some dads find parenting to be a real struggle while others seem to make the best out of some awkward situations by adding a silver-lining to them. Even celebrity dad Ryan Reynolds has had a lot to say about parenting… and it is hilarious.

1. #winning.

2. Funny dad.

3. You can get away with this when they are young:

4. Sneaky.

5. Oh boy.

6. Things you didn’t think you’d ever say:

7. Parenting 101:

8. When you’re still trying to figure it out after 18 years:

9. Some get creative:

10. Kids are full of surprises:

11. Parenting = never sleeping again

12. LOL!

13. Some kids love to rave:

14. Oh dear!

Know any other dad jokes that we can share with our readers?

The post Dad jokes: 15 hilarious #fatherhood tweets that will make your day appeared first on Australian Times News.

HBO recently released a trailer for the documentary that is set to air tonight in the UK on ITV and then next week over two nights from Tuesday on Channel Seven in Australia.

The Queen of the World documentary will reportedly offer insight into the Queen’s role and the baton she is passing to the younger members of the royal family as they continue to build upon the Commonwealth.

Queen of the World will also feature behind the scenes moments with Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles and Camilla, Princess Anne; Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; and the Countess of Wessex.

“The Queen is a unique figure on the world stage, with a huge depth of experience having met more global leaders than any previous British monarch and serving longer than all of them,” ITV’s Jo Clinton-Davis said of the project, according to Harper’s Bazaar UK.

“This film is a rare opportunity to see Her Majesty up close and behind the scenes in this role, which means so much to her and has been so significant for Britain and the Commonwealth.”

In the clip, Meghan is captured on camera looking at her wedding dress and the veil that she wore when she married Prince Harry earlier this year. Meghan’s wedding dress comprised of double-bonded pure white silk and was paired with a 16-foot tulle veil with organza embroidery. The 16-foot silk tulle design included a hand-embroidered flower for each nation in the organization – the 53 countries.

“Fifty-three countries, oh my goodness! It will keep us busy,” Meghan says in the trailer, most probably referring to Prince Harry’s new job as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

Watch the official trailer for ‘Queen of the World’

The post Queen of the World: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and other royal family members in new documentary [WATCH] appeared first on Australian Times News.

Buckingham Palace is instantly recognizable as the home of The Sovereign, it is also a working building, hosting almost 100,000 guests and attracting over 15 million tourists every year.

Like any other building it does need some upkeep, and as a result, the royal family announced that the palace will undergo reservicing.

Watch: The Reservicing of Buckingham Palace

Also read: See Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official royal wedding portraits [photos]

According to a 2006 report from the Royal Trustees, Buckingham Palace’s electrical cabling, plumbing and heating have not been updated since the 1950s. The building’s infrastructure is in urgent need of a complete overhaul to prevent long-term damage to the building and its contents.

Replacing the essential services will take at least ten years, starting with the most urgent works first. This includes cables, generators and boilers before moving through the entire palace. The Palace will remain occupied and fully operational for the duration though.

According to the Royal Family, some of the alterations to Buckingham Palace will include new lifts to replace the old and impractical ones already there.

Watch: Here’s how staff currently navigate from the kitchens to the Palace’s Chinese Drawing Room for functions

Many of the lifts at the Palace are old and impractical – here’s how staff currently navigate from the kitchens to the Palace’s Chinese Drawing Room for functions. The route will be more practical & efficient when new lifts are installed: https://t.co/P6aLLSrpTI pic.twitter.com/l8E3Kydiya

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 23, 2018

“This project is really about preserving [that] heritage,” says Kathryn Jones from the Royal Collection Trust.

“But it’s also about looking to the future. And that includes improving visitor access, energy efficiency, and educational facilities.

“Since the palace was acquired by George III its been evolving as a building and this project is, in fact, the next step in that evolutionary process. It is not just about preserving the past, but it is also about looking towards the future.”

Published with TheSouthAfrican.com

TOP IMAGE: Buckingham Palace (Derks24/Pixabay)

The post Buckingham Palace is getting a makeover [VIDEO] appeared first on Australian Times News.

“And I was like, ‘Whoa!’ This went from a good wave to like a life-changing wave.”

Smith reportedly put his success down to doing his research, having mastered the art of reading weather charts to predict when and where the greatest ocean swells will hit.

Koa Smith at Skeleton Bay: Watch the epic video, here

Smith also posted the wave from the GoPro’s angle on YouTube, saying:

“My whole day surfing I try to invision that one dream wave that I want to experience. I picture it clearly. What it will look like. How it will feel. The emotions pouring out of me when the wave is complete. Then this happens.”

Skeleton Bay

According to Surf Holidays, Skeleton Bay is located along Namibia’s isolated and hostile Skeleton Coast, which is roughly a six hour drive from the capital of Windhoek. Skeleton Bay surf spot is considered the longest sand-bottomed left hand wave in the world and only came into the surf world’s radar back in 2008, although a handful of South African surfers such as Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker had reportedly made the journey a few year prior.

With TheSouthAfrican.com

The post Watch: Surfer rides epic barrel wave for an incredible 1.5kms [VIDEO] appeared first on Australian Times News.

According to Hello Magazine, a picture taken on Wednesday last week shows Queen Elizabeth II meeting with George Brandis, the newly appointed Australian High Commissioner to the UK. It didn’t take long before an eagle-eyed reporter from Hello Magazine spotted something interesting in the background.

Of course, social media went nuts when this was uncovered.

Upon inspection, the photo features Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle in an embrace. It appears that Meghan is wearing a pale blue dress and Harry a suit. While it is unclear when the photo of the couple was taken, some speculate that it is a part of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s engagement photos taken by Alexi Lubomirski that were never released to the public.

Also see: Meghan Markle and why being ‘mixed race’ matters in Australia

Along with the new photo of Prince Harry and Meghan, other ‘investigators’ also spotted a never-before-seen portrait of the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara, on her wedding day to Mike Tindall.

If you take a closer look, the secret photo of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in plain sight:

Meghan Markle’s very own Coat of Arms was also recently released to the public.

A Coat of Arms has been created for The Duchess of Sussex: https://t.co/mJb3mqZfaZ pic.twitter.com/0EgbiS29Rb

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 25, 2018

The statement by the royal family reads:

“Her Royal Highness worked closely with the College of Arms throughout the design process to create a Coat of Arms that was both personal and representative.

Also see: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official royal wedding portraits [PHOTOS]

“The blue background of the shield represents the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, while the two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the sunshine of The Duchess’s home state. The three quills represent communication and the power of words.

“Beneath the shield on the grass sits a collection of golden poppies, California’s state flower, and wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace.

“It is customary for Supporters of the shield to be assigned to Members of the Royal Family, and for wives of Members of the Royal Family to have one of their husband’s Supporters and one relating to themselves. The Supporter relating to The Duchess of Sussex is a songbird with wings elevated as if flying and an open beak, which with the quill represents the power of communication.

