Do you actually buy into these success stories?

Personally, I don't believe even 10% of this crap.

Some woman has connections within that EPH mess—they love running pieces like this, especially when it’s about "successful young female entrepreneurs."

The people I actually know who are killing it—real winners—never do interviews like this. They don't need these fluff pieces; they just don't care.

Gloria (yet another EPH thing) is basically reserved for these fairy tales—they write these myths about women, like the wife of that guy Goluža. He funded her whole company—any smart person reading a "major entrepreneur" profile will realize her biggest achievement was just showing up at an international trade show. Big deal, right?

How many actual contracts did she sign? Zero. It’s always that vague wording: "Foreign investors from Israel and the USA have shown interest," and so on and so forth...

In reality, it's just one big nothingness launched with her husband's cash. But hey, the article paints her as this incredibly successful young powerhouse.

Then you've got them singing praises about Velina—that former dance star—acting like she's some massive business mogul with her own cosmetics line.

They conveniently forget they were writing about her a year or two ago as a huge entrepreneur running an exclusive flower shop—which tanked in the meantime. Both businesses were bankrolled by rich old guys.

And now, here they are again, presenting her as this wildly successful young woman. Of course, they’ll mention things like a one-year certificate in decoupage design or whatever.

There was also that story about the daughter of that woman from America, Nina Oberaiter Gluhak.

The kid decides she wants to do jewelry design, finishes a quick course, and boom—immediately there's an article about a "successful jewelry designer." How much she actually sold? They’re never gonna tell you that. Real results never make the cut.

But she gets portrayed as this incredible success story, and we’re all supposed to be impressed.

Don't be naive. You see these articles about male entrepreneurs too, but since I don't know their specific business backgrounds, I can't call them out. Most of them are just as hollow.

People who are truly successful don't need these write-ups—unfortunately, you won't even hear about them. And those are the people we should actually be reading about, because that's where the real lessons are.

Honestly, I think these kinds of articles are socially toxic. For more naive readers, they trigger depression and resentment toward their own lives. They start thinking everyone else is doing better or is somehow superior. Usually, they aren't.

EPH has specialized in this exact nonsense. Everyone is a superstar in EPH publications.
It's a total fantasy land.

You're not the only one who sees through this. There are plenty of genuinely successful people—some even more successful than her—but you won't find fluff pieces like this written about them.

Ryan Thomas7 said:I know plenty of people who have genuinely transformed their lives—graduating from top-tier universities and landing incredible careers through nothing but pure grit... yet, I still find it hard to buy into these kinds of articles.

The reason? Most journalists just babble on, overusing superlatives to make everything sound life-changing.
Take, for instance, this young woman who was all over the news last year, hailed as some kind of rising American entrepreneur who had expanded her business across several states. Turns out, her "company" consists of exactly one employee: herself. Last year, she pulled in less than $3.25 and ended the season essentially at zero.
That’s why I struggle to take these grand tales of brilliant success at face value... sometimes they just don't add up. 🤷

Totally agree—I think I know exactly who you mean, that lady with the planners.

It turns out she barely makes any pocket change $200 a month. An average college student working a part-time gig at Starbucks would probably pull in more and be more successful than her.

That's my point—it's honestly depressing when people read these articles and feel like failures, when the reality is totally different. Half the time, those regular folks might actually be doing better than these supposed "young entrepreneurial stars."

It’s not just some morning news rag covering this lady, you know...
You can find an article about her on TechCrunch from a few years back, and if you dig even deeper, there’s stuff in the New York Post too...

And honestly, why would anyone feel sorry for her being over in China? If anything, it should be a wake-up call... I mean, if she could make it happen there, who's stopping me?

This whole thing just reeks of heavy pessimism and people constantly selling themselves short...
People like her really ought to be the blueprint for how anyone can actually make it if they give it a shot, which is exactly what that article felt like to me...

P.S. It’s true that there was a much better profile on that guy who started Icon, he was featured on some major business site recently...

Robin Johnson said:Personally, I don't believe even 10% of this crap.

Some woman has connections within that EPH mess—they love running pieces like this, especially when it’s about "successful young female entrepreneurs."

The people I actually know who are killing it—real winners—never do interviews like this. They don't need these fluff pieces; they just don't care.

Gloria (yet another EPH thing) is basically reserved for these fairy tales—they write these myths about women, like the wife of that guy Goluža. He funded her whole company—any smart person reading a "major entrepreneur" profile will realize her biggest achievement was just showing up at an international trade show. Big deal, right?

How many actual contracts did she sign? Zero. It’s always that vague wording: "Foreign investors from Israel and the USA have shown interest," and so on and so forth...

In reality, it's just one big nothingness launched with her husband's cash. But hey, the article paints her as this incredibly successful young powerhouse.

Then you've got them singing praises about Velina—that former dance star—acting like she's some massive business mogul with her own cosmetics line.

They conveniently forget they were writing about her a year or two ago as a huge entrepreneur running an exclusive flower shop—which tanked in the meantime. Both businesses were bankrolled by rich old guys.

And now, here they are again, presenting her as this wildly successful young woman. Of course, they’ll mention things like a one-year certificate in decoupage design or whatever.

There was also that story about the daughter of that woman from America, Nina Oberaiter Gluhak.

The kid decides she wants to do jewelry design, finishes a quick course, and boom—immediately there's an article about a "successful jewelry designer." How much she actually sold? They’re never gonna tell you that. Real results never make the cut.

But she gets portrayed as this incredible success story, and we’re all supposed to be impressed.

Don't be naive. You see these articles about male entrepreneurs too, but since I don't know their specific business backgrounds, I can't call them out. Most of them are just as hollow.

People who are truly successful don't need these write-ups—unfortunately, you won't even hear about them. And those are the people we should actually be reading about, because that's where the real lessons are.

Honestly, I think these kinds of articles are socially toxic. For more naive readers, they trigger depression and resentment toward their own lives. They start thinking everyone else is doing better or is somehow superior. Usually, they aren't.

EPH has specialized in this exact nonsense. Everyone is a superstar in EPH publications.
It's a total fantasy land.

You're not the only one who sees through this. There are plenty of genuinely successful people—some even more successful than her—but you won't find fluff pieces like this written about them.

