Azi se fac 2 ani de cand am inceput sa ma maturizez. Azi se fac 2 ani de cand m-am indragostit nebuneste candva si dupa mi-a trecut. Azi se fac 2 ani de cand il stiu pe Flo. Nu e cine stie ce in realitate, doar ca imi aduc aminte cu tare mult drag de ziua asta.

Vorbeam pe net de mai bine de o luna cu un tip, cu care aveam extrem de multe lucruri in comun. Era simpatic, inteligent si al naibii de vulnerabil. Ce sa mai, deja eram extaziata. Tipul fiind din Brasov si eu din Bucuresti, problema de a ne vedea la un cico era destul de complicata. Asa ca am hotarat sa ne vedem la jumatea drumului, sau ma rog, aproape, am ales Ploiestiul.

Asa ca in jurul orei  8:00, intr-o zi friguroasa de vineri, eleva de clasa a 11-a a ajuns in gara. Cu destinatia: evident Ploiesti. In timpul asta baiatul dragut era in tren deja. Trenul lui ajungand in gara cu 8 minute mai devreme. Tot drumul m-am gandit la cum sper sa nu-mi iau teapa si ca nu sunt sanatoasa ca fac asa ceva. Evident ca era prima data cand ma vedeam cu cineva de pe net, si evident ca a fost si ultima.

Am ajuns bine mersi, cobor scarile ca sa trec in gara de pe peron, la capatul lor, pe partea cealalta se afla Flo, slabut, brunet, inalt si cu ochi albastrii.  Ne-am salutat timid, cu siguranta ne-am placut pentru ca abea scoteam un cuvant fiecare, eram rosii ca racii si ne uitam unu la celalalt cu coada ochiului. Ne hotaram ca ar fi o idee sa gasim un local, sa bem ceva si sa stam de vorba. Cine ar fi crezut ca asta o sa fie o misiune asa grea? Sa cauti aproape 2 ore si sa gasesti doar biserici e putin de neimaginat.

La un semafor, el se gandeste ca ar fi bine sa-mi faca un compliment: “Esti mult mai mica..miniona..draguta in realitate. Esti mica rau oricum.” Am zambit, macar a incercat. Si ma rog.. chiar sunt micuta asa cu totul.

In timp ce traversam ilegal un bulevard mare, ne-am luat de mana si am mers asa dupa. Mult timp (mai ales pentru ca nu gaseam un loc). Intr-un final am gasit un loc, era chiar dragut. Ne-am asezat si el a scos din ghiozdan o punga mare cu un maimutoi de plus in ea. A fost dragut rau. Ne-am sarutat. Mult. Am stat de vorba, a povestit, am facut poze, am ras, am baut Stela neagra

Se facuse cam tarziu si ne-am hotarat sa ne intoarcem inapoi la gara si fiecare sa-si ia trenul spre casa. Cu siguranta in gara aia m-am indragostit teribil. Ne-am indragostit. Eram clar fericiti. Si ziua aia cred ca nu imi va iesi din cap multi ani de acum incolo.

Au urmat 7 luni  in care am simtit ca am pe cineva acolo, cu care impart aceleasi sentimente. Cu bune si cu rele si mai ales cu multe drumuri la gara.

Dupa cum e deja evident, dupa 7 luni lucrurile s-au schimbat si distanta si-a spus cuvantul, dar el a ramas in continuare, prietenul meu Flo. Vorbim, ne vedem, discutam, ne reamintim, radem si compania lui ma va face mereu sa fiu binedispusa. Nu mai sunt indragotita de mult, nici el. Am ales alte drumuri. Dar sunt acolo pentru el cand are nevoie si el pentru mine.

Sper ca o sa facem aia 10 ani de cand ne stim si sa putem povestii, asa cum ne-am promis la inceput.

Morala: Toti oamenii care trec prin viata ta lasa ceva din ei la tine, unii aleg sa plece cand nu mai au nevoie, altii prefera sa ramana.

*Poza este una nereusita, din ziua aia.

Hotel Dash – Suite Success (35 MB download)
When Quinn’s new travel business hits a snag, she needs Flo’s patented elbow grease to help renovate and run hotels all over DinerTown! As Flo, you will deliver guest’s luggage, drop off room service and provide extra towels, blankets and anything else they may need to stay happy and leave big tips! Along the way you will use your tips to decorate and restore each hotel back to its original charm. Watch out for the mysterious mishaps and accidents that threaten your progress! Do you have what it takes to keep everyone happy, or will the mysterious shadow halt your success?

