Rich People - Blog Posts

HELP NEEDED

I've accepted an offer from a UK university & it's a dream come true for me (and my family) to continue my study abroad.

But considering that our country's economy is SHITE, I've been trying to look up for ways to fund my studies. For right now, I have a potential loan I'm applying to which would go towards half of my tuition fees - unfortunate to have a loan but at least, there's something, you know?

Here's the thing though, I've heard of people being sponsored by goodwill people who are wealthy (and ig philantropic enough???) to do so - and I'm just wondering - where can I find these people. You might think I'm joking - I'm genuinely not.

I have some side hustles that can only pay me so much, so genuinely, where can I find sponsors? Honestly, of course, if it's not meant to be, then I can try next year's intake but I'm sl close - I already have an offer, I just need some financial help.

So please, good tumblr people, I need some advice or some pointers/leads I can try follow. Other than that, hope you have a blessed day regardless :D

He took the matchbox from my shaking hands and lit one. The whole thing caught flame easily. Hardly stepping away he dropped it on the ground, which sparked an immediate chain reaction.  We'd done good prepping.

He wrapped his arm around me, and I leaned into him.  It was a warm autumn evening; he had sundrops in his hair, the air smelled of wildflowers and gasoline. Running his fingers trough my hair he began humming a familiar tune, a lullaby father had taught me.  I glanced up at him, and saw the reflection of our home in his eyes. Something inside broke and collapsed. I finally dared look straight at the house. The fire had spread quickly, already eating away at the upstairs outer wall.

Smoke began to clog the view before our lungs.  He took a deep breath, and began guiding me gently toward the car. A single suitcase filled with books & paintings laid on the back seat. It was all we'd taken from our years here.  I wrapped his coat tighter around myself, as we drove off into the world outside the manor.

If you are a Black Butler fan, prepare yourselves for what's to come! I am drawing a BB inspired single page comic; my own characters; it's going to be rather interesting if I do say so myself!

Things I didn't realize I could do despite NOT being Posh/Rich

Namely because I grew up not seeing it done in my own family so assumed I wouldn't ever be able afford to, or that was a class rule thing that I wasn't allowed to break lest I be perceived as a social climber or inadvertently saying I'm better than my peers.

Yay my Autistic black and white logic.

Since coming to these realizations, whole new levels of joy have opened up in my life.

(In no particular order)

#1 - Trimming my nails so they were all the same length on each finger and both hands

I’m honestly not sure what made me think I couldn’t trim my nails so they were all the same length. I grew up seeing adult women in my circle have uneven nails on their hands vs posh women with professionally manicured hands so maybe my mind just made the correlation. I always thought that the even nails were so elegant and wished my could be even too, but the women in my family didn’t care about manicures, and to be fair, I didn’t and still don’t like wearing nail polish, so even if I had worked up the nerve to ask for a manicure, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it.

But then one day when I was in my teens, I randomly, from the corner of my eye, watched a bit of some tween animated show (maybe Bratz?) and one of the girls broke a nail and then went on about how now she was going to have to trim all the other ones to match. And my mind was blown.

I realized then that having my nails all different lengths upset me. It didn’t matter if one or two of them had grown in very nicely if they didn’t match the rest. In fact, I was perfectly happy with them all being trimmed to the nubs if it meant they were all the same length.

I still have yet to get a professional manicure and I still don’t like painting my nails. I tend to keep my nails fairly short because I do martial arts and bake and gardening so having them short is practical. And having them all even makes me happier than a few of them looking elegant.

#2 - Having matching sets of themed underwear

As a teen and into my twenties, my bras never matched my underwear. Because I was raised on the kind of underwear you get in large packs. My mother openly scoffed at the pantie displays, saying pantie was such a vulgar term, and from the media it seemed wearing matching sets of underwear was reserved for “the bedroom”. Whenever I passed by a Victoria’s Secret, I’d see the piles of lace and my good Christian girl brainwashing had me roll my eyes and tell myself that I was better than the uncouth masses for not wearing such highly sensual underwear since obviously one only wore it if one was expecting to have intercourse with a man.

And then I discovered matching socks weren’t just a fashion statement limited to men.

Socks growing up had also followed the same rule as purchasing underwear - cheap and in bulk. But then I got several ballet flats and realized my normal socks were not going to go well so I got several pairs of cute floral socks to match with my outfits.

I also had been going to therapy recently and had started lifestyle changes like going to taekwondo three times a week and incorporating more healthy foods into my diet (I’m still pretty picky because most healthy foods aren’t safe foods for me, but smaller changes like using 100% whole wheat bread and drinking 2% milk have helped a lot).

Long story short, I was feeling more positive and comfortable and confident in my body and treated myself to some new clothes. Because I had also discovered Torrid - a clothing store that designs clothes specifically for women like me.

And after get a new wardrobe, the likes of which I never thought I’d get to have because all the cute clothes everywhere were too small for me, I realized I didn’t need a reason besides wanting to feel pretty to buy matching underwear sets. And to have enough to last me two weeks without repeating!