A truly honest post.👍
For instance, I can't stand seeing an interview with some female soccer player—they almost always give these types of interviews—where, while having two nannies and doing absolutely nothing, they spout wisdom about the hardships of motherhood and responsibilities.🤣 I don't read magazines anymore because journalism has hit rock bottom, but when I see stuff like that on a news portal, I just think, WTF.🤦🤣

What kind of motivation can you actually get from an article where everything is just made up?

Zero. I mean, lies about someone’s fake "perfect life" don't inspire anyone.

And look—I didn't say *only* Eph writes stuff like that—just that they do it all the time.

There was this one little feature about a girl who finished her design degree at University of California, Berkeley, entered some international competition while she was still a student, and got scouted by a global firm that offered her a job on the spot. Now, *that* story is legit because you can actually track her real career path today.
There was absolutely no need to fluff her journey with nonsense like this article did—her actual success speaks for itself. She's a lead designer for a major corporation now.

She doesn't need these kinds of write-ups, and honestly, she doesn't even need the press coverage.

This other person, though? They're out here in the US hunting for a job, hoping someone will be impressed by these overseas achievements that probably can't even be verified.

Oh, and for the record—the story about Sobel really *is* inspiring. The guy knew how to spot an opportunity when he saw one, which is everything.

You can learn a lot from people like that. I've read plenty of his interviews where he goes into detail about those early days at Verizon and how he kicked everything off. Super interesting stuff.
And when it comes to truly successful people, there aren't any holes in their stories.

It doesn't have to be outright lies; it’s all about how you frame the narrative. That’s what PR is for. You aren't making things up, you're just twisting the truth using vague, loaded language.

The reality is that we read something and then assign our own meaning to those specific words.

Take the phrase "speaks 6 languages," for example. Most people immediately picture a bunch of exotic foreign tongues, but in reality, if you count English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian, you're already at five. Throw in a little Portuguese and suddenly you're at six.

Or look at "top-tier companies are scrambling for these products." Everyone’s mind jumps straight to Apple, Ford, Google, or some other massive conglomerate, but honestly, any small firm could claim to be the "most powerful" within their own tiny niche.

The woman probably has an interesting resume, and this article is more of a poetic, loose interpretation of the facts. I personally know several people who could spin stories just like this. The simple fact that you move through several completely different states in just a few years provides plenty of fertile ground for this kind of storytelling. Looking at my own life, I haven't lived in my hometown for years now, and being an outsider makes it easier—people tend to remember you more easily when you're the newcomer.

I mean, if she’s been pulling gigs from China to New York for five years straight, then she’s clearly playing in a different league... 🙂
I don't really see how much of this is made up, especially since they actually cited specific magazines and names, which gives you plenty of stuff you could just look up yourself—and I’m trying to give her the benefit of the doubt here...
Besides, she’s obviously living her life, and honestly, I'd say she's successful enough, considering she's traveled the world and spent a few years working at some architecture firms that seem to have decent awards and solid portfolios, so I'll give her credit there...
It isn't exactly rocket science to just Google her or check out her Facebook page...
So, go ahead, tell me exactly which part you think is fabricated?

The same goes for her being talented, maybe that's why people noticed her and write about her "more," though if we're talking about an article popping up in an American newspaper once every two or three years, it's hardly breaking news...

Robin Johnson said:Personally, I don't believe even 10% of this crap.

Some woman has connections within that EPH mess—they love running pieces like this, especially when it’s about "successful young female entrepreneurs."

The people I actually know who are killing it—real winners—never do interviews like this. They don't need these fluff pieces; they just don't care.

Gloria (yet another EPH thing) is basically reserved for these fairy tales—they write these myths about women, like the wife of that guy Goluža. He funded her whole company—any smart person reading a "major entrepreneur" profile will realize her biggest achievement was just showing up at an international trade show. Big deal, right?

How many actual contracts did she sign? Zero. It’s always that vague wording: "Foreign investors from Israel and the USA have shown interest," and so on and so forth...

In reality, it's just one big nothingness launched with her husband's cash. But hey, the article paints her as this incredibly successful young powerhouse.

Then you've got them singing praises about Velina—that former dance star—acting like she's some massive business mogul with her own cosmetics line.

They conveniently forget they were writing about her a year or two ago as a huge entrepreneur running an exclusive flower shop—which tanked in the meantime. Both businesses were bankrolled by rich old guys.

And now, here they are again, presenting her as this wildly successful young woman. Of course, they’ll mention things like a one-year certificate in decoupage design or whatever.

There was also that story about the daughter of that woman from America, Nina Oberaiter Gluhak.

The kid decides she wants to do jewelry design, finishes a quick course, and boom—immediately there's an article about a "successful jewelry designer." How much she actually sold? They’re never gonna tell you that. Real results never make the cut.

But she gets portrayed as this incredible success story, and we’re all supposed to be impressed.

Don't be naive. You see these articles about male entrepreneurs too, but since I don't know their specific business backgrounds, I can't call them out. Most of them are just as hollow.

People who are truly successful don't need these write-ups—unfortunately, you won't even hear about them. And those are the people we should actually be reading about, because that's where the real lessons are.

Honestly, I think these kinds of articles are socially toxic. For more naive readers, they trigger depression and resentment toward their own lives. They start thinking everyone else is doing better or is somehow superior. Usually, they aren't.

EPH has specialized in this exact nonsense. Everyone is a superstar in EPH publications.
It's a total fantasy land.

You're not the only one who sees through this. There are plenty of genuinely successful people—some even more successful than her—but you won't find fluff pieces like this written about them.

That’s exactly how I see it. Articles like this just trigger that exact reaction in people. They start wondering—wait, if that's an issue, then where exactly is my problem?

Richard Lewis16 said:It’s not just some morning news rag covering this lady, you know...
You can find an article about her on TechCrunch from a few years back, and if you dig even deeper, there’s stuff in the New York Post too...

And honestly, why would anyone feel sorry for her being over in China? If anything, it should be a wake-up call... I mean, if she could make it happen there, who's stopping me?

This whole thing just reeks of heavy pessimism and people constantly selling themselves short...
People like her really ought to be the blueprint for how anyone can actually make it if they give it a shot, which is exactly what that article felt like to me...

P.S. It’s true that there was a much better profile on that guy who started Icon, he was featured on some major business site recently...