“A Coronet has also been assigned to The Duchess of Sussex. It is the Coronet laid down by a Royal Warrant of 1917 for the sons and daughters of the Heir Apparent. It is composed of two crosses patée, four fleurs-de-lys and two strawberry leaves.

“The arms of a married woman are shown with those of her husband and the technical term is that they are impaled, meaning placed side by side in the same shield.”

Looks like Meghan has been welcomed with open arms into the royal family!

The post Brandis meeting reveals Queen has a secret portrait of newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan in her home appeared first on Australian Times News.

The Palace took to social media to release the photos which feature the newly-married Duke and Duchess of Sussex along with Markle’s mother, the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Philip, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Markle’s other page boys and bridesmaids.

Also read: From Victoria to Diana to Meghan, royal weddings have shaped bridal fashions

In the statement, the Palace said: “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released three official photographs from their Wedding day.

“The images were taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski in The Green Drawing Room of Windsor Castle, following the carriage procession.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released three official photographs from their Wedding day.

These photographs were taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski at Windsor Castle, following the carriage procession. #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/WBim9EkI4D

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 21, 2018

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would like to thank everyone who took part in the celebrations of their wedding on Saturday. They feel so lucky to have been able to share their day with all those gathered in Windsor and also all those who watched the wedding on television across the UK, Commonwealth, and around the world.

“Their Royal Highnesses are delighted with these official portraits taken by Alexi Lubomirski and are happy to be able to share them today. They would also like to say thank you for all of the generous messages of support they have received.”

The Duke and Duchess would like to thank everyone who took part in the celebrations of their Wedding.

They feel so lucky to have been able to share their day with all those gathered in Windsor and those who watched on television across the UK, Commonwealth, and around the world. pic.twitter.com/RSa9ukqxLF

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 21, 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the Bridesmaids and Page Boys, taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski in the Green Drawing Room of Windsor Castle. #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/nFaPQSIzVl

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 21, 2018

The post Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official royal wedding portraits [PHOTOS] appeared first on Australian Times News.

There was little doubt that Prince Harry would’ve eventually asked his brother, Prince William to be his best man. But for Meghan, it seems her mother will be at her side until she arrives at Windsor and walks down the aisle.

According to reports, Meghan will not have a maid of honour. Rather, all of her bridal attendants will reportedly be children. The Palace did not release the names of the bridesmaids and pageboys yet, though it’s believed that both Prince George and Princess Charlotte will have roles in the wedding.

WATCH: Royal Wedding: Even royal toddlers throw tantrums [VIDEO]

There’s a long history of royal children participating in family weddings, and according to Kensington Palace “this wedding will be guided by tradition”.

It was also reported that Meghan’s parents will have important roles in the wedding, but recent reports state Meghan’s father may not attend the ceremony following a paparazzi scandal.

Her mother, Ms Doria Ragland, will hopefully still travel with Meghan by car to Windsor Castle.

In a report from Prince Harry and Meghan’s communications secretary, it is stated that in the final week ahead of the wedding you can expect to hear more about the arrangements, including:

• The Instrument of Consent
• Details of the Bridesmaids and Page Boys
• The work of florist Philippa Craddock and the Crown Estate gardeners who have been growing and preparing the flowers that will fill the church
• An update from Claire Ptak, the baker who will make the wedding cake, and the chefs who have been working in the Palace kitchens to make the final preparations.

TOP IMAGE: Not the Royal Wedding, but still nice. (ITmirror via Pixabay) 

The post Royal Wedding 2018: Who will be in the formal wedding party on the big day? appeared first on Australian Times News.

The photographer and artist was later inspired to show the lack of creativity among people when taking pictures at famous travel destinations.

Using public photos sourced from travel hashtags on Instagram (like #followmetoo and #route66), the photographer created a hyper lapse clip – see below – to show how often people take the same, unoriginal photo.

ALSO SEE: The 20 most amazing drone images of the year [PHOTOS]

In the video, popular travel spots make it like the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, Christ the Redeemer, Route 66, there’s a whole bunch of passport photos and many many more.

Oliver KMIA explained the process on his post on Vimeo: “Finding and sorting the material took a lot of time,” he said.

“The process of aligning each and every images manually in relation to the next was very tedious. This is not a commercial project and every image appears for less than 1/4 of a second.”

“During my trip, I felt that many people didn’t really enjoy the moment and were hooked to their smartphones,” Oliver KMIA said further. “As if the ultimate goal of travel was to brag about it online and run after the likes and followers.”

“However, I was able to find plenty of nice accounts over my research on Instagram. Some of them were inspiring and lead by talented persons. In the end, social networks are just a tool. For better or worse, (or both). Eventually, I couldn’t secure a picture of the Trevi Fountain for my Instagram account but I still had a very nice time in Italy.”

Watch: Instravel – A photogenic mass tourism experience

The post This wild video proves we all just take the same damn travel photos [WATCH] appeared first on Australian Times News.

Derek Herron, a member of the How Ridiculous team, successfully made the shot after a lot of attempts from the top of the Maletsunyane Falls in Lesotho, Africa on January 13, 2018. He and the crew, made up of himself, Brett Stanford and Scott Gaunson, reportedly woke up at five each day during filming.

The magic happened while Herron was harnessed on the top of the waterfall, where he made the ridiculous shot and earned the title of the ‘Highest basketball shot’ ever in the Guinness World Records…yet again.

The new record broke the old one from the past, which belonged to the same YouTubers – referring to the 593 foot (180 m) Mauvoisin Dam (Switzerland) shot.

Derek Herron said he was thrilled to make the bucket on the sixth day of trying.

“It was my second day of shooting… I reckon I had maybe close to 400 attempts,” he told Sunrise.

“But it only needs one to go in.”

‘How Ridiculous’ originated in 2009 when the group began attempting trick shots in their backyards. Herron said the latest challenge continued a rapid rise for a group that began as merely a laugh among friends.

“When we started out, it was literally just a bit of fun and a few mates hanging out,” he said.

“We never dreamed that we’d be flying across the other side of the world to Africa to attempt something so epic.”

Watch the record-breaking basketball shot that was made from the top of Maletsunyane Falls in Lesotho:

Suppose practise makes perfect! Maybe next year the group will top this feat with a bigger, more elaborate attempt than this one.

TOP IMAGE: Guinness World Record

The post Aussie YouTube stars sink world record basketball shot [WATCH] appeared first on Australian Times News.

While aerial photography has become somewhat of a trend over the last couple of years, Dronestagram gives people the platform to showcase their work.

According to Dronestagram’s official website, the top 20 was selected from thousands of photos published during the year. “It is incredible for several reasons,” the statement continues. “First of all, drone photography has become a discipline in its own right with its codes and rules. Then, the pilots-photographers have become more and more experienced over the last few months and the level is rising dramatically.

Also see: National Geographic’s best travel photos of 2017

Finally, drone technology is constantly improving as prices fall, and especially so that the machines become more accessible due to their size and ease of use.”

