The Surprising Summer

 My name is Punching Pillows. You can call me P.P for short. I am a 12 year old girl and one exquisite thing i have noticed about myself is that i am never bored. My friends wonder how is that so. Well, i have decided to share all my adventures, my emotions and all the things i do to keep myself occupied, with YOU . Hopefully, this will help all the 12 year old girls in the world to sparkle their life up! I will keep on updating different things so as my readers grow mature, so will I and they will get mature things that they will love!!!!!!! (Acknowledgement- the pics in my blog have been taken from various websites. No commercial intention)

                               

   Lets start with the season in my country, now. Well, its summer.
                            SWIMMING

                 The first thing that pops in your mind when you think of those hot, tiring days is swimming. Yes, swimming. If you dont know swimming, then i suggest you take some coaching classes. Supposing you have fear for water, hydrophobia, then you might as well skip this point. If you already know swimming, then dive into the news that follows...

   

     Nothing is better than getting submerged into cool, relaxing water on a hot day. Start by warming yourself up; jump around a little and practice a few strokes. If you dont, then you might get a body ache since your entire body will suddenly become active. Now, go and do a few lengths! Swimming is a good way to relax yourself. Just remember, dont overexert your precious body!
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                                  SPA!!!!

             Sometimes you might feel like indulging yourself  in things like manicures,pedicures etc. They dont necessarily have to be done in expensive saloons. You can also indulge at home! It can be done with day-to-day use items...Here's how:

                 

     Manicure: You want to make your hands beautiful? Well, it's as simple as pie. You have to make your own hand scrub to remove all the dirt and dead cells from your hand. (To make it, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon honey with a little bit eucalyptus oil for a pleasant smell. Olive oil will do too! Store it in a small jar.) You will also need a hand cream that you can borrow from your mother. A hand towel is also needed. The process is very simple.       

•  1. WET: Wet your hands over a basin.  
• 2.EXFOLIATE: Take some of the hand scrub and gently rub over the back of your hand and your palm like you would do with ordinary soap. Make sure the scrub reaches covered parts like the between of your fingers.  
• 3. RINSE: Now rinse off the scrub thoroughly. You will notice a thin lair will be remaining. That is a part of the moisturizing process. 
• 4.DRY:  Now pat dry your hand.
• 5. MOISTURIZE: Apply the moisturizing cream and voila!    YOUR MANICURE IS DONE

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• Pedicure: Everyone wants beautiful feet, right? But when we play so much, our feet get quite dirty! To make your feet like a princess's, you will need the following. A tub of warm water, a pumice stone, a  foot scrub(the hand scrub will do), a foot cream, a towel and some smooth pebbles(optional.).
• Find a comfortable place where you can relax.
• Soak your feet in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. If you want, you can place smooth pebbles in the tub for an invigorating feeling!
• Lift one foot from the tub and gently, but firmly, rub the patches on your feet which are hard with the pumice stone. Don't rub too much or it will lead to overexposed skin.
• Do this with both feet and place it back in the water.
• Remove one foot and massage it with the scrub until you feel it is enough. Rinse the remains off and pat your foot dry. Do this with the other foot too.  

Now just apply the cream on your foot, were some cotton socks and wow! Your feet are baby soft and beautiful!!



SILKY HAIR: If you want the silky, soft hair that actresses have, all you have to do is apply a dollop of mayonnaise onto wet hair. Let it be for 5 min, rinse it off and dry your hair. You will now have BEAUTIFUL hair!!!!
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                                   A CLUB!!!!!
      Lets step out of the beauty world for a moment and enter the world of friends. You might notice that your friendship with some of your friends might become a bit strained at this time. Here is a fun activity by which you can regroup your friends together! You can start your own Best Friends Club! All you have to do is gather 5-6 of your best friends and join your head together!
        Why dont you keep a secret meeting place? It should be an area where no one can spot you. Your group can discuss the things they like the most. Make a fancy name for your club like The Sizzling Sisters, The Pretty People, The Masked Musketeers etc. Or you could give it a standard name like The BFC (Best Friends Club). Go ahead and become creative! Make special badges for each member of your group. Keep passwords that only your group will know!  Hold some fun activities with each other like Treasure Hunt, Sleepovers and Parties! Make sure you have everything set for the party or sleepover beforehand. Keep some chips, rent a fun girls movie or start gossiping! But always ask your mother before you mess up the house. After you finish you wild things, you should help clean up the house or maybe next time your parents won't allow you to hold such a thing!
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                                'MASHING MOVIES!
    Movies are another way to get seeped into the magical land of wonders. There are many movies in the world and it is difficult to get a movie for you age group. I recommend the movies like Enchanted, The Princess and the frog, The Harry Potter series of movies, Tangled, Rio, Mirror Mirror, Ramona and Beezus, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Nanny McPhee, Up, How to train your Dragon and The Sound of Music. These movies are all meant for young girls. Frankly, i love all of them. Almost every one has something to laugh about! Try these! I have given you the link of the trailer of the movies and a picture from the movie...