But read him again. Every single paragraph is just a list of "achievements." Seriously? Nobody gets that lucky. Not even the wealthiest people in the country. Look, I don’t mind an article being written, but at least make it realistic. Instead of acting like she's this self-made prodigy when she actually speaks six languages—including various regional dialects and English—and her millionaire parents sent her to school in New York City and have been bankrolling her entire life. That’s my point. This kind of fake PR creates this massive illusion of success that is nowhere near the truth.
That’s like saying you work at Google, then just conveniently forgetting to mention you're actually scrubbing dishes in the Google cafeteria. You didn't lie, per se. You just gave the truth a little makeover.

Nancy Green7 said:It doesn't have to be outright lies; it’s all about how you frame the narrative. That’s what PR is for. You aren't making things up, you're just twisting the truth using vague, loaded language.

The reality is that we read something and then assign our own meaning to those specific words.

Take the phrase "speaks 6 languages," for example. Most people immediately picture a bunch of exotic foreign tongues, but in reality, if you count English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian, you're already at five. Throw in a little Portuguese and suddenly you're at six.

Or look at "top-tier companies are scrambling for these products." Everyone’s mind jumps straight to Apple, Ford, Google, or some other massive conglomerate, but honestly, any small firm could claim to be the "most powerful" within their own tiny niche.

The woman probably has an interesting resume, and this article is more of a poetic, loose interpretation of the facts. I personally know several people who could spin stories just like this. The simple fact that you move through several completely different states in just a few years provides plenty of fertile ground for this kind of storytelling. Looking at my own life, I haven't lived in my hometown for years now, and being an outsider makes it easier—people tend to remember you more easily when you're the newcomer.

Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking too. 😁 Time to add Mexican to the list too. 😬

Canadian
American
American
American
American
African American
Mountain

http://youtu.be/cJ66gr8P1Bs

rustywalker42 said:Every other day there's some story about these super-mega-hyper-genius young prodigies who "made it." I usually just tune them out—honestly, I’ve always felt the same way about this stuff—but this one actually made me want to start a thread. 😁

http://www.nytimes.com/life/lifestyle-success-stories/5480043/

So, here's the deal: this woman speaks six languages, she's lived in every major cosmopolitan hub on the planet, she's got two master's degrees, and a PhD—all fully funded, mind you. Everyone just hands her stuff for free. The world's top designers and photographers are all begging to work with her; everything just lands in her lap without her even breaking a sweat. they just call her. On top of that, she sings in two massive Chinese pop bands and now, in her late 30s, she's performing with a symphony orchestra.

Oh, wait, forgot to mention: she's launching a luxury jewelry line because, you guessed it, they called her.

And again, totally slipped my mind: she's also designing a high-end furniture collection because, surprise, surprise, she was invited.

What I want to know is: what do you guys think of these stories? How much of this is actually real, and what's the point of them besides pure self-promotion and selling this illusion of success?

Or am I just some bitter loser who didn't "make it" and is now just here to spread envy on a forum? 😁

There are certainly plenty of brilliant, talented young people out there, but if my life has taught me anything, it's this:

1.) Behind the vast majority of these "prodigies" stands a set of parents or a support system that invested heavily in them.

2.) You can be incredibly talented and still end up as just an average freelancer; to reach the next level, you need someone to push you through the door.

That means politics, or someone connected to politics—not necessarily you directly, but usually some wealthy patron. It isn't a guarantee of success, but it gives you the opportunity, and if you're smart, you take advantage of it. 😉

rustywalker42 said:Other than the fact that I don't believe 90% of what's being written here? Nothing. 😁

I don't see why she couldn't pull it off, especially after she headed out on her own...
So, she probably spent her time out there networking or whatever—running around trying to make connections since she couldn't exactly stay put. Or was she just wandering around aimlessly? Who knows.

Look, that’s all well and good, but did you actually bother to read the article? Seriously? Let me just pull out a few things for you:

She kicked things off studying design in Milan. She actually snagged a scholarship at a top-tier university there—wasn't just some random luck, either. Out of 200 students from all over Europe, she was the one they picked.
Meanwhile, she went ahead and knocked out her Master’s in interior design and urban planning.
So, Miranda’s fronting this massive band in China right now—huge popularity there. And her jewelry and furniture designs? You wouldn't believe it. Top-tier global corporations are practically clawing at each other just to get their hands on them.
Right after she finished school, she landed a job with Renzo Piano. You know, one of those heavy-hitting global architects? The guy TIME actually ranked as one of the ten most influential people in art and music. Plus, he's the mind behind that massive skyscraper in London.
An offer to work alongside that famous Italian architect Gianni Ranaul on some interior design project landed her in Paris, and before she knew it, she was halfway across the world in Mexico City.
So, Ranaulo does this specific thing with lighting. I actually worked on an interior project with him in Las Vegas once—totally wild setup, complete with a speaker that moves up and down. Anyway, a friend of mine who worked with Piano fell head over heels for a Mexican guy, and they ended up opening an office in Mexico City together. She invited me to join them, and you know what? I said yes. I was itching to go back to school anyway; I had my sights set on urban planning, so that became my second master's degree. I was the only non-architect in the program, too. Out of about thirty students, I was easily the youngest. They even gave me a scholarship for it. Then, after I presented my thesis, they offered me a PhD program in Barcelona. So, I packed my bags, quit the job in Mexico, headed back to Europe, and started hunting for an apartment in Barcelona. That’s the story, according to Miranda.
So, while she was hunting for an apartment in Barcelona, she decided—without getting her hopes up too high, obviously—to toss her resume over to an architecture firm in London. Apparently, living in London has always been the dream.

It was my birthday at the time, so I headed over to London for a few days to celebrate with friends. I figured I’d just worry about finding an apartment back in Barcelona once I got home. Then, out of nowhere, I get an email from that office asking me in for an informal interview. They actually asked if I could start the very next day. I pushed it back a few days, ended up staying in London for two years, and stayed on with them for a year and a half before photography caught my eye. The whole thing happened by accident. We had a deadline for some award submission, and since nobody had any free time to photograph our building, I just stepped up and did it. The director loved it. Suddenly, he's sending me on photo assignments left and right. To really sharpen my skills, I reached out to the heavy hitters—Iwan Bann and Fernand Guerra. Eventually, I even ended up collaborating with them in China.
"They scouted me to shoot for Blueprint—you know, that magazine every architect obsesses over. I was out there photographing 20th-century architecture and did a whole series on Wembley Stadium. Not long after, I snagged a year-long visa for New York. I had some freelance gigs lined up for London and was writing for a blog, too. I was only supposed to stay three months, but honestly? I went crazy for New York. I live for jazz. I ended up staying eight months," Miranda says. But apparently, China was her karma all along. She spent forever looking for work anywhere in the world, and where does she land? Beijing.