The competition was judged on creativity and photographic quality by a panel of experts, including some from Dronestagram’s partner National Geographic. Take a look down here:

1. Girls at The Beach, Rio De Janeiro – Author : marihenud

2. Dawn of Mercury Tower, Moscow – Author : Alexey Goncharov

3. Hippos, Serengeti National Park – Author : yannick68

4. Portuguese Surfer – Author : jcourtial

5. Sveti Stefan Hotel, Montenegro – Author : smakadron

6. Marigolds, Thailand – Author : seksan saowarod

7. The most famous waterfall in Iceland Gullfoss – Author : Vaidas

8. Home. Sweet. Home – Author : yannick68

9. Tropical Island Beach, Dominican Republic – Author : ValentinValkov

10. Cracked Mud Boat – Author : MiloAllerton

11. Salt Fields – Author : helios1412

The salt fields are also the speciality of Bac Lieu. Bac Lieu is the salt basket of the Mekong Delta, with extensive salt fields along the coast. The salt fields of Bac Lieu are divided into squares and rows with lots of sparkling white salt under the sun.

12. Two scooters crossing the bridge in Chiang Mai, Thailand – Author : tominspires

13. Exploring the Melissani cave on the Greek island of Cephalonia by boat – Author : Calin Stan

14. A couple in a classic blue Ford Mustang Convertible, driving on historic Route 66 – Author : Raf Willems

15. The long staircase leading to one of the most beautiful beaches in the Algarve, Portugal – Author : jcourtial

16. In Alexandria Bay between New York and Canada, when water levels rise and fall colours begin to take root – Author : JustenSoule

17. Swimming with a whale – Author : DroneFilmsProject

18. The large polar bear Nanuk in Inuktitut is an impressive animal – Author : Florian Ledoux

19. Stingray and Girls – Author : tahitiflyshoot

20. Quad bikes in the dunes – Author : LukeMaximoBell

The post The 20 most amazing drone images of the year [PHOTOS] appeared first on Australian Times News.

Usually, nobody can stick out their New year’s resolutions because people are very ambitious when it comes to changing their lives, and, well, January mostly sucks. January is usually a depressing time with the realisation that Christmas is over and real-life comes knocking on your door. Soon after going to the gym five days a week becomes a fantasy….once again.

These tweets show how people really feel about New Year’s resolutions:

1. This might be a good idea:

Forgot to make resolutions? Just write out everything you did last night and at the beginning add the word “stop.”

— Pete Holmes (@peteholmes) January 1, 2014

2. New year’s resolutions are tricky and most of the time, we don’t stick to it.

January: NEW YEAR, NEW ME ????????????????‍????????????????

March: ????????????????????????????????????

— Gabe #DreamActNow Ortíz (@TUSK81) January 1, 2017

3. Excuses, excuses, excuses!

I’d love to say ‘New Year. New Me.’ but I’m only 2 stamps away from a free meal with my KFC loyalty card. Would be silly to ruin that now…

— Simon Lennon (@SiLennon) January 1, 2017

4. Some are committed:

Already broke my New Years resolution to not cry in a Taco Bell bathroom

— Bucky “ask me about updog” Isotope (@BuckyIsotope) January 1, 2017

5. Inspiration to change your life can strike anytime:

im not really a new years resolution person, im more of a “get really motivated to change my whole life at 3 AM on a tuesday” person

— Liza (@LizaWagner) January 2, 2017

6. When you are actually excited about your New Year’s resolutions…

my new years resolution is to figure out how to squeeze a 4th and 5th meal into my day

— jacob whitesides (@JacobWhitesides) January 1, 2017

7. When life disappoints you, in more ways than one.

My New Years resolution for 2016 was to not have a resolution so I wouldn’t disappoint myself…. still disappointed myself

— Mia Stammer (@MamaMiaMakeup) December 26, 2016

8. At least we can throw some puns in there:

My 2017 resolution is to work on my low self esteem, but I don’t think I can do it.

— Adrienne Airhart (@craydrienne) December 21, 2016

9. When you’re just too ambitious:

New Years resolution: try to worry less, fill that time with oh god what am I supposed to fill that time with this is already going terribly

— Jen Doll (@thisisjendoll) December 30, 2015

10. When you come up with awesome ideas:

Startup idea: a gym named Resolution that runs for the 1st month of the year, collects subscription fee, then converts to a bar named Regret

— Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) December 27, 2016

11. When you’re winning over the internet with your resolutions:

My new year’s resolution is that donuts have no calories.

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) January 1, 2017

12. It usually takes a while…

My New Year’s resolution is simply to remember to write 2017 instead of 2016.

— Petra Hitchens (@Fleimkepa) January 1, 2017

The post Funny tweets about New Year’s resolutions we can all relate to appeared first on Australian Times News.

Three names dominated the list this year, with Selena Gomez, Beyoncé and Cristiano Ronaldo clocking in the most-liked pictures on the popular social media platform.

In addition to the most-liked list, Instagram also revealed that Selena is still the most followed celeb with over 130 million followers.

Cristiano Ronaldo came in second with 116 million, and then Ariana Grande with 115 million followers.

The data was compiled from January 1, 2017 until mid-November. Which photo do you think was the most-liked photo this year?

Instagram also revealed which hashtags we most used and which cities garnered the most action for the year.

Instagram’s most popular for 2017

Most liked photos

1. At number one is Queen B. Her pregnancy shoot spread like wildfire across all social media platforms:

We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. – The Carters

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Feb 1, 2017 at 10:39am PST

2. Cristiano Ronaldo sharing this photo of his family and its new member:

 

 

A Alana Martina acaba de nascer! Tanto a Geo como a Alana estão muito bem! Estamos todos muito felizes!

 

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Nov 12, 2017 at 12:19pm PST

 

3. Selena Gomez shared this photo of her and her friend, Francia Raisa, and revealed that she underwent a kidney transplant.

I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of. So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you. Until then I want to publicly thank my family and incredible team of doctors for everything they have done for me prior to and post-surgery. And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made. For more information regarding Lupus please go to the Lupus Research Alliance website: www.lupusresearch.org/ -by grace through faith

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Sep 14, 2017 at 3:07am PDT

4. Beyoncé revealing her one month old twins:

 

 

Sir Carter and Rumi 1 month today. ????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jul 13, 2017 at 10:10pm PDT

 

5. Cristiano Ronaldo…again:

So happy to be able to hold the two new loves of my life ????