Marraskuun alussa pidettiin Kööpenhaminassa ensimmäinen yhteispohjoismainen ay-liikkeen ja Reilun kaupan konferenssi. Kansainvälinen yhteistyöjärjestömme Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) panostaa tällä hetkellä vahvasti koko Reilun kaupan järjestelmän kehittämiseen, ja yhteistyötä niin kansainvälisen kuin paikallisenkin ammattiyhdistysliikkeen kanssa syvennetään entisestään.

Konferenssiin osallistui ay-liikkeiden edustajien lisäksi FLO:ssa tänä syksynä aloittanut Head of Trade Union and Labour Rights, Peter Hurst (tausta muun muassa seuraavissa organisaatioissa: International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF), International Labour Organization (ILO) ja WWF) . Hänen palkkaamisensa on osoitus siitä, että järjestelmässä panostetaan nyt asiantuntemukseen tällekin alueelle. Hän tulee muun muassa kouluttamaan valvontayhtiö FLO-CERTin tarkastajia työntekijöiden oikeuksien polkemisen havaitsemiseen.

Vastaavia Reilun kaupan ja ay-liikkeiden tilaisuuksia tullaan ehkä järjestämään muuallakin Euroopassa. Meillä Pohjoismaissa, erityisesti Suomessa ja Ruotsissa, on koko Reilun kaupan olemassaolon ajan ollut hyvät ja rakentavat suhteet paikalliseen ay-liikkeeseen. Näin ei valitettavasti ole kaikkialla, ja olemme hyvillämme voidessamme näyttää (tässäkin asiassa) hyvää esimerkkiä sisarjärjestöillemme. Reilun kaupan järjestelmässä on paljon kehitettävää, ja meillä on halu parantaa entisestään sekä järjestelmää, että ennen kaikkea kehitysmaiden viljelijöiden ja työntekijöiden elämää. On tärkeää, että voimme ammentaa laajan kannatuspohjamme asiantuntemusta kehittämispyrkimyksissämme.

Hotel Dash – Suite Success (35 MB download)
When Quinn’s new travel business hits a snag, she needs Flo’s patented elbow grease to help renovate and run hotels all over DinerTown! As Flo, you will deliver guest’s luggage, drop off room service and provide extra towels, blankets and anything else they may need to stay happy and leave big tips! Along the way you will use your tips to decorate and restore each hotel back to its original charm. Watch out for the mysterious mishaps and accidents that threaten your progress! Do you have what it takes to keep everyone happy, or will the mysterious shadow halt your success?

Flo’s friend Quinn is back and getting the can-do waitress into more sticky situations. Quinn’s wedding planning venture has become a success, leading her into a profitable side business of organizing honeymoons and other vacation getaways for DinerTown residents. The only problem is that every place she tends to send clients… turns out to be a total dump! Now she needs Flo’s help to rebuild five classic hotels, each in only ten days. Because in ten days her clients arrive and she can’t afford for them to be disappointed.

Flo’s too busy to even take off her apron, but she agrees to help her red-headed friend. In Hotel Dash: Suite Success, from Playfirst, Flo acts as bellboy and maid in five different hotels, each with ten fast-paced levels. This hotel time management game plays very much like a typical Diner Dash game.

Guests arrive in the lobby, where Quinn checks them in. Your job is to drag them into a room. Large groups of guests require larger rooms, while groups of one or two people can be placed in smaller rooms. Each group is a different primary color, and each room is also a primary color (based on the last group to occupy it). If you can match guests to a room that corresponds to their color, you’ll get a small score bonus. As you progress through the level, restoring the hotel, new rooms and hotel features become available.

Guests immediately need their luggage taken to their room. When they check out, they leave a garbage bag of dirty laundry at the door to be washed. (And presumably sent to their home? I’m not sure how this works. The check-out process is a bit odd in Dinertown. Guests pay at their room door instead of going back down to Quinn at the front desk.) Flo must cart guests’ luggage up to their room, settle their bill when they’re ready to check out, and take care of all their needs in between: room service, towels for the pool, mopping up the water guests constantly spill into the hallway, feeding their noisy dogs, taking their snapshots, waking them when they sleepwalk, and more.