So, I landed this killer gig as a media promoter for an international firm with offices everywhere. Honestly? I didn't think I stood a chance. But then the director calls me for a Skype interview. And get this—I actually messed up the time zone, showed up in my pajamas, and kept my camera off. Somehow, they hired me anyway. That was my ticket to Asia. My life became a whirlwind of organizing exhibitions, scouting venues, hunting down sponsors, and even collaborating with architects on design projects. I was all over the map—attending conferences in Colombia and Mexico City, lecturing at universities, guesting on radio shows. I basically acted as the right hand to every director across their global offices, according to Miranda. Then, everything changed during the 2013 Beijing Design Week. I met this Italian architect who specialized in concrete. We teamed up, started experimenting, and ended up creating concrete jewelry. That’s where the whole jewelry chapter of Miranda's story really takes off.

Look, I'm done copying and pasting. Just read the article. 😁 Every single paragraph is just one win after another. Scholarships are drying up, yet they call her the best? They need the top talent right now. You don't see stories like that in the movies.

Like Richard Lewis16 says,
Bad luck? Please. People always forget that when things actually go right, they were blessed by God. Instead, they just credit their own selfish egos. Why is that?
Natural talent plus a ton of hard work? Fine by me. I don't see any issue with her just being exactly who she is.

Look, luck is obviously a massive factor. But man, this isn't just being lucky. It’s like... what do you even call it? A landslide of good fortune? Is she just the physical embodiment of luck at this point?

So, let me get this straight. She didn't even get a PhD from MIT, nor did she study mechanical engineering at some top university in Chicago. It was just some veggie-eating, woke nonsense, right?
Especially since she probably only shared the "sunny side" of things...😁
It’s common knowledge that in show business, everything runs on who you know and who's sleeping with whom. So why would anyone think those folks out there are any different? They aren't. Not by a long shot.

Besides, she’ll probably end up in China as some hot blonde. Everything has a price, right? And let's be real—she'll get the best deal there.😁

No way am I getting involved in that.

And besides that, how is that even considered a success story?!
What makes her so incredibly successful? Seriously? There are thousands just like her out there.
Besides, everyone’s got their own yardstick for success. Right?
Oh great, just waiting for someone to declare Emma Dvornik a massive success because she lives in London... what an incredible achievement. Seriously?🤣
So, someone just has a kid and suddenly they're a success story? Is that how this works now?

Look, please. Just like I've asked everyone else on this forum, let's not waste our breath debating what "success" actually means. Seriously. For some people, success is just raising kids and landing a steady job at Walmart. For others? It’s running for President of the United States. To each their own.

So, my question is this: do you guys actually buy into this kind of stuff?

Not me either. 😁 But man, I wish he’d actually explain his reasoning for once. 😁

You have to read between the lines here. It’s common knowledge that our local news outlets love to "glamorize" stories like this.

Personally, I know a few people who were hailed by the media as if they had achieved something monumental abroad, when in reality, they were just selling smoke and mirrors. They ended up crawling back to the US because someone overseas finally realized they were total frauds. Of course, the newspapers wrote that they returned to "give back to their country." ☕ mosh mslt

As for what happened with this girl specifically—they probably conveniently forgot to mention that

1) Someone actually funded her studies in Milan (her parents, for instance). She was definitely being pushed along; there is no way she jumped from a low-income housing project in Springfield straight into a high-end Milan design studio on her own.

2) She likely charmed some influential figure during her internship right after graduation. We can all guess how a "versatile" young woman manages to win over someone like that. I'm not saying that as a criticism, mind you.

3) Once someone opens up the world to you and introduces you to circles where people have more money than sense (you start hanging out with the wives of industrial titans and bankers who are never home), it becomes incredibly easy to sell any kind of "art" at astronomical prices.

In any case, the article only presents the positive side. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if she decides to return to "help the homeland" once her youth and looks have faded.

At the end of the day, I'm happy for people who get to live their dreams. And you really should be 😉

I.

I honestly think if newspapers actually committed to serious, analytical investigative journalism, they’d stumble right into the most critical fractures facing today's free world and our democratic constitutional norms. 😁

1. They’d get slapped down immediately. You aren't even allowed to question the concept of "democracy" anymore because it’s treated as an untouchable absolute, and the media acts as the primary enforcement tool for that dogma. 😁

2. The stories wouldn't be so "digestible" or fast-paced; you’d run into a lot of uncomfortable silence and tension instead of easy headlines.

3. Most journalists have been reduced to mere scribblers chasing Hollywood-style blockbusters. Their entire skill set now is basically just Googling and re-writing snippets from outlets like the BBC, the NYT, or CNN—outlets that were essentially engineered for a consumerist-washed populace. Anything with actual substance has either been shot down or driven out of business. All that's left are the cronies and the social climbers who are all about staying in the good graces of the establishment. 😁

4. And let's not pretend the audience is innocent here. The average Facebook reader isn't even capable of grasping or accepting a truly heavy, nuanced piece of writing.
Which, frankly, explains why circulation is cratering anyway.

5. Perhaps most importantly, if they actually wrote about truly successful people—I mean people who have achieved something meaningful within relevant frameworks—these ragtag publications would go out of business because there wouldn't be enough meat left on their bones to sustain them. 😁

We aren't successful as a society today. If we were, we wouldn't be stuck where we are. It’s all just tribalistic nonsense, pouring energy from one void into another.
In this setup, you have those who are labeled "successful" and then everyone else...
For some, success means stealing, cheating, bribing, exploiting, or bullying. Then you have the ones who refuse to play by those crooked rules and are branded as failures. 😁

You know how they say: some people can turn a total disaster into a grand opening 😁

And I’m not buying this idea that you need connections to make it. Look at me—I came from a blue-collar family with zero pull. Growing up wasn't easy, let me tell you, but I've built quite a lot for myself today. It all comes down to having guts. I was always ready to bet everything on the line. Moving cities, taking massive risks... Sure, it's a hell of a lot easier when someone hands you a leg up, and honestly, I'll be pushing my kids forward so they don't have to struggle the way I did.

