it back. So i need another go at it in its proper conditions.
PS. Love Burton all you like. When i tried to find info on women's boards, burton were head and shoulders above everyone else. Not just on range, but in actually bothering to inform their customers on what they were buying. I loved them for the second reason and will never hate on them again. Even IF they decide that the future of snowboarding is in luggage or some shit.
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I really wanted to make my quiver killer my go-to deck in season 4 so had to learn to pop it. Its a great board, but if you cant pop it, its just really a mediocre charging board with sluggish end to end. Its really meant for air. Everything else is designed around the concept of it flying
Not sure if thats the point of the Highlife. Cant really remember, I know it was in with a shout before the demo purely from the powder tweaks. On the ride though it just felt stiff and bulky. It was about as damp a board as id ever felt though and fast as all hell. Pop walls made it enjoyable on top of that. Would have loved to have seen it in the pow.
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you talking about pop walls? I promise you man, the Highlife UL was a tank. It was literally hulk smash and would have been the worlds most boring plank of wood were it not for the pop walls. It reminded me a lot of my quiver killer. Fast, would pop to the moon if you loaded it right, but if you dont: draining, exhausting and 1 dimensional.
They just gave that board so much fun cheating/lazy energy by adding pop walls. If i had to load that thing all day without the popwalls id have been knackered after an hour. Nothing worse than trying to load something like that when your in hour three, youre hitting some fun rollers and every time you put the energy in, you get this lame hobble anti-pop. its LITERALLY anti-pop. You felt it load, then you felt you pull the board up with the strength of your little quads, and the board barely squeeks off the snow. GAH!!! it still burns!!! FURANO!!!!!!
Pop walls were so effortless, so cheat mode, that you could actually enjoy one of those tanks without having to sacrifice your legs for the pleasure of the incredibly rare moment of BLISSFUL, weightless, perfect air, You can try all day to the point of exhaustion for real nutritious and healthy pop, and then when youre knackered just go cheat mode and bounce around on everything with all that fake delicious e-number pop. It was great. It made that tank versatile. And all i could think was "hozzanah! they have solved the problem of setting back my berzerker! now it will truly be that kill it absolutely everywhere board i always knew it could be!!!"
But they havent because they get all worried that it'll be too close to the Highlife as if theyve completely forgotten that i ****ing hated the highlife's stiffness and inflexibility and LOVE my zerker with all my little heart! They arent the same board, ride. Stop with the bullshit!
Then again, maybe its just me. Maybe it dies on teh setback because it was too short at 158 for my spacehopper fat ass. Stupid downsizing! i should have been on like a 162, obviously!
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Love you guys love all the work youve done. But hate this soooo much
Thanks for the hard works and stuffs, but sad we gonna break up the family.