1.Enchanted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpo7nEc5FHg
                      

2. The Princess and the frog:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQBy6jqbmlU    

3. The Harry Potter movieshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcPYNxGM7BA&feature=fvst
                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=626gWl3pxkM&feature=fvst:
                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbchMk_M3ak&feature=fvst
                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fOE_juGd6M&feature=fvst
                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dOxHwNPJ-E&feature=fvst   
                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWJAB9nw1Mo&feature=fvst
                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EC2tmFVNNE


4. Tangled:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyOyBVXDJ9Q
                              

5. Rio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf6zeRwk5LE
                      

6. Mirror Mirror:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgbH05rQx1s
                               

7. Ramona and Beezus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsspoW7rSR4
                      

8. Charlie and the chocolate factory:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyB4s9eox2o                                                       

9. Nanny Mc Phee:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEYozuMFjyc
                            

10. How to train your dragon:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKiYuIsPxYk
                    

11. The Sound of Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuWsQSntFf0
                           
Well, i have seen all these movies and they are really good to watch with your friends. My friends and i organized a sleepover at my house. We played Truth and Dare, Treasure hunt and we saw Tangled while munching on cheese popcorn! It was the best night ever!
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                    FRIENDSHIP SCRAPBOOK!

       Of late, I have spotted many scrapbooks in shop windows. They are covered with glitter paper and sequences. However, they are very expensive to buy and most of the time you dont even get the color combination you want. I have also wanted to store and cherish the memories i have had with my fabulous friends. If you put two and two together, what do you get?
             A Friendship Scrapbook! So I bought a cheap and plain scrapbook, some wrapping paper, I recycled old ribbons and made bows and gathered discarded  material like buttons, plastic sheets, glitter, sequences etc.
   I took the scrapbook and measured the amount of glitter wrapping paper I wanted. Next I wrapped the scrapbook neatly in it and stuck it firmly with transparent sticky tape. I decorated the cover the wanted and arranged the ribbons, sequences and buttons in a way so it read out 'FRIENDSHIP SCRAPBOOK'.
   Next I managed to gather special photos of my friends and little objects we held close to our heart. I stuck all the pictures on the scrapbook pages, painted the sides and wrote all the memories we shared together. I realized this was a great way to remember each other, so that latter on, we could see these pages and look back in retrospect and freeze all the wonderful moments we shared together!
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                                RECORD DREAMS!
                    My friend and me  initially came up with this idea:  we suggested that we both could record our dreams and then compare them! This way we could see if there is a connection between us. So I laid a notebook and a pencil beside my bed when I went to sleep that night. I had a dream that I was walking through a garden that was blossoming with flowers. The moment I woke up, I immediately scribbled it down before I could forget it. I continued doing this for a week, keeping a neat record of what dreams i had and what I saw in it. Sometimes, i would wake up in the middle of the night and scribble whatever dream i had in two words, and fall back to sleep. At the end of the week, we compared our dreams and saw that yes, we had been having similar dreams!
   I did a bit of research, and I saw that dreams have connections to our present life...http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/  in this website, you can see if your dreams are really a sign. Mystic!
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                  LIGHTS...CAMERA...ACTION!!!!
    Have you seen those models on T.V and always wanted to be one? Well, say 'CHEESE'! You and your friends  dress up and put on all the accessories you want. Dress in different styles and try different hairdo's. Braid each other's hair! Then take a camera and pose! Click pictures from different angles and heights. Make serious or funny faces! Take individual and group photos.
    You could also make a short film if you want! Then beg an adult to put it on a CD and watch it with your family! You will sure laugh out loud! I did this too, and it is GR8 fun!!!!! Unfortunately, i lost the video or i would put it up for all of you to see...
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                        TAKE A CHILL PILL
   On a hot summer day, i really wanted to chill in the pool, but it was closed : (  Just then, i thought  that me and my gang could have a water fight! OH joy!!!!! We made two groups and asked out parents if it's OK if we wet the yard. Then we each took a bucket, or a pistol or a hose! The water-fight began and we started squirting water on each other's clothes and faces. There isn't supposed to be a winner, so you can just have fun and then cool down! In the end, we drank lemonade in dripping wet clothes!
                            