We need more stories like this in the papers instead of just endless crime reports.

rustywalker42 said:That’s exactly how I see it. Articles like this just trigger that exact reaction in people. They start wondering—wait, if that's an issue, then where exactly is my problem?

But read him again. Every single paragraph is just a list of "achievements." Seriously? Nobody gets that lucky. Not even the wealthiest people in the country. Look, I don’t mind an article being written, but at least make it realistic. Instead of acting like she's this self-made prodigy when she actually speaks six languages—including various regional dialects and English—and her millionaire parents sent her to school in New York City and have been bankrolling her entire life. That’s my point. This kind of fake PR creates this massive illusion of success that is nowhere near the truth.
That’s like saying you work at Google, then just conveniently forgetting to mention you're actually scrubbing dishes in the Google cafeteria. You didn't lie, per se. You just gave the truth a little makeover.

Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking too. 😁 Time to add Mexican to the list too. 😬

Anthony,
How on earth can some absolute pile of garbage cause you to be emotionally unstable? Seriously, I’m struggling to wrap my head around that logic. It’s just nonsense.
Look, if you’re fundamentally unstable, you’ve got a problem that goes way deeper than any single argument or specific situation. It’s a character flaw, plain and simple, and honestly? That kind of volatility is a recipe for disaster. You can't just patch over someone who lacks a solid foundation.🤔
Look, you really could have stepped up and done something about all that mess she caused...😉
They basically wrote her off as a failure simply because she couldn't figure out how to weaponize being a woman to gain some kind of massive advantage. It’s the same old story.😁

Honestly, if you ask me, the whole thing is just a complete joke. It’s nothing more than a pathetic attempt at humor that ends up being cringeworthy. You see it all the time—people trying way too hard to crack these cheap, tasteless jokes in dive bars, thinking they're being clever when they're really just making everyone uncomfortable. It’s just mindless, low-brow nonsense.
Look, I’m not one to preach, but we all know that being able to laugh at the absurdity of it all is sometimes the only thing keeping us sane. It’s good for the soul, truly.😁
It’s honestly pathetic how people go out of their way to embarrass themselves over absolutely nothing. You see it all the time—people throwing themselves under the bus, making fools of themselves, and then acting like they didn't just commit social suicide in front of everyone. It’s unnecessary, it’s loud, and quite frankly, it's exhausting to watch. Why do people feel the need to be so incredibly reckless with their own reputations? I mean, seriously, have some self-respect.

What exactly are we supposed to expect from a country where the same handful of people stay in power indefinitely? It’s nothing but a massive disgrace—a total embarrassment to everyone living here.
They just keep on lying through their teeth without even blinking, acting like they aren't total frauds. It’s honestly pathetic to watch that vein pop in their forehead when they're caught in a lie. If people who are supposedly "upstanding" can't even manage to be honest, what on earth are you supposed to expect from some random stranger out on the street? When someone is just driven by pure instinct to claw their way into a better life, why would anyone expect them to play by the rules? It's all just survival of the fittest at that point.

I’m going to say this again, because apparently, I haven't made myself clear enough the first time.
What exactly makes her so successful? I mean, seriously, where does all this praise come from? It’s one of those things that really gets under my skin because when you actually sit down and look at the mechanics of it—really dissect the way she operates—it doesn't always add up to the hype we see in the media. I remember back when I was working a grueling stint over in Chicago, dealing with some incredibly high-pressure management, and I saw this exact same pattern. You have these figures who seem to glide through everything, and everyone just nods along like they've reached some pinnacle of achievement. But if you pull back the curtain, is it actual talent, or is it just a very polished brand? Is it strategy, or is it just being in the right place at the right time while everyone else is doing the heavy lifting? It feels like we’re constantly being sold this narrative of effortless excellence, but I’ve always been the type to demand a bit more substance before I start buying into the cult of personality. What is the actual foundation here? If you can't point to a specific, repeatable methodology, then calling it "success" starts to feel a bit hollow, doesn't it? I'm genuinely curious if anyone has a real answer, or if we're all just following the trend.
Let’s be real right out of the gate: this supposed "massive success" of hers is nothing more than the standard trajectory for any typical college student in America. Honestly? It’s completely unremarkable. There is absolutely nothing special about it.
So, some journalist just churned out this massive write-up about how she supposedly "saved" that absolute disaster of a local politician. Honestly? It’s nothing special. Just more sensationalist fluff designed to make her look like a hero while polishing the image of someone who is fundamentally incompetent. I've seen better storytelling in a middle school newsletter.
Look, let's be real here—this girl is out there scraping by on whatever part-time gigs she can stumble upon just to keep her head above water. It’s a constant struggle. She’s working these random shifts just to afford basic necessities, fund her travels, or even just have a little bit of fun every now and then. It’s a grind, honestly. One minute you're picking up extra hours at a coffee shop or running errands, and the next, you're praying the paycheck actually covers your flight to Vegas or a weekend trip to Miami. It’s exhausting, seeing someone hustle that hard just to maintain some semblance of a social life and see the world.
Some half-baked design project just wrapped up... honestly, thank God it wasn't some degree from RISD.
I’ve lived in quite a few different cities around the globe—and honestly, I have nothing but respect for that kind of life.
She was clearly trying to worm her way into some kind of position—though, if she actually ended up landing somewhere in China, then it’s obvious those Western bureaucrats didn't fall for her nonsense. They saw right through her stories, which were nothing more than cheap bar talk.
And now they’re slashing prices just to see if anyone is desperate enough to take the bait... Typical.
I suppose she enjoyed wandering around aimlessly for a while, but honestly, it’s about time she actually found a place to settle down. You can't just drift forever. Besides, time waits for no one—the years have a way of catching up with you whether you're ready or not.
Look, let’s be honest about how this world actually works. It’s brutal out there. If you aren't making moves and breaking through the noise at a rapid pace, you aren't just standing still—you’re actively sinking. You’re sliding toward failure while everyone else is accelerating past you. I learned this the hard way back when I was trying to climb the ladder at a firm in Chicago; if you weren't the first one in and the last one out, making sure your name was known, you were basically invisible. And in this economy? Being invisible is just a slow way to go broke. You either find your lane and floor it, or you get left in the dust. Simple as that.
It seems like everyone’s obsessed with playing the part of some high-society, white-collar elitist lately. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty anymore. Everyone wants the fancy office, the designer suit, and the prestige, but nobody actually wants to step foot on a construction site or deal with the grit and grime of real labor. It's all about the image, and zero percent about the actual work.
And then there’s the whole language issue... honestly, that's a massive question all on its own.
I mean, logically speaking, if someone actually lived somewhere for a significant amount of time, you’d assume they picked up the language. It’s common sense, right? But then again... language isn't some static thing you just download and store on a hard drive. It’s a living, breathing entity. If you aren't actively using it, if you aren't pushing it every single day, you're essentially out. You lose that edge. It's like any other skill—you stop practicing, you start fading. Simple as that.
Look, I’m not saying I can sit down in a boardroom in London or Tokyo and conduct high-level negotiations in their native tongues—I can't claim that level of fluency. If things get complicated, I usually just resort to some basic hand gestures or broken phrases to hack my way through the conversation. But let me tell you, when there's someone else in the room who actually understands the nuances of what's being said? Someone who's truly listening and knows those languages inside and out? Man, they’re usually sitting there biting their lip, trying desperately not to burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all.😁