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Jun 29, 2017 at 10:09am PDT

6. Selena Gomez shared a photo of her and her ex-beau, The Weeknd:

 

 

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Apr 15, 2017 at 6:04pm PDT

 

7. Selena and The Weeknd making their red carpet debut:

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on May 1, 2017 at 8:32pm PDT

8. Cristiano and his family:

 

 

Family mood

 

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Aug 27, 2017 at 12:18pm PDT

 

9. Selena casually riding a bicycle:

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Mar 17, 2017 at 10:21am PDT

10. And Selena making a birthday wish:

 

 

Thank you for all of my bday love. I couldn’t be more blessed. A lot of you don’t realize how much you mean to me. I. Love. You. –think 25 is going to be epic. xo

 

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Jul 22, 2017 at 10:46pm PDT

 

The top ten most-followed celebrities on Instagram in 2017:

1. Selena Gomez – 130 million+ followers

2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 116 million+ followers

3. Ariana Grande – 115 million+ followers

4. Beyoncé – 108 million+ followers

5. Kim Kardashian West – 104 million+ followers

6. Taylor Swift – 104 million+ followers

7. Kylie Jenner – 99.5 million+ followers

8. Dwayne Johnson – 96 million+ followers

9. Justin Bieber – 93.9 million+ followers

10. Kendall Jenner – 84.8 million+ followers

The top 10 global hashtags of 2017 on Instagram:

#love

#fashion

#photooftheday

#photography

#art

#beautiful

#travel

#happy

#nature

#picoftheday

The most “Instagrammed” cities of 2017:

1. New York
2. Moscow, Russia
3. London, United Kingdom
4. Sao Paulo, Brazil
5. Paris, France
6. Los Angeles, California
7. Saint Petersburg, Russia
8. Jakarta, Indonesia
9. Istanbul, Turkey
10. Barcelona, Spain

The post Tops on Instagram: the most popular photos, celebrities, cities and hashtags of 2017 appeared first on Australian Times News.

The following Twitter users shared some of their views on ‘adulting’ that are absolutely spot on – and just funny AF. If you’ve been balancing work, taxes, meetings and basic ‘adulting’ in a perpetually tired and sleep-deprived state, then you are not alone:

1. Well, they do say with age comes wisdom…

Me, talking to someone literally one (1) year younger than me. pic.twitter.com/gcgqhUzLJz

— tessa (@sherlockify) October 8, 2017

2. How else do you stay awake at work?

my body: WATER please I need it
me: you – you want iced coffee??

— lainedavis (@lainekdavis) September 18, 2017

3. Luckily, there’s always something to be grateful for

My adult life just peaked pic.twitter.com/jU70YQL7VE

— Clare (@iliketweet) December 11, 2016

4. Yes, well

True mark of adulthood: instead of your parents scheduling your doctor’s appointments, you just avoid going to the doctor & hope u don’t die

— Kevin Farzad (@KevinFarzad) August 27, 2014

5. The struggle is real

“I want to hate my life in a different building” – person looking for a new job

— Hippo (@InternetHippo) January 21, 2016

6. So many questions…

is it bad to water ur plants w seltzer or is it fancy

— Hallie Bateman (@hallithbates) April 23, 2015

7. It’s like a movie

Being an adult is like being a Quentin Tarantino movie: it starts out real cool, there’s lots of cursing, it’s very confusing, everyone dies

— Sam Grittner (@SamGrittner) October 9, 2015

8. Apparently…

Apparently adult life is mostly crying and looking at menus online

— Megan Amram (@meganamram) August 12, 2017

9. When you’re still getting used to that thing called work

Totally going to be me tonight. #worklife #work #unhappy #meme #life #notready #follo4follo #funny #mylife pic.twitter.com/EXJFTFEth7

— Ariel Ramirez (@_ar_iel) June 20, 2017

10. It’s a real shocker

two biggest shocks of adult life:
1. everyone does cocaine
2. cheese is fucking expensive

— Claire Zoe (@totallyclairezo) October 9, 2017

11. Eating your feelings?

*walks up to microphone during wedding reception*
*taps on mic; everyone smiles*
“Anyone that doesn’t want their cake, pass it to me please”

— Aimee Helene (@AimeeHelene1) July 25, 2015

12. When you’re not even interested in social media anymore

*logs onto Facebook*
*first post is an engagement announcement*
*second post is baby announcement*
*deletes Facebook*

— Heather Hemmer (@HettaHemma) May 22, 2017

13. It happens

a couple just got engaged after i was heading back to my seat from pooping. pic.twitter.com/fNZtkm7Aaq

— josh edwards (@joshuedwrds) March 3, 2017

14. Don’t we all…

I keep getting this nagging feeling I was supposed to be doing something with my life.

— Myka Fox (@MykaFox) October 2, 2015

15. Like scheduling your doctor appointments?

99% of being an adult is looking for an adultier adult to do the adulting.

— Deborah Maroulis (@yaddathree) March 4, 2016

16. It’s just the way it is

Is this really my adult face, do I have to look like this for the rest of my life, how is this my peak

— jon (@JLspruill) March 8, 2016

17. Maybe not that desperate?

u know ur gettin kinda old and becoming an adult when you sigh at teenagers

— spook (@callthemainland) March 2, 2016

18. Maybe there’s one upside?! Nobody can tell you what to do….

The best part of being an adult is being able to go grocery shopping for easy mac, uncrustables, and a case of beer and no one can say no.

— lindsay ☾ elyse (@gglindsayelyse) March 10, 2016

19. We’ve established we need caffeine…much appreciated advice!

My advice for kids, when you grow up don’t become an adult. It’s hard. But if you do, drink lots of coffee & you can deal wit it better.

— Here Lies A Berlage (@verbaliza) March 9, 2016

20. There should be awards for being an adult….

There should definitely be awards for being an adult. Oh wait, ETOH. pic.twitter.com/CVsviuZOGn

— Nurse Humor (@Nurse_Humor) February 16, 2016

21. Yes, you’ve got to learn somehow

Me, an adult: texts my mom at almost 11pm to ask how long I hard boil eggs for

— rebecca ????‍???????? (@orlaisbians) March 4, 2016

22. Being an adult be like

being an adult pic.twitter.com/9p3QEodAHo

— Crosley Frankenberry (@oldfatchihuahua) February 27, 2016

23. When you have to own up to your responsibilities

When your parents start talking about you being an adult and you don’t want actual responsibilities pic.twitter.com/S2TyB5lEMN

— Morgan (@MorganHeneke) February 22, 2016

24. In a nutshell

Being an adult is just a constant series of idk, idc, and lots of wtf.

— Weese Jr. (@Thee1_4U) March 6, 2016

25. Assessing the situation like

My assessment of being an adult so far… pic.twitter.com/PzavFuRxrJ

— Wes Davis (@TheWestipher) March 1, 2016

26. Those darn interview questions…

Interviewer: What are your strengths?

Me: pic.twitter.com/0iAFHzMoR2

— dorku (@Dorkstar) May 22, 2016

27. Keeping it positive #worklife

“It’s five o’clock somewhere” I say as I leave work at 9am

— Gamer Gary (@MichaelSmartGuy) January 20, 2014

28. Normal mode of communication

Boss: Can I see you in my office?
Me: Well, you can see me right now, I’m sitting next to you while you email me.

— Jenny Rubin (@jennyjrubin) November 9, 2015

The post 28 hilarious tweets that perfectly sum up being an adult appeared first on Australian Times News.