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                         MAKE GIFTS BEFOREHAND!!!!!
       One really fun thing to do is to make home made gifts for people before hand! You could gather a group of friends and lay all the decorative material you have in front of you. You could include colored and sparkly paper, shiny tinsel, decorative bells, old pine-cones, buttons, glitter, sticker and even old newspaper!
Become creative and make gifts! You could paint T-shirts, make ornaments, make cards or even use nature!
            Take a large leaf and a pointed needle. Take permission from an adult and carefully carve out whatever you want to write. Make sure that the needle does not puncture the leaf, but carves it. Then take glue and apply a very thin line on the insides of  the letters or numbers you have carved. Then sprinkle golden glitter and after it dries, dust it off. Wow! It will look as if the letters or numbers are embedded in the leaf! It will not pop up! Make several of these leaves and carve meaningful things in them. In the end, arrange them one on top of the other and puncture a hole on the top. Then tie it together with a golden ribbon. Now it will be like a book! This is a very nice present to give a person!
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            CREATE YOUR VERY OWN GROUP STORY!
Here is a fun game I invented on my birthday party. In this game a group of people have to form a story and it is really very simple! I got together a group of friends and we formed a circle. I took a piece of paper and a pen. Then I wrote a line- "Once upon a time, there was a demure princess." and read it aloud, passing the paper to the person on my left. The person wrote a line. "She was extremely beautiful but very sad." while saying it aloud. Then the third person wrote her line and said it aloud. "Her mother would never allow her to leave the palace and her heart longed to do so." This way we passed the paper around the group 5 times and managed to end the story there. What fun! We read the entire story aloud and spent the entire day wondering about the possible and different endings! Try this with your friends too!
                          
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                                     QUICK BEAUTY TIPS
  * Do your feet smell a tiny bit, and it bothers you? Well, say bye bye to smelly feet! Take 2 ripe bananas            and 2 tablespoons of sugar and mash it up. Then stir it slowly in a cup of warm milk so that you get a smooth paste. Then apply it to your feet like you would apply a moisturizer, rubbing it in areas like between your toes. Leave it on for a couple of minutes and rinse it off with warm water and pat it dry.Your feet will smell gorgeous!

* You have to go for a party in an hour and your eyes are as puffy as cotton! Well, put two slices of cucumber on your eyes and relax for about 20 minutes. The cucumber slices will get rid of the puffiness in your eyes and make you feel positively fresher and cooler!
                               

* One thing you must make sure of. ALWAYS apply sunscreen before you go out. It will protect your skin from harmful UV radiations. Even on cloudy days, you can get tanned. I recommend a 15 SPF sunscreen when you go out for short walks or when you are briefly exposed to the sun.
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                        SNAZZY SNEAKERS...
          I just pulled out an old sneaker from my drawer the other day. It used to be quite smart, with style and all, but now it was just old and faded. Just then and idea lit up in my mind and I grabbed a stencil and a few permanent markers. Slipping a piece of cardboard inside it, I placed the stencil carefully over the sneaker and then outlined the word 'Punching Pillows' on it. I used fabric glue and added glitter to it and i just couldn't believe what i saw... My old sneaker was now brand new and it looked snazzy! I did this will all my old sneakers and jeans and soon i had my own personalized collection of clothes! Way too cool!
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                           PERSONAL JOURNAL
Sometimes, you feel like you can't share your secrets with anybody- not even your best friend. Then somehow that secret keeps on crushing you. A similar thing happened to me, too. I realized that the only way i could get freed from the burden of that secret was to tell it to somebody. But the problem was that i didn't want to. So I found a notebook with a lock, and converted it into a journal, decorating the cover. Every-single time i felt like bursting, or sharing my secrets with anybody, i would write it down in the journal...and feel light again! .