Robin Johnson said:Personally, I don't believe even 10% of this crap.

Some woman has connections within that EPH mess—they love running pieces like this, especially when it’s about "successful young female entrepreneurs."

The people I actually know who are killing it—real winners—never do interviews like this. They don't need these fluff pieces; they just don't care.

Gloria (yet another EPH thing) is basically reserved for these fairy tales—they write these myths about women, like the wife of that guy Goluža. He funded her whole company—any smart person reading a "major entrepreneur" profile will realize her biggest achievement was just showing up at an international trade show. Big deal, right?

How many actual contracts did she sign? Zero. It’s always that vague wording: "Foreign investors from Israel and the USA have shown interest," and so on and so forth...

In reality, it's just one big nothingness launched with her husband's cash. But hey, the article paints her as this incredibly successful young powerhouse.

Then you've got them singing praises about Velina—that former dance star—acting like she's some massive business mogul with her own cosmetics line.

They conveniently forget they were writing about her a year or two ago as a huge entrepreneur running an exclusive flower shop—which tanked in the meantime. Both businesses were bankrolled by rich old guys.

And now, here they are again, presenting her as this wildly successful young woman. Of course, they’ll mention things like a one-year certificate in decoupage design or whatever.

There was also that story about the daughter of that woman from America, Nina Oberaiter Gluhak.

The kid decides she wants to do jewelry design, finishes a quick course, and boom—immediately there's an article about a "successful jewelry designer." How much she actually sold? They’re never gonna tell you that. Real results never make the cut.

But she gets portrayed as this incredible success story, and we’re all supposed to be impressed.

Don't be naive. You see these articles about male entrepreneurs too, but since I don't know their specific business backgrounds, I can't call them out. Most of them are just as hollow.

People who are truly successful don't need these write-ups—unfortunately, you won't even hear about them. And those are the people we should actually be reading about, because that's where the real lessons are.

Honestly, I think these kinds of articles are socially toxic. For more naive readers, they trigger depression and resentment toward their own lives. They start thinking everyone else is doing better or is somehow superior. Usually, they aren't.

EPH has specialized in this exact nonsense. Everyone is a superstar in EPH publications.
It's a total fantasy land.

You're not the only one who sees through this. There are plenty of genuinely successful people—some even more successful than her—but you won't find fluff pieces like this written about them.

I think you guys might have misread her slightly👍

A better comparison would be those "angel entrepreneurs"—people like: Prpic, Bakic, Tesla, and Chermak.😉

Why call out Prpić and Bakić? I already know exactly what people have to say about those other two.

briskranger5 said:There are certainly plenty of brilliant, talented young people out there, but if my life has taught me anything, it's this:

1.) Behind the vast majority of these "prodigies" stands a set of parents or a support system that invested heavily in them.

2.) You can be incredibly talented and still end up as just an average freelancer; to reach the next level, you need someone to push you through the door.

That means politics, or someone connected to politics—not necessarily you directly, but usually some wealthy patron. It isn't a guarantee of success, but it gives you the opportunity, and if you're smart, you take advantage of it. 😉

Learned the exact same way. (:

Ashley Mendoza6 said:You have to read between the lines here. It’s common knowledge that our local news outlets love to "glamorize" stories like this.

Personally, I know a few people who were hailed by the media as if they had achieved something monumental abroad, when in reality, they were just selling smoke and mirrors. They ended up crawling back to the US because someone overseas finally realized they were total frauds. Of course, the newspapers wrote that they returned to "give back to their country." ☕ mosh mslt

As for what happened with this girl specifically—they probably conveniently forgot to mention that

1) Someone actually funded her studies in Milan (her parents, for instance). She was definitely being pushed along; there is no way she jumped from a low-income housing project in Springfield straight into a high-end Milan design studio on her own.

2) She likely charmed some influential figure during her internship right after graduation. We can all guess how a "versatile" young woman manages to win over someone like that. I'm not saying that as a criticism, mind you.

3) Once someone opens up the world to you and introduces you to circles where people have more money than sense (you start hanging out with the wives of industrial titans and bankers who are never home), it becomes incredibly easy to sell any kind of "art" at astronomical prices.

In any case, the article only presents the positive side. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if she decides to return to "help the homeland" once her youth and looks have faded.

At the end of the day, I'm happy for people who get to live their dreams. And you really should be 😉

I.

Of course they sugarcoat it. That's exactly why I started this thread—to see what everyone else thinks. I agree with you, mostly, except on a few minor points... mainly the moral ones. 😁

Thomas Hernandez11 said:Anthony,
How on earth can some absolute pile of garbage cause you to be emotionally unstable? Seriously, I’m struggling to wrap my head around that logic. It’s just nonsense.
Look, if you’re fundamentally unstable, you’ve got a problem that goes way deeper than any single argument or specific situation. It’s a character flaw, plain and simple, and honestly? That kind of volatility is a recipe for disaster. You can't just patch over someone who lacks a solid foundation.🤔
Look, you really could have stepped up and done something about all that mess she caused...😉
They basically wrote her off as a failure simply because she couldn't figure out how to weaponize being a woman to gain some kind of massive advantage. It’s the same old story.😁

Honestly, if you ask me, the whole thing is just a complete joke. It’s nothing more than a pathetic attempt at humor that ends up being cringeworthy. You see it all the time—people trying way too hard to crack these cheap, tasteless jokes in dive bars, thinking they're being clever when they're really just making everyone uncomfortable. It’s just mindless, low-brow nonsense.
Look, I’m not one to preach, but we all know that being able to laugh at the absurdity of it all is sometimes the only thing keeping us sane. It’s good for the soul, truly.😁
It’s honestly pathetic how people go out of their way to embarrass themselves over absolutely nothing. You see it all the time—people throwing themselves under the bus, making fools of themselves, and then acting like they didn't just commit social suicide in front of everyone. It’s unnecessary, it’s loud, and quite frankly, it's exhausting to watch. Why do people feel the need to be so incredibly reckless with their own reputations? I mean, seriously, have some self-respect.