Hurricane Ophelia is said to be the worst storm to hit Ireland…but forceful winds didn’t keep them from seeing the lighter side things:

Funniest thing I’ve seen all day ???? #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/opiAIP6xwI

— Pádraig MacFarlane (@PodyMac) October 16, 2017

My wife hasn’t stopped staring through the window since this storm started. If it gets any worse I’m going to have to let her in. #Ophelia — The Filling Station (@FSCKeswick) October 16, 2017

I’m having a garden furniture giveaway..winners to be selected at random….#Ophelia #Opheila

— Declan O’Brien (@deccy1919) October 16, 2017

Thank you for the new pet #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/S9DGadTt99 — luisa ???? (@itsluisagibson) October 16, 2017

Irish government rushing supplies in for hurricane Ophelia. It’ll all be grand. #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/xkXEfQCjId

— Kate McLoughney (@KateMcLoughney) October 15, 2017

Lads I’m going to be pure embarrassed if #Ophelia is just a big gust a wind, I have friends from other countries praying for me — Neees???? (@peachschnappps) October 16, 2017

World: Dangerous deadly storm heading right for you, Ireland

Ireland: Do we get the day off?

World: Well yes but

Ireland: Yeooo#Ophelia

— Jack McFadden (@ledzeppjack) October 15, 2017

There are city council workers collecting leaves in North Strand. Collecting. Leaves. Before. A. Hurricane. FFS Ireland. #ophelia — Dreadford ???? (@Bed_Forever_) October 16, 2017

Chippers everywhere #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/MWvdeGEa9d

— Carol ???? (@Carol_xox) October 16, 2017

The schools are off tomorrow as well? My kids have done more damage to the house today than a x hurricane could ever.. #Ophelia — belfast child (@liamball31) October 16, 2017

All company’s in Ireland sending home staff for safety. All pubs calling in extra staff as Monday club is hopping. Mad country #Ophelia — Rory’s Stories (@RorysStories) October 16, 2017

Should we really be closing our schools when #Ophelia is trending number one in Ireland and #Opehlia number two..

— John Breen (@breen_john) October 15, 2017

Yanks are giving out about our lack of a serious reaction. Fair enough but at least we don’t need to be told to not shoot at it #Ophelia — Aine Dempsey (@AineDempsey) October 16, 2017

At Dublin Airport – Taxi man says to American passengers: “I hope you brought your guns, there’s a hurricane coming!” #Ophelia

— Overheard in Dublin (@OverheardDublin) October 15, 2017

It’s official people, Irish weather has finally been upgraded from ‘small talk’ to ‘actually important’. #ophelia — TwistedDoodles (@twisteddoodles) October 15, 2017

if you get up early enough in the morning you might be lucky enough to witness the great Irish trampoline migration of 2017 #Ophelia

— charly ryan (@zombiestepdad) October 16, 2017

me: not really in the mood for school tomorrow global warming: I got you boo #Ophelia — emma (@EmmaKonchar) October 15, 2017

UK: The sky is blood. The end of days has come

IRELAND: Oh, there goes another house. Mad craic out there Margaret come look #Ophelia

— Kyle Malone (@BetterOffMalone) October 16, 2017

The Americans had the idea of shooting at a hurricane when it was coming towards them, we’ve decided to bully our one on Twitter #Ophelia — Adam Gilroy (@GilroysWorld) October 16, 2017

Handy map for those buying in supplies for #ophelia pic.twitter.com/w7nTJ9LLvs

— DynamiteStudio (@dynamitecork) October 15, 2017

The man in the house across from me staring out the window to storm watch just like me. This is it. This is how I meet my husband #Ophelia — Joanne Heffernan (@joanneheff) October 16, 2017

Hurricane prep – charge your phones, power outage likely. Irish people – drain batteries laughing at hilarious hurricane memes #Ophelia

— Sibh Ward (@Little_ArmS) October 16, 2017

Sorted! #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/YRsJRddEu9 — BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) October 15, 2017

Irish people have never been so happy; 24 hour guilt-free non-stop talking about the weather! #ophelia

— Lisa Smyth (@lisa_smyth) October 16, 2017

26.

Roll on #Ophelia I say, this is the most exciting thing to happen in Ireland since we accidentally legalised ecstasy in 2015 — graemebailey (@ActuallyGraeme) October 15, 2017

I’ve just been down to the shops for my hurricane survival kit #HurricaneOphelia I think I shall make it out the other side pic.twitter.com/W84l1nTjBH

— Zwartbles Ireland (@ZwartblesIE) October 15, 2017

Hung clothes out this morning – great drying! Forgot to take them in. I now have no clothes! #Ophelia — Niall Colgan (@niallcolganwf) October 16, 2017

The priest just sent out a text: “In 9 months time, if ye want ta call ye’er new children #Ophelia, ye’ll have ta go ta a new parish”

— Aul Wans at Wakes (@Countrywakes) October 16, 2017

*Just FIY: Craic is an Irish-English word, pronounced ‘crack’. It’s usually preceded by “the”. The craic means fun, or a good time, especially among a group of friends.

Ireland must be the only place in the world that looks forward to a hurricane just to see what the craic is with it ???????? #Ophelia — Peter (mufc) McGarry (@petermcg08) October 16, 2017

God it’s lovely out in Ireland #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/SafsJNtFbU

— anthony kelly (@Ak97Anthony) October 16, 2017

The post Ireland craics us up with hilarious Twitter response to Hurricane Ophelia appeared first on Australian Times News.

The Virgin group announced the news in a press statement saying they branded the Hyperloop company as Virgin Hyperloop One and will lead the way by using Hyperloop technology in up-and-coming projects in the Middle East, India, Europe, Canada and America.

Entrepreneur, Elon Musk was the first to unveil the concept for Hyperloop in August 2013 and later open-sourced the technology, however he is no longer directly involved in its development.

The innovation is said to be revolutionary and could transform passengers’ lives.

How does the Hyperloop One work?

“Passengers and Cargo will be loaded in a pod, and accelerate gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube. The pod quickly lifts above the track using magnetic levitation and glides at airline speeds for long distances due to ultra-low aerodynamic drag.”

At the moment the technology for Hyperloop One is currently in the early stages of commercialisation after the group successfully ran its first trial earlier this year. During this trial they used full-scale Hyperloop passenger pods at their DevLoop site in Nevada, in the US.

The test saw the pod reach a speed of 190mph (305 km/h) in about five seconds before safely coming to a stop.

The statement explains that the duration of the longest test was 10.6 seconds, with a top speed of 192mph (310km/h) – or 86 meters per second. The maximum distance traveled is 436 meters, with a peak acceleration of 1.48 Gs – that’s 0 to 60mph in about 1.85 seconds.

The DevLoop tube length is 500 meters and the tube’s diameter is 3.3 meters. The maximum length of propulsion segment used is 300 meters, with an advanced proprietary levitation system throughout the tube.

Richard Branson said he is very excited about the project. “Earlier this summer I was fortunate to visit the site and see first-hand the exciting technology being tested. I was very impressed and now look forward to helping turn this cutting edge engineering into a global passenger service.”

He also told the CNBC that it won’t take any time getting to your destination with this technology. He said the pod can self-drive to the top of the tunnel (from your office perhaps). “It then goes down the tunnel. It connects up and off you go at 600, 700 miles an hour up to your destination, going faster than an airline.”