As in all time management games, everything is accomplished by clicking. You can chain together as many commands as you want. Click on the luggage in the hallway, the room it needs to go to, a bag of laundry in the door of another room, etc., and Flo will move to each place in turn. However if you goof up and tell her to go to the wrong place (for example, sending a suitcase to the wrong room), you’ll have to restart the chain. The more like actions you accomplish in a single chain, the more bonus points you receive.

There’s no day and night cycle; guests arrive and leave at their whim.

Groups of guests arrive with five hearts floating above their heads. These hearts represent their satisfaction with their hotel stay. Keep them waiting for too long and their hearts will decrease… if they decrease completely, the guest will become angry and leave! The happier the guest, the bigger the tip. Some guests are more impatient than others. Luckily Flo can bring ice to any room to improve the guests’ spirits. What do they do with the ice? Beats me, but they jump for joy when it arrives.

Each hotel has a special suite that Flo and Quinn must decorate before ten days are up and Quinn’s charges arrive. These suites are upgraded by spending Star Bills to purchase extravagances to make the suite look nicer. For example, a floor lamp costs 25 Star Bills. Yes, I know that’s expensive! When I was a kid a floor lamp would have to speak seven different languages if someone expected my parents to pay more than, say, twenty Star Bills for it! You earn Star Bills by upgrading the regular rooms in the hotel: every room you purchase a star upgrade for earns Star Bills when guests stay in it.

Hotel Dash: Suite Success game also offers a regular score, based on how many guests you put up, your color-matching bonuses, whether anyone left in anger, bonuses for fast service, and tips based on the customer’s experience. This score acts as your cash fund from which you purchase cosmetic upgrades for the hotel. You can make the elevators faster, get a cart for Flo so she can carry more things at once, put flowers and artwork in the hallways, buy better mops and ice machines, etc.

I’m afraid I wasn’t too impressed with the graphics… it’s been years but we’re still serving the same smirking teen girl customers as in previous games. That didn’t bother me too much, because there are many different customer types included, from ghosts to celebrities to loud-mouthed cell phone talkers to sports fanatics. However the jerky/stuttering way Flo and guests climb in and out of the hotel elevators did annoy me. There’s nothing smooth about it, and as everyone is constantly riding the elevators, it’s something Playfirst shouldn’t have cut corners on.

Review by Uesugi

CasualExplosion

Wedding Dash (17 MB download)
Help Quinn make wedding bells ring! Assist couples in selecting all the details – from tasty cakes to gorgeous flowers – but once they’ve tied the knot, look out for obstacles preventing the perfect party, such as tipsy guests, falling cakes, and catty bridesmaids. Can you keep the bride and groom happy and Quinn’s business afloat?

Hotel Dash – Suite Success (35 MB download)
When Quinn’s new travel business hits a snag, she needs Flo’s patented elbow grease to help renovate and run hotels all over DinerTown! As Flo, you will deliver guest’s luggage, drop off room service and provide extra towels, blankets and anything else they may need to stay happy and leave big tips! Along the way you will use your tips to decorate and restore each hotel back to its original charm. Watch out for the mysterious mishaps and accidents that threaten your progress! Do you have what it takes to keep everyone happy, or will the mysterious shadow halt your success?

*just a quick one

Well, this commercial is stupid.  It isn’t funny, Flo isn’t funny, the guy who looks like Steve-O isn’t funny, and progressive insurance isn’t funny.  So the joke is… I don’t know, there isn’t one.  She just kind of talks… for the whole fucking time.  This commercial suggests she rides a motorcycle.  She pantomimes riding a motorcycle and the guy, who’s just trying to make conversation and be nice, suggests she rides a 500.  Then Flo, acting like a total bitch, one-ups the guy and says she rides some better motorcycle showing her vast knowledge of the subject.  The guy who looks like steve-o clearly doesn’t give a shit about her, and to avoid talking to her again, ends the conversation.  I don’t know why she felt she had to prove her knowledge of motorcycles.  It’s just like someone who feels the need to announce something they’ve done, like scoring a goal, because they didn’t get a reaction for anyone.  The go “yeah!  I scored!” and nobody fucking cares because we all saw you score and clearly don’t give a shit because we don’t feel like wasting breath acknowledging it.

So what did I learn at the end of all these progressive commercials?  Flo is consistently unfunny and I’m muting the commercials every time they come on.  If I could give this commercial a rating out of 5, I wouldn’t.  1 isn’t low enough.