What exactly are we supposed to expect from a country where the same handful of people stay in power indefinitely? It’s nothing but a massive disgrace—a total embarrassment to everyone living here.
They just keep on lying through their teeth without even blinking, acting like they aren't total frauds. It’s honestly pathetic to watch that vein pop in their forehead when they're caught in a lie. If people who are supposedly "upstanding" can't even manage to be honest, what on earth are you supposed to expect from some random stranger out on the street? When someone is just driven by pure instinct to claw their way into a better life, why would anyone expect them to play by the rules? It's all just survival of the fittest at that point.

I’m going to say this again, because apparently, I haven't made myself clear enough the first time.
What exactly makes her so successful? I mean, seriously, where does all this praise come from? It’s one of those things that really gets under my skin because when you actually sit down and look at the mechanics of it—really dissect the way she operates—it doesn't always add up to the hype we see in the media. I remember back when I was working a grueling stint over in Chicago, dealing with some incredibly high-pressure management, and I saw this exact same pattern. You have these figures who seem to glide through everything, and everyone just nods along like they've reached some pinnacle of achievement. But if you pull back the curtain, is it actual talent, or is it just a very polished brand? Is it strategy, or is it just being in the right place at the right time while everyone else is doing the heavy lifting? It feels like we’re constantly being sold this narrative of effortless excellence, but I’ve always been the type to demand a bit more substance before I start buying into the cult of personality. What is the actual foundation here? If you can't point to a specific, repeatable methodology, then calling it "success" starts to feel a bit hollow, doesn't it? I'm genuinely curious if anyone has a real answer, or if we're all just following the trend.
Let’s be real right out of the gate: this supposed "massive success" of hers is nothing more than the standard trajectory for any typical college student in America. Honestly? It’s completely unremarkable. There is absolutely nothing special about it.
So, some journalist just churned out this massive write-up about how she supposedly "saved" that absolute disaster of a local politician. Honestly? It’s nothing special. Just more sensationalist fluff designed to make her look like a hero while polishing the image of someone who is fundamentally incompetent. I've seen better storytelling in a middle school newsletter.
Look, let's be real here—this girl is out there scraping by on whatever part-time gigs she can stumble upon just to keep her head above water. It’s a constant struggle. She’s working these random shifts just to afford basic necessities, fund her travels, or even just have a little bit of fun every now and then. It’s a grind, honestly. One minute you're picking up extra hours at a coffee shop or running errands, and the next, you're praying the paycheck actually covers your flight to Vegas or a weekend trip to Miami. It’s exhausting, seeing someone hustle that hard just to maintain some semblance of a social life and see the world.
Some half-baked design project just wrapped up... honestly, thank God it wasn't some degree from RISD.
I’ve lived in quite a few different cities around the globe—and honestly, I have nothing but respect for that kind of life.
She was clearly trying to worm her way into some kind of position—though, if she actually ended up landing somewhere in China, then it’s obvious those Western bureaucrats didn't fall for her nonsense. They saw right through her stories, which were nothing more than cheap bar talk.
And now they’re slashing prices just to see if anyone is desperate enough to take the bait... Typical.
I suppose she enjoyed wandering around aimlessly for a while, but honestly, it’s about time she actually found a place to settle down. You can't just drift forever. Besides, time waits for no one—the years have a way of catching up with you whether you're ready or not.
Look, let’s be honest about how this world actually works. It’s brutal out there. If you aren't making moves and breaking through the noise at a rapid pace, you aren't just standing still—you’re actively sinking. You’re sliding toward failure while everyone else is accelerating past you. I learned this the hard way back when I was trying to climb the ladder at a firm in Chicago; if you weren't the first one in and the last one out, making sure your name was known, you were basically invisible. And in this economy? Being invisible is just a slow way to go broke. You either find your lane and floor it, or you get left in the dust. Simple as that.
It seems like everyone’s obsessed with playing the part of some high-society, white-collar elitist lately. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty anymore. Everyone wants the fancy office, the designer suit, and the prestige, but nobody actually wants to step foot on a construction site or deal with the grit and grime of real labor. It's all about the image, and zero percent about the actual work.
And then there’s the whole language issue... honestly, that's a massive question all on its own.
I mean, logically speaking, if someone actually lived somewhere for a significant amount of time, you’d assume they picked up the language. It’s common sense, right? But then again... language isn't some static thing you just download and store on a hard drive. It’s a living, breathing entity. If you aren't actively using it, if you aren't pushing it every single day, you're essentially out. You lose that edge. It's like any other skill—you stop practicing, you start fading. Simple as that.
Look, I’m not saying I can sit down in a boardroom in London or Tokyo and conduct high-level negotiations in their native tongues—I can't claim that level of fluency. If things get complicated, I usually just resort to some basic hand gestures or broken phrases to hack my way through the conversation. But let me tell you, when there's someone else in the room who actually understands the nuances of what's being said? Someone who's truly listening and knows those languages inside and out? Man, they’re usually sitting there biting their lip, trying desperately not to burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all.😁

rustywalker42.

Quincy:

How exactly is some random trash supposed to make you lose it? Seriously? So you're just unstable by nature? That’s not exactly a great look...🤔 What did she even do? You could have handled that yourself...😉 So she was labeled a failure just because she couldn't figure out how to weaponize being a woman? Is that where we're at now?😁

I don't know. Am I losing my grip because of Miranda? 😁Yeah, I'm with her on this one. News like this is just toxic. It paints this totally fake picture of success that isn't actually happening.