The post Branson backs futuristic ‘faster than a plane’ Hyperloop train to go from London to Edinburgh in just 50 minutes appeared first on Australian Times News.

Hot from her stint on Neighbours, Natalie recorded the song and released it as her debut single in 1997. The 22-year-old had an instant hit on her hands with 250,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom in its first week alone. The song also scored itself a Grammy nomination.

Natalie’s version of ‘Torn’ went on to sell more than four million physical copies worldwide and reportedly holds the record for the most played song on Australian radio since 1990.

Now after twenty years, a Twitter user @VilinskiKonjic reminded followers that every ’90’s kid comes of age three times, referring to their 18th birthday, 21st birthday, and the day they find out Natalie Imbruglia’s version of Torn is a cover.

every “90s kid” comes of age 3 times:
• 18th birthday
• 21st birthday
• the day they find out natalie imbruglia’s version of torn is a cover

— horse the band (@VilinskiKonjic) August 24, 2017

Needles to say this Tweet caused pandemonium among 90’s kids.  

……what pic.twitter.com/3eAZvLbXAQ — sarah (@sarah_michellex) August 24, 2017

Im… I’m…. finally an adult. I just got healthcare and a job relating to my degree… I have a home…. I’m crying.

— Secret Admirer ???? (@PhillyAdmirer) August 24, 2017

how could u do this to me?!? — Rachel Simone (@yamanecko) August 24, 2017

So, who wrote the 1997 hit song ‘Torn’?

The song was actually written in 1993 by Scott Cutler and Anne Preven. While it was first recorded by Danish singer Lis Sørensen as “Brændt” (“Burned”) in 1993, the two co-authors eventually recorded the track with their band called Ednaswap in 1995.

According to news.com.au, Preven said the band’s original demo for ‘Torn’ was pretty much the same as Natalie’s version.

“We didn’t think anything of Natalie’s version…we thought it’s just another European cover and we really didn’t give it another thought,” Preven said. “Until, all of a sudden, we get a call saying it’s number one in the United Kingdom. For Scott and I it was obviously a mixed bag. We were thrilled to have a hit. But it was also bittersweet because it wasn’t our band.”

Cutler and Preven luckily were compensated for their work within the first few years after the song’s release.

According to Preven she doesn’t regret missing out on ‘Torn’.

“I don’t regret it now at all. The song changed both Scott’s and my life in terms of everything. It showed us we should stick to song writing and not waste too much time in the band. And that all worked out great for us.”

It does seem like everything worked out in the end. Today, Preven and Cutler own the music publishing company Pulse and co-wrote the song Listen for the Dream Girls soundtrack among others hits.

The post That moment you find out Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’ is really just a cover appeared first on Australian Times News.

This year, the winning photograph was selected from over 15,000 entries from photographers in more than 30 countries.

Mexican photographer, Sergio Tapiro Velasco took the title of the National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year for an incredible image he shot in 2015.

In his winning photograph, Velasco captured Mexico’s Colima Volcano, one of Latin America’s most active volcanoes.

He said: “I was in the town of Comala when I suddenly saw incandescence above the volcano’s crater and started shooting. Seconds later, a powerful volcanic explosion expelled a cloud of ash particles and a massive lightning bolt illuminated most of the dark scene. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life.”

Velasco also told the magazine that when he took the image, all he could do was stare.

“What I was watching was impossible to conceive, the image showed those amazing forces of nature interacting on a volcano, while the lightning brightened the whole scene. It’s an impossible photograph and my once in a lifetime shot that shows the power of nature.”

You can explore more winning photos in this year’s National Geographic best travel photo contest over here:

Honorable Mention, Nature: In a remote village in the Tamba region of Japan, twinkling fireflies light up the Forest of the Gods on a summer evening.

Honorable Mention, Nature: The Marble Caves of Patagonia.

People’s Choice Winner, Nature. A buff-tailed coronet feeds on flower nectar in the Ecuadorian forest, a paradise for hummingbirds.

Second Place Winner, People. A crowd of spectators stand in front of Rembrandt’s masterpiece, Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Third Place Winner, People. Under the Wave:

Third Place Winner, Cities. In Norway’s Lofoten Islands, the Henningsvær football field is considered one of the most amazing in Europe. This photo was taken during a sailing trip from Tromsø to the Lofoten Archipelago.

First Place Winner, People. Beams of light filter through a historic building in Konya, Turkey.

Honorable Mention, Nature. Mount Bromo, a small but active volcano on East Java, Indonesia.

Honorable Mention, People. The man’s stare:

Honorable Mention, People. A father and son dressed in traditional white clothing sit at a mosque in New Delhi, India, under a blue sky on Eid al-Fitr, the conclusion of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

This feature also appeared on TheSouthAfrican.com

The post Check out National Geographic’s best travel photos of 2017 appeared first on Australian Times News.

Dronestagram, a drone photography sharing website and community, as well as National Geographic, recently announced the winners from the 4th annual International Drone Photography Contest.

After receiving thousands of entries from people all over the world, the competition became quite stiff. With entries from talented professional photographers and amateur drone photo enthusiasts, contestants really started to think ‘out of the box’ to eventually snatch up the prize.

Those who entered submitted their photos into one of four categories – “urban”, “people”, “nature” or “creativity”.

So, without further ado, here are the winning photographs from each category:

1. 1st place, People: “End of the line” by Martin Sanchez

2. 2nd place, People: “Waterlily” by helios1412

3. 3rd place, People: “La Vijanera” by feelingmovie

4. 1st place, Nature: “Provence, summer trim” by jcourtial

5. 2nd place, Nature: “Infinite road to Transylvania” by Calin Stan

6. 3rd place, Nature: “Ice formation” by Florian

7. 1st place, Urban: “Concrete jungle” by Bachirm

8. 2nd place, Urban: “Dawn on mercury tower” by Alexeygo

9. 3rd place, Urban: “Peace” by luckydron

The contest also recognized three photos in a new creativity category. The following photos aren’t ranked, though.

10. The following photograph was taken by LukeMaximoBell in South Africa.

He said: “It was a cold early morning in South Africa on a farm near Stellenbosch. Two cows drinking from a nearby dam caught my eye when I saw their long shadows. I launched my drone to capture the scene in a way impossible with any other type of camera.”

11. The next photo is called “Ugo le marin” taken by rga in France.

“As I watched my children playing on the beach and drawing in the sand I had the idea of using the sand as a large sheet of paper. So my two sons and myself drew a scene related to the sea, on the image you can see my oldest son.”

12. “Next Level” taken in France by macareuxprod.

“We look forward to a happy event (a baby) and look[ed] for a fun, original and unusual way to announce it to our loved ones, family and friends. So I had the idea of this picture: Manon & myself creating a baby, represented by an old pram and like a video game.”

The post 12 award-winning drone photographs that are simply amazing appeared first on Australian Times News.