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                        PLANT YOUR OWN GARDEN!
        Nothing is better than seeing flowers tossing in the sun the moment you step outside your door! Ask your mother if you can have a small piece of your back yard for yourself. Then, choose which flowers you want to plant!. I recommend you plant saplings since they are much easier to take care of. Dig a hole and plant the sapling or the seed in it. Make sure that your plant has water, sunlight and oxygen, or it will die! Water it everyday and see that it gets sufficient sunlight...then look back and enjoy you work!!!!!
** See that you dont plant the seed or saplings very close to each other, since they need space for growth.
** If you want, you can also buy potted plants or you can plant the flowers in the pot itself!

                                                              
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                                 BOUNTIFUL BOOKS
         I read somewhere, 'books are a man's best friend'. Indeed, it's true! Whenever i feel lonely, i curl up on the sofa with a good book and a lemonade drink! Good books are often very difficult to find and i am going to list some of the books and series that i simply love and can't resist the urge to read over and over again!

1. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.
2. Harry Potter and the chamber of Secrets.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

1. The Hunger Games.
2. Caching Fire.
3. Mockingjay.

1. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
2. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters.
3. Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse.
4. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth.
5. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian.

1. The Magician's Nephew.
2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
3. The Horse and his Boy.
4. Prince Caspian.
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
6. The Silver Chair.
7. The Last Battle.

1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

2. RUSTY the boy from the hills.

3. The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

4. Heidi.

5. A Little Princess.

6. The Secret Garden.

7. The Borrowers

8. All the books written by Agatha Christie.

All these books are full of mystery, horror, adventure, love, freedom and discovery. I really love all of them, and i am sure you will too!
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                                    PLAY!
   Heya! By 'play', i didn't mean go down and start running! (though if you want, you can do that). I meant that you could watch a play. The difference between reading a play and watching it is simple. While reading a play, you are forced to create images in your mind from your own imagination whereas while watching a play, you feel emotions, you get surprised easily and you can see facial expressions, body language and you understand the 'mood' of the story. I find watching a play far better, but each one their own. I recently saw a play - Arms and the Man. It was so, so interesting! It was written by George Bernard Shaw.
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4FchU7tumI
This is a link that will lead you to the play.I am sorry, but it is slightly blurry : (    I saw the play when it was enacted by Naseeruddin  Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah (two famous Indian actors). It was certainly wonderful! The way they remembered their lines for 2 whole hours, the way their expressions changed constantly and the way they somehow managed to convince the audience that they were people from olden times only added to the glory of the props and the ambiance! Really! You should convince your parents to watch it!
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                       FISH SPA
      
I know, i know..it might sound scary, but is so amazing!!!!!! These little fish (Garra rufa) are very fascinating. Ok, let me tell you about this type of spa. In this spa, feet are cleaned and then inserted in a tank full of these tiny creatures. They have no teeth, so no need to worry! They will nibble on your feet's dead cells! Yes! They really will. It will not hurt at all! Its the most amazing sensation! They will nibble between your toes, your cuticles, the rough patches at the sole of your foot and god knows where!I have gone to this spa more than 10 times 'cause it is so amazing. When you remove your feet from the water, they will feel so fresh...like all the dirt is just being swiped away! Try and convince your mother to take you there because she will like it too! It will be a nice change for your father or brother. The cost varies across 250-300 rupees for fifteen minutes. But i think it is worth it!
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                 ONE AWESOME MOVIE
  I know that i had already listed some movies....but this one is completely awesome. I love it so very much. It is called 'Spirited Away' by Hayao Miyazaki. It is about this girl who enters a land of spirits, and there her name is taken away by the ruler of that land. This story is all about how she struggles to keep her name and how she finds her way back home, and save her parents. Just give it a try. You can find all the parts in Youtube. I know my description of the movie is pretty lousy, but find the description on Google. I swear it is very nice and you won't be disappointed.
                                   