Quincy:

I’m saying it again. So, what exactly makes her so successful? Let’s be real. Her big "success"? It’s just the standard track for any typical American student. Seriously, nothing special about it. So, some journalist wrote this whole big piece about how she saved some local disaster. Honestly? It’s nothing special. Just more hype for zero substance. She can barely scrape together enough part-time gigs just to keep her head above water, let alone afford a trip or actually have any fun. Some half-baked design nonsense just wrapped up... thank God they didn't graduate from RISD.

Look at how this article is written. Everything is "world-class." Everything is "the absolute best." That’s the whole point, isn't it?

Quincy:

It’s logical to assume if she lived there, she picked up the language. But still... language is a living thing. If you don't use it, you're out. I mean, sure, I can hold my own in Canada or maybe even up in Seattle... but let’s not kid ourselves. It's not like I'm suddenly fluent. I can hack through the basics with an axe if I have to. But anyone actually listening who knows those languages? They’re probably dying of laughter.😁

I'm honestly terrified she actually mastered six different languages just by bouncing around some cities for a few months at a time. How does that even work?

Nancy Green7 said:Why call out Prpić and Bakić? I already know exactly what people have to say about those other two.

Let's not turn this thread into a debate about them. Not here.

Alright, I'll go look for it.

rustywalker42 said:Learned the exact same way. (:

Of course they sugarcoat it. That's exactly why I started this thread—to see what everyone else thinks. I agree with you, mostly, except on a few minor points... mainly the moral ones. 😁

rustywalker42.

Quincy:

How exactly is some random trash supposed to make you lose it? Seriously? So you're just unstable by nature? That’s not exactly a great look...🤔 What did she even do? You could have handled that yourself...😉 So she was labeled a failure just because she couldn't figure out how to weaponize being a woman? Is that where we're at now?😁

I don't know. Am I losing my grip because of Miranda? 😁Yeah, I'm with her on this one. News like this is just toxic. It paints this totally fake picture of success that isn't actually happening.

Quincy:

I’m saying it again. So, what exactly makes her so successful? Let’s be real. Her big "success"? It’s just the standard track for any typical American student. Seriously, nothing special about it. So, some journalist wrote this whole big piece about how she saved some local disaster. Honestly? It’s nothing special. Just more hype for zero substance. She can barely scrape together enough part-time gigs just to keep her head above water, let alone afford a trip or actually have any fun. Some half-baked design nonsense just wrapped up... thank God they didn't graduate from RISD.

Look at how this article is written. Everything is "world-class." Everything is "the absolute best." That’s the whole point, isn't it?

Quincy:

It’s logical to assume if she lived there, she picked up the language. But still... language is a living thing. If you don't use it, you're out. I mean, sure, I can hold my own in Canada or maybe even up in Seattle... but let’s not kid ourselves. It's not like I'm suddenly fluent. I can hack through the basics with an axe if I have to. But anyone actually listening who knows those languages? They’re probably dying of laughter.😁

I'm honestly terrified she actually mastered six different languages just by bouncing around some cities for a few months at a time. How does that even work?

Let's not turn this thread into a debate about them. Not here.

My bad on the name, sorry...👍

Personally, I don't think the news itself is harmful,
because I really don't see anything malicious happening here... sure, it's a bit of classic smoke and mirrors and self-congratulation...
but honestly, it's better to read something like that than some mindless news cycle or those "typical American daily life" fluff pieces.

If you (or they) have a real sense of SELF, a genuine life story, a philosophy, actual knowledge, and real experience... I don't see how some trashy article could ever diminish that.
Besides, everything the media does is driven by the same underlying interest...
Take the ski season right now, for instance...
The media pumps it up (because the owners dictate it) and the public eats it up..
It's not rocket science... the people who have money will always have it, and it always has been that way!
People buy houses, people have sex... it's not exactly a massive crisis..
It's all just sensationalist headlines designed to stir the pot and trick the gullible crowd into trying to sell themselves on a lifestyle they can't afford...😁
And then we end up back at that same tired topic: the idea that you *must* have a new car, a new house, a new wife, a new job... because if you don't... you're a loser. And why? Because Huseinoba and Steve & brand from Beverly Hills said so, since they're clearly the gold standard for everyone else, right?😁
Then, naturally, the idiots follow suit, working themselves to death like dogs... take Joe, for example. Instead of spending time with his wife, he's stuck working overtime for the sixteenth time in a row, while of course, his wife has already moved on to the Postman...
Marriage falls apart because Joe is just an intolerant, narrow-minded guy..
And yet, we all try so hard to finally act like we're part of the Western elite,
where everyone is just an individualist looking out for themselves... including Joe, the Postman, and his wife...😁

rustywalker42 said:That’s exactly how I see it. Articles like this just trigger that exact reaction in people. They start wondering—wait, if that's an issue, then where exactly is my problem?

But read him again. Every single paragraph is just a list of "achievements." Seriously? Nobody gets that lucky. Not even the wealthiest people in the country. Look, I don’t mind an article being written, but at least make it realistic. Instead of acting like she's this self-made prodigy when she actually speaks six languages—including various regional dialects and English—and her millionaire parents sent her to school in New York City and have been bankrolling her entire life. That’s my point. This kind of fake PR creates this massive illusion of success that is nowhere near the truth.
That’s like saying you work at Google, then just conveniently forgetting to mention you're actually scrubbing dishes in the Google cafeteria. You didn't lie, per se. You just gave the truth a little makeover.

Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking too. 😁 Time to add Mexican to the list too. 😬

Someone actually caught on that those six languages are all from the same area...
it was probably English, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese...
When someone has a knack for languages, it isn't really that shocking, since Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese aren't that far apart... she likely met a ton of people who speak them too (not me, though, I have zero talent for languages and struggle just to pick up something new every few months)...
What do you mean wealthy old folks, when she was living on scholarships?
And as for the "successes," I think she just worked with some people and had a few photos published somewhere...
I mean, my photos get published sometimes too and they get plenty of likes, which might actually get more people to check out her band on YouTube collectively...

She was doing office management for some Chinese company years ago, so you spend money like crazy and naturally, you meet all sorts of people...
Even I, wandering around certain rougher parts of town, had the chance to hang out with two chefs who actually have those silly Michelin stars...
One of them cooked dinner for me a couple of times, so there goes the "success"...

In the American media, it’s either total worship or complete ruin, there’s rarely any middle ground...

Man, I'm defending her like she owes me something...😬
maybe I'll just go crash at her place if I ever head over to China...