Game of Thrones’ premiere left viewers gobsmacked…

The long-anticipated premiere smashed records as fans tuned in to follow the fates of their favorite characters for another season of fire vs. ice, followed by blood and betrayal. As we know what a Game of Thrones episode is all about, there were a few surprises in there – but the biggest of them all was probably Ed Sheeran’s cameo.

The Shape of You singer made an appearance as a soldier. While he sang a song before encountering Arya Stark, the internet completely freaked out once they realized it was actually Ed himself.

Ed Sheeran couldn’t hide from Twitter though…

Twitter users had quite a lot to say. Before ‘Twitter critics’ became too much, it came up to a point where the singer actually deleted his Twitter account. Just goes to show nobody is safe from the internet.

And now it seems the singer isn’t done with making appearances on shows yet. It was recently revealed that Ed will also make a cameo on The Simpsons, as a character reportedly caught up in a love triangle with Lisa Simpson.

When that will happen isn’t clear.

But, first, let’s take a look at the best reactions to Ed Sheeran’s cameo on Game of Thrones:

The R+L=J Theory is SO last season… #GameOfThrones #GoTS7 pic.twitter.com/t3dkAeo5h3

— DavidCaspi (@DavidCaspi) July 17, 2017

2.

Everyone is complaining about Ed Sheeran on Game of Thrones, but just wait until the season finale, which features a performance by Pitbull.

— Adam Reisinger (@AdamReisinger) July 17, 2017

3.

At some point in the season I hope Ed Sheeran meets Bran and tells him “When your legs don’t work like they used to before”

— Manta Rays Children (@868ball_is_life) July 17, 2017

4.

“oMFG IS THAT ED SHEERAN” pic.twitter.com/nQgFZG3Esh

— beyy 147 (@dracvryn) July 17, 2017

5.

Ed Sheeran appearing on game of thrones but not being brutally disemboweled was very disappointing

— Brandy Jensen (@BrandyLJensen) July 17, 2017

6.

Ed Sheeran’s cameo on #GameOfThrones has everyone playing wordplay on his songs. ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/368BkUsPwF

— Earning Online (@_0nline_Inc0me) July 17, 2017

7.

The Ed Sheeran cameo in last night’s GoT didn’t really bother me.
Mostly because I don’t know who Ed Sheeran is.

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) July 17, 2017

8.

Arya bout to Kill Cersei wearing Ed Sheeran’s face. #GamesOfThrones

— Lionel Dutchie (@mocha_latte12) July 17, 2017

9.

I’m forced to listen to ed sheeran songs 67 times a day bc it’s the only shit on the radio & now my #Gameofthrones isn’t even a safe place.

— Stassi Schroeder (@stassi) July 17, 2017

10.

Arya: That’s a pretty song. I’ve never heard it before.
Ed Sheeran: It’s new. Buy my album ÷ on iTunes #GameOfThrones #GoTS7

— Salim Stark (@SalimAlSamar) July 17, 2017

11.

Nothing takes me out of a fantasy world like a random Ed Sheeran appearance #gameofthrones

— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) July 17, 2017

12.

#GameOfThones writing room:
“Ok we’re beyond the books, we have creative control”
“Concept: Ed Sheeran camping in the woods singing a song”

— Kyle Ethan (@kesnyder42) July 17, 2017

13.

Top Three Characters I’ve wanted to see murdered on Game of Thrones
3. Joffrey
2. Ramsey
1. Ed Sheeran

— Ol’ QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) July 17, 2017

14.

#GameOfThrones SPOILER: Migos stabs Ed Sheeran next week defending The Wall for the Night’s Watch. pic.twitter.com/hVSdYeP7qe

— Matt Barrie (@MattBarrie) July 17, 2017

15.

What if George R.R. Martin slowly kills off everyone and Ed Sheeran eventually becomes the true king in all of Westeros?

— D (@TheDenbear) July 17, 2017

16.

“Hello it’s me, ed sheeran, and i’m here to remind you none of this is real! It’s just a tv show haha, I’m ed sheeran”

— Max Landis (@Uptomyknees) July 17, 2017

17.

This is a show with dragons and I still can’t believe that Ed Sheeran is currently on screen. #GameOfThrones

— Nivea Serrao (@NiveaSerrao) July 17, 2017

18.

game of thrones: we’re a prestige show pls take us seriously
game of thrones: here’s arya eating a squirrel next to ed sheeran

— tori (2017) (@grinchhands) July 17, 2017

19.

20.

21.

me watching game of thrones: hey that guy hella sounds like ed sheeran lmao
me 5 secs later: pic.twitter.com/jEChmeXDvm

— ana (@anaweasley) July 17, 2017

22.

The Ed Sheeran scene was actually an interesting moment/departure that was overshadowed by putting Ed Sheeran in it

— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) July 17, 2017

23.

ED SHEERAN, LORD OF BEING OUT OF PLACE, FIRST OF HIS NAME, SHAPE OF HIS YOU #GameOfThrones

— Maddy Gross (@HerMaddesty) July 17, 2017

24.

people: I’m so excited for GAME OF THRONES to return!!!!

game of thrones: *poop montage followed by ed sheeran cameo*

— David Sims (@davidlsims) July 17, 2017

25.

omg i love ed sheeran pic.twitter.com/WhJ4wZX5ni

— the little idiot (@eelek_) July 17, 2017

The post 25 of the best and most hilarious reactions to Ed Sheeran’s cameo in Game of Thrones appeared first on Australian Times News.

This time the German photographer is focusing his attention on how to master the art of capturing the perfect photo at ‘ugly’ or rather dull locations.

In a video, he says you don’t need locations set in New York, Tokyo or Paris to take an awesome photograph. You can basically do it anywhere. It turns out it that it’s all about your imagination, creativity, and patience.

“To be honest, I’ve captured my favorite street photos in the ugliest of all places,” he says in a recent feature published in PetaPixel. “Sure, it’s a bit more challenging to find the extraordinary in the ordinary… but isn’t that what street photography is all about?”

And so he went on to do the following challenge: capture some extraordinary photo’s in what is considered to be an ‘ugly’ location. So he went to the following plain train station:

Vijce says for him, it looked pretty uninspiring and bland. “However,” he says, “the more time I spent at the location, the more moments I discovered. Make sure to reduce your street photos to what’s absolutely essential.” Here’s one of the first photographs he captured:

For some creative flair, Vijce went to a street above the subway entrance and captured someone in the middle of the escalators. To polish it a bit, he used a strong vignette around it, highlighted the silver parts and increased the saturation on the umbrella.

He went on to photograph the following gentleman in front of the lights from a hallway. He intentionally placed him all the way on the left so that the viewer can anticipate his movement up the escalator…which looks pretty awesome.

One day, when he was running out of ideas, he turned his head left and right and up and down. “All of a sudden, I noticed how I could give it a surreal spin.”

As for the next one, Vijce captured the stairway from the bottom, waited for the sun to set and made sure, that only one person came downstairs. “That way, it looks more reduced and elegant as far as I see it.”

He took the next photo from the side to focus on the lines. “As you can see, you have the handrails on the side, the ones on the escalator, the ones on the wall and the lights on the top left.”