I’m such a visual person and it took me a long time to realize and embrace it. Sometimes I just open the special drawer where I keep all my pretty underwear and admire them.

#3 - Spaces beside your bedroom can be themed

By now the visual theme is well established. Stimming for neurodivergent people can take on my forms through the various senses - it’s not just limited to “flapping”. Visual stimming is my biggest stim. Nothing makes me happier than staring at beauty.

My bedroom has always been my sanctuary, especially growing up. We moved 8 times my first 18 years and my mom, being the artist that she is, tried to make the transitions easier by letting us pick a new theme for our rooms every time we moved.

The rest of the house outside my bedroom never seemed to have a theme. It was the 90s-2000s and if you don’t know the aesthetic for that time period consider yourself lucky. My parents also collected things from the places we moved and the trips we had gone on, so the rest of the house looked pretty chaotic to me (especially since in my room everything had to have a place and god forbid a single pillow was out of place).

I didn’t stay long enough in my first two apartments to put any effort into them (first one was while working as a teacher in Japan and the second was when I was in grad school). But when I got my first real job and my first real apartment, that’s when I realized I could decorate however I wanted to (because I was starting from scratch).

It took some trial and error to figure out what worked for me in each of the rooms. Obviously I couldn’t spend massive amounts of money, but with a little creativity I managed to cultivate spaces that made me happy.

My kitchen is very Japanese inspired - white base with sage green accents, bamboo blond pieces, and black or white appliances. My bathroom is white with navy colored middle eastern inspired accents. My study is white, blue, yellow, and green, the focal point being from a large Ghibli Castle in the Sky mural. And my bedroom is cottagecore fairytale with a base palette of white, green, yellow, red, and dark woods.

#4 - I can collect art from my favorite artists

For the final visual theme, ART. Growing up, my mom was a freelance artist. Our home was decorated with pieces she had made herself. From osmosis, I assumed either you were rich enough to buy original pieces, you were creative enough to make your own, or your were neither and were reduced to the cheap mass produced pieces one bought at hobby stores.

I inherited my mother’s talent for art and felt I couldn’t hang up anything on my own walls unless I had made it myself. Because why by someone else’s work when I could make my own?

But this was a problem because what I made didn’t always seem good enough for me to stare at it for hours and that would just make me grumpy.

And then I discovered that a lot of my favorite digital artists had shops. And from those shops, you could order prints.

And I realized buying prints was actually a very important thing to do, because it was supporting a freelance artist, like my mom had been. And what could be better than that? Plus I got to have beautiful pieces hanging in my place for me to stare at and visually stim to.

#5 - Just because something is a name brand and expensive doesn’t mean I can’t buy it if I can afford it

For years my mother has pointed out that I have expensive taste. For some reason I tend to gravitate towards the priciest items without even knowing how expensive they are. She also has a tendency to tell me I’m terrible with money (though living on my own without going into debt for over 10 years now should have proved to her and myself that that isn’t true).

Naturally this evolved into a strange complex of me thinking I didn’t deserve to buy name brand products.

And then I discovered Torrid (which by my upbringing is a name brand), and threw caution to the wind to buy clothes that I loved despite them not being on sale (though I still waited for sales and used discounts whenever possible).

And then I heard a rumor that Mazda wasn’t going to be making the Mazda3 model that I was in love with (because so many things about it from the color to the chassis reminded me of my favorite transformer, TFP Knockout). My old car was starting to break down and I decided I had saved enough for a new car (because it seemed getting a house where I lived would never happen anyway), and I bought my brand new dream car.

I know Mazda and Torrid probably aren’t considered high end name brands by posh people, but to me they are. Because growing up my clothes came from thrift stores or Walmart or from the sales racks at Kohls. I was never allowed to buy anything new at full price. When my family got new cars, the old ones had to be dead and the new ones were purchased for their practicality, not their looks.

My parents kept a tight leash on their finances. Both came from poorer families that had to make hard decisions and be creative to get by at times. And I appreciate the money saving tips they gave me.

But this is my life, and I need to find and make my own happiness. That doesn’t mean buying whatever I want whenever I want, but it also means not denying myself little luxuries because I don’t think I deserve them.

The kids scurried into class and settled down. Except a few who fell victim to their nerves and jitters, the children were quite excited. Oh this day would be the best! They'd be able to brag and boast about their parents.. Be able to show off how qualified and rich they are. And boy did Brianna love the thought of getting all the attention.

The boy she sat next to was quite happy too. He was smiling a bit too much for her liking though. Putting his pearly whites on full display, he made no effort in hiding his exhilaration.

Must've found a lone penny somewhere.. Why else would he be so happy?

It was true. The boy was ecstatic but not because of some lone penny.. But because he'd finally get to tell his friends about his father... His dear old man... His Poppa

Turn by turn the kids stood in front of the class and bragged about their parent's achievements and their bank balances. They spoke with a proud glint in their eyes and all but exclaimed about wealthy fathers and beautiful mothers till their voice went hoarse.