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                                     SURE SONGS
    Songs are a very good way to completely relax. The steady beat and the soft tune helps you to 'get in the groove'. Here are some of my favorite songs. I am only listing a few or my blog will be solely on songs! So i am giving only a few songs of each of my favorite singers.
If you know some more, you are free to suggest it in the comments section.
1. A Whole New World
2. Rolling in the Deep    by Adele
3. Set Fire to the Rain   by Adele
4. Around us                by Jonsi
5. I want it that way      by Blackstreet Boys
6. How Deep is your love by Bee Gees
7. Halo                         by Beyonce
8. Please forgive me      by Bryan Adams
9. A thousand Years     by Christina Perri
10. D.J got us falling in love again by Usher ft. Pitbull
11. Down                    by Jay Sean ft. Lil' Wayne
12. Club can'y handle me by Florida
13. Gonna get this          by Hannah ft. IYAZ
14. Jamaican Farewell by Harry Belafonte
15. Ne-yo-mad
16. So big                    by IYAZ
17. On the floor           by Jennifer Lopez
18. One Time              by Justin Beiber
19. First Dance            by Justin Beiber
20. Barefoot Cinderella by Miley Cyrus 
21. Replay                   by IYAZ
22. Right Now (na na na) by Akon
23. Eenie Meenie           by Justin Beiber ft. Sean Kingston
24. Send it on
25. Wherever i go       by Miley Cyrus ft. Emily Osment
26. Love Story             by Taylor Swift
27. Today was a Fairy tale    by Taylor Swift
28. Top of the world    by The Carpenters
29. Yesterday Once More  by the Carpenters
30. Hurry up                by Selena Gomez

     I know that is is a really long list, but it could have been longer. Just choose your favourite singer from the words in bold, and i am sure their best songs are just at their left side!
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                                            WRITE A STORY WITH A TWIST!
              Yep, I've tried it. Just search up any short story with you like. It be be fairy tales like Cinderella or even cartoons like Popeye. Then read the original story and think. Think about what would happen after 'HAPPILY EVER AFTER'
    So here is a little guide-line which can help you. It's about Cinderella and her life in the palace, with the prince.

                                       

    Prince fits the shoe into Cinderella's foot and whisks her away to the palace- huge marriage ceremony- only rich and fine people invited because Cinderella now feels important- once in the palace, Cinderella is unkind to the servants- servants complain the the head, who tells The Prince about it- Prince asks Cinderella why is she so unkind- Cinderella tells him that this as how her step mom used to treat her and she feels that she should treat the servants the same---------then you can continue....

    This is just a little twist. you can write your own story, with your own characters and plot! How is that????
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         MAKE YOUR OWN PAPER BEADS!

I've tried making it, and the result is very satisfactory! It's simple and easy. You can make your own jewelry but first making your own beads, and then stringing them up! So here are the simple and easy steps!! They are inexpensive and you can make it out of old magazines and papers. You can even customize it the way you want to! (the source of the pictures is Wikipedia)

Items Needed:
- Paper (old magazine)
- Pencil and scale
- Glue and scissor
- Toothpick and clear nail-polish (or varnish)
- A thermocol piece
- permanent marker (only needed when using plain paper)


       USING NORMAL PAPER

1.  Fist you have to take the page of an old magazine or even a normal paper and with the use of a pencil and scale, make triangular shapes like this:
     

2. Now cut the pieces and lay them in front of you, adding some color to the sides. You could use different shades, and even leave some spaces white. Try different combinations of the color. Since the triangle will eventually be rolled onto itself, only the outermost edges and the last inch or two of the tip of the paper will be visible; these are the areas where you should focus your design. 

                       

3. Now take the triangle and place a toothpick at the wide end, keeping the colored side down, Then start rolling the paper around the toothpick, carefully making sure that the paper does not unroll. Soon a bead like formation will be seen. Apply a little glue at the end and roll it up too!
            
                                                             

4. Now you have your bead, But it needs to stay firm always. So while it is still on the toothpick, layer it with a thin coat of clear nail varnish.
                     

5. Now wait for the glue to dry and then slide it off the bead. Done! Voila! Its ready! You can make more and more of them by repeating the steps 2- 5!
     
                     

       If you are using magazine paper for this activity, you dont need to color the paper, just do steps 3 to 5!
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                                            WATERMELON  FACE-MASK
                                                 
                       Having just bought a watermelon, my thoughts whizzed as to what i could do with it apart from eating. Then the thought hits me....face mask! So here is the recipe I'm sharing with you. You ONLY need-
 - Chopped pieces of watermelon (remove the seeds)
- A bowl
- A hand towel
- a basin
                 First, mash the pieces of watermelon into a pulp in a bowl. If you have dry skin,  you can add a teaspoon of honey in it.
   
Second, go to the basin, and apply the pulp onto your skin, leaving it for 5 to 10 minutes. When you smile, and feel your skin a little tight, the mask is ready! Splash water and wash off the mask. Pat dry.

 After drying, wait for a minute and then feel your face. It will be baby soft and glowing! The reason is that watermelon is 90% water. They act as a natural moisturizer....
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