My son left this morning with some leftovers and his favorite cake.  Since I already had the turkey out, I cut off the rest of the meat and threw the carcass out.  My husband asked if I was going to boil the carcass to make soup.  I looked at him like he was out of his mind.  I gave Gus and the kitties some of the yucky stuff.  Olive said, ‘no, thanks’.  Flo ate a good deal of it.  I had to give her a separate plate because she kept growling at everyone else.  I think she is going to be one of those round kitties.  I’ll do what I can, but it’s hard with other cats to feed.

Hotel Dash – Suite Success (35 MB download)
When Quinn’s new travel business hits a snag, she needs Flo’s patented elbow grease to help renovate and run hotels all over DinerTown! As Flo, you will deliver guest’s luggage, drop off room service and provide extra towels, blankets and anything else they may need to stay happy and leave big tips! Along the way you will use your tips to decorate and restore each hotel back to its original charm. Watch out for the mysterious mishaps and accidents that threaten your progress! Do you have what it takes to keep everyone happy, or will the mysterious shadow halt your success?

Dairy Dash (17 MB download)
Ah, life on the farm… what could be more relaxing? Just about anything, according to the Smiths! Help these city slickers get a grip on the family farm as the entertaining hustle of the Diner Dash series goes pastoral. Care for cows, goats, chickens, and sheep while growing tomatoes, corn and pumpkins. You’ll even enjoy the occasional glass of lemonade and fill an order or two for Flo! It’s all in a day’s work in Dairy Dash!

Hotel Dash – Suite Success (35 MB download)
When Quinn’s new travel business hits a snag, she needs Flo’s patented elbow grease to help renovate and run hotels all over DinerTown! As Flo, you will deliver guest’s luggage, drop off room service and provide extra towels, blankets and anything else they may need to stay happy and leave big tips! Along the way you will use your tips to decorate and restore each hotel back to its original charm. Watch out for the mysterious mishaps and accidents that threaten your progress! Do you have what it takes to keep everyone happy, or will the mysterious shadow halt your success?

Tsekkiin perustettiin vastikään itäisen Euroopan ensimmäinen Reilun kaupan edistämisjärjestö the Czech Fair Trade Association. Uusi järjestö näyttää suuntaa koko järjestelmälle.

Alun alkaen Reilu kauppa –sertifiointia pyöritettiin moninapaisessa järjestelmässä, jossa eri maiden kansalliset merkkiyhdistykset vastasivat pitkälle yksin oman maansa Reilun kaupan asioiden hoitamisesta. Myyntien ja hyötyjen kasvaessa on kuitenkin paljon asioita, jotka kannattaa hoitaa keskitetysti, sillä samojen asioiden tekeminen monessa paikassa nostaisi järjestelmän pyörittämisestä aiheutuvat kulut turhaan suuriksi. Siksi Reilulle kaupalle perustettiin suhteellisen varhain globaali yhteistyöjärjestö FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International), joka vastaa muun muassa Reilun kaupan kriteerien asettamisesta ja tuottajien tukemisesta.

Tulevaisuudessa FLO:n rooli vahvistuu entisestään. Yksi osoitus siitä on, että Czech Fair Trade Associationilla on hieman erilainen rooli kuin ”vanhojen” maiden merkkijärjestöillä. FLO hoitaa Tsekeissä ja muilla uusilla uusilla markkina-alueilla esimerkiksi tuotteiden lisensoinnin, joka on vanhoilla markkina-alueilla kansallisten merkkijärjestöjen tehtävä. Uusilla markkina-alueilla paikallinen Reilun kaupan järjestö voi keskittyä Reilu kauppa –tietoisuuden lisäämiseen ja tuotteiden markkinoillepääsyn edistämiseen.

Samaan hyvään järjestelyyn päädyttiin hiljattain myös Etelä-Afrikassa, johon perustettiin samanlainen Reilun kaupan edistämisjärjestö kuin Tsekkeihin.

Jiri Hejkrlik (vas.) ja Veronika Bacova (toinen vasemmalla) Tsekkien Reilun kaupan järjestöstä sekä operatiivinen johtaja Tuulia Syvänen (keskellä) ja toiminnanjohtaja Rob Cameron (oikealla) FLO:sta allekirjoittivat FLO:n ja uuden järjestön välisen yhteistyösopimuksen. Muut kuvassa esiintyvät henkilöt ovat FLO:n työntekijöitä.

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