".. And that's how we ended up living in our humble 23 million dollar home." Brianna's little speech received a round of applause.. But her eyes held irritation and her fists balled up as her jaw clenched. He's STILL smiling!

Little Julio's smile had not diminished one bit.. If anything it had grown wider... Why?

Well because he was up next.

Brianna huffed and sat in her seat as she waited for him to start speaking. She wanted to be known for having the best. The best of the luxuries, style and standard of living.. The best parents would've been a good addition to the list. But judging from the smile little Julio was sporting, she was afraid he'd have it better than he-

"I live in the suburbs.." Brianna bit back a scoff. Suburbs?! I was a fool to think he'd have anything better.

"When I grow up I want to be like my Poppa." A low laugh resonated in the class. "Poppa?really?"

He was mocked but Julio wouldn't bother himself with that now. He was too happy. He had finally said something about his dad. His father who bought him his favourite ice cream and then gave him a piggy back ride home. His poppa was just the best, wasn't he?

"Um.. Julio? What does your father do?" the teacher asked. "You left that part out, sweetie."

"Oh. Um.. My father.. He roams around happily... Yeah. That's what he does." The class burst into laughter, unable to control themselves at his answer.

Roam around happily? Ha! Brianna couldn't help but snicker along.

The teacher, heaving a nervous laugh and shushing the class questioned again, "No, Julio. I meant to ask what your father's profession is. What is your father?"

"Yes Julio! Tell us what your father is!" A boy hollered from the back.

"He is um... He is a d-"

"A doctor?!"

"No"

"A dentist?"

"No"

"... A dog walker?"

This time Julio just shook his head in the negative.

Oh if only Brianna had brought some popcorn. She was enjoying the show oh-so-much!

This is good..Very good.

"Darn it Julio.. Just tell us! We are very eager to know." A girl in the back said, mock and sarcasm lacing her voice.

"My father is a very happy spirit"

"We know Julio. We all kno-"

"He's dead."

"My Poppa is finally happy because he's dead."

And that was the first time his smile faltered. And the first time that all but eight words had silenced the rowdy class.

Eat the rich? What are the Panama Papers, and why they are important.

The Panama Papers were the leaked 115. million documents that the Panamanian-based law firm Mossack Fonseca gathered that revealed secret shell companies and bank accounts that had been established by the most wealthy politicians and celebrities to either avoid taxes, sanctions or illegal business dealings. Either way, the documents details information dating back to 1977, when the firm was founded, and was released back five years ago, in 2015.

NO. 2

The documents were released by an anonymous source through an unauthorized disclosure, and reported that the owners who belonged to several countries including the U.S, Britain, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, China, Russia; the offshore companies were registered predominantly in the British Virgin Islands, Panama, the Bahamas, Niue, Samoa, and the Seychelles. The Panama Papers were leaked to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, and it was analyzed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists where close to 400 respective journalists, coming from over 100 news organizations from 76 countries, worked for a year to uncover that the offshore investments were associated with close to 140 politicians, or connected to their families including leaders from Russia, Pakistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Iceland, Britain, and prominent officials in China. Both Prime Ministers Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson of Iceland and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan resigned, in 2016 and 2017. The firm in question, denied any wrongdoings in it’s handlings of the investigations, and claimed that all dealings in it’s shell companies were perfectly legal, but that didn’t stop Panama’s police to raid the firm and arrest it’s founders on chargers on money laundering, where they spent months in jail.

NO. 3

So, what does this mean? It means that the rich have too much power, especially politicians. Amongst millennials, we have this claim to ‘eat the rich’ because we understand that it’s easy to become corrupted by the very things poor people never will have. The privilege to have, buy and afford whatever you desire on a whim. There are no consequences to your actions if the average person doesn’t know what you did, or how you did it, was illegal. These people have the money and the power to fix the world, to end global hunger, to fix homelessness, and to create a better plan to combat climate change, but they decided to keep their money to themselves out of greed and the illusion of power. I, as a young millennial, had not known about the Panama Papers, and this story came out in 2015. But that doesn’t mean that nothing happened to combat it. In late 2018 the U.S Justice Department indicted several people’s associated with the schemes, billions in stolen assets were returned to their citizens, and 82 consecutive countries changed their laws to crack down on the stolen wealth hoarding the papers revealed. And it was all thanks to the journalist who led the investigation: Daphne Caruana Galizia from Malta, who had a personal blog called Running Commentary. She was murdered October 16, 2017, and her work is what laid the groundwork for the Panama Papers, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to her and the other hundreds of journalists who worked to change, and better the world.

Jeff bezoz needs to die bc why can I only RENT a film from 1967 for four whole great British pounds!!! if I could find it in a charity shop I could buy it permanently for approximately two quid!!! I am outraged!!!!!!!!!!!