Here’s a close-up shot of a guy going up on the escalator.

The next photograph is all about reflections. Vijce says it would look better if the guy were standing in the middle. In post-processing, he used split-toning to make it a bit more blue.

In the next photo, Vijce captured a couple going down on the escalators. He purposely didn’t get their heads in the shot to focus on the reflections and colors.

Soon, everyone would be able to capture some gorgeous, award-winning photos?! Guess it’s time to brush-up on those photography skills, folks!

Make sure to watch the video Vijce made for the challenge, enjoy!

Image Credits: EyeHeartAndSoul.com

SOME ADVICE: Be careful about taking photos around train and Tube stations – the authorities may not be very enthusiastic and suspect you are casing the joint like a terrorist. If in doubt, ask staff at the station.

The post How to take awesome urban photos at an otherwise dull train station [PHOTOS] appeared first on Australian Times News.

This is the photograph pose #funny #tourist #london #howtodiit pic.twitter.com/QR3I5Sth6e

— Ange Watson (@Ange194veg_girl) April 16, 2017

There’s one more way to spot a tourist though. Listen to the way they pronounce the city or country’s name they’re exploring.

Despite their (and our) best efforts, mispronunciations occur, especially when travelling through a foreign country where you don’t know the language or the spelling.

That’s all about to change thanks to Thrillophilia, who set out to find the most tricky city and country names, and put an end to their mispronunciations once and for all.

Now tourists can study up on these if they are visiting some of these places. Some might even surprise you.

OK, so obviously these are targeted at the worst offenders, Americans (hey, we honestly love you guys, but c’mon… Mahs-cow?) and it’s great to see that pronunciation of Melbourne getting sorted out right off the bat, but we Aussies aren’t that much better.

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Bangkok, Thailand

3. Beijing, China

4. Colombia, South America

5. Lafayette, USA

6. Iraq

7. Dubai, UAE

8. Brisbane, Australia

9. Colorado, USA

10. Carngie Hall, New York

11. Helena, USA

12. Budapest, Hungary

13. Pakistan

14. La Jolla, California

15. Much like Worcester in South Africa….Worcester, Massachusetts

16. Reykjavik, Iceland

17. Niger

18. Thames River, UK

19. Phuket, Thailand

20. Quatar

21. Versailles, France

22. Montreal, Canada

23. Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem

24. Spokane, Washington

25. Norfolk, Virginia

Well, happy travels!

via GIPHY

The post You’ve probably been mispronouncing these city and country names your whole life appeared first on Australian Times News.

Japan-based toy company, Bandai who is responsible for the pocket pet craze, released a game modeled after the original Tamagotchi – but, for now, the original Tamagotchi is only available in Japan.

The Tamagotchi is back!! (But, only in Japan for now) pic.twitter.com/DC1sAJxhy8

— UberFacts (@UberFacts) April 11, 2017

The first Tamagotchi made its debut in 1996 in Japan and in America in 1997. The pixelated game went on to become one of the most popular games in South Africa as well as in other parts of the world.

Kids and teenagers couldn’t get enough of the game and eagerly waited for their Tamagotchi eggs to hatch. Tamagotchi users had to feed their pet, play with it and even pick up its droppings with the help of three tiny rubber buttons.

If you didn’t take care off your pet, it eventually died.

According to The Telegraph, the re-released version of the Tamagotchi stays true to the original with its monochromatic display and six original Tamagotchi characters, even though it is a bit smaller.

Does anyone of these characters look familiar to you?

Through the years, new versions of the craze was released. If you need to keep yourself busy during the day, you can buy one of the new versions on Amazon. The original is only available on Amazon Japan for 2,000 yen at the moment.

The relaunch sparked a wildfire on social media as users couldn’t help but reminisce over the past:

RT if you had a Tamagotchi! pic.twitter.com/RBcunL4zoa

— The 90s Life (@The90sLife) April 13, 2017

All these kids about to learn real heartbreak when they come home to their dead tamagotchi. pic.twitter.com/9lV8wj97au

— Bradley Hadrian (@bradley_hadrian) April 13, 2017

They’re bringing #tamagotchi back because millenials can’t afford to have real children.

— Jen Lap (@jennifer_lap) April 12, 2017

thinking of simpler times #tamagotchi pic.twitter.com/K3wPec8mqU

— Marlowe Dobbe (@marlowedobbe) April 11, 2017

Anyone still have an original #Tamagotchi lying around? #NationalPetDay pic.twitter.com/Uo8vhMTshQ

— EB Games Canada (@EBGamesCanada) April 11, 2017

The post Tamagotchi is back!… and people aren’t coping appeared first on Australian Times News.

Olson, who is based in Michigan in the United States, mapped out a trip where you can hit 45 of Business Insider’s 50 places in Europe you need to visit in your lifetime. He came up with an epic route using an algorithm and Google Maps to calculate the shortest way around these places. This excludes travelling over water though.

If you plan on using this route, be prepared for some extensive driving and clear your schedule. The route covers 16,287 miles and requires 14 days to complete, although, Olson advised travelers to set out at least three months to really enjoy the trip, otherwise you would have to skip out on eating, sleeping or actually just enjoying the scenery.

It sounds like the perfect Europe trip because you’ll get to snap some Instagram-worthy photos at the most popular destinations in the world such as Paris, Denmark, Prague, England, Austria, Croatia, Ireland and more.

Here’s the complete trip on Google Maps:

Click here for the interactive version.

If you’re more interested in travelling to the United States, Olson also planned out the best route to experience 50 major landmarks in America. If you’d rather like to create your own trip, Olson released the code he used in his project with an open source license and instructions for how to optimize your custom road trip. You can find the code here.

Olson is mainly known for his ‘Where’s Waldo’ (‘Where’s Wally’ in the UK) algorithm where he looked at numerous pages of the famous illustrations, and developed a mapping theory on how best to locate all the characters.

Here’s the full list of all the stops set out in his Europe trip in order:

1. Innsbruck, Austria
2. Munich, Germany
3. Pag, Croatia
4. Venice, Italy
5. Tuscany, Italy
6. Florence, Italy
7. Rome, Italy
8. Vatican City
9. Amalfi, Italy
10. Gozo, Malta
11. Dubrovnik, Croatia
12. Santorini, Thira, Greece
13. Rila Monastery, Rilski manastir, Bulgaria
14. Istanbul, Turkey
15. Sighisoara, Mures County, Romania
16. Budapest, Hungary
17. Vienna, Austria
18. Prague, Czech Republic
19. Krakow, Poland
20. Jägala Waterfall, 74205 Harjumaa, Estonia
21. Lapland, Finland
22. ICEBAR, Marknadsvägen, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
23. Bergen, Norway
24. Copenhagen, Denmark
25. Berlin, Germany
26. Amsterdam, Netherlands
27. Keukenhof, Stationsweg, Lisse, Netherlands
28. Edinburgh, United Kingdom
29. Inverness, United Kingdom
30. Ballybunion, Ireland
31. Cliffs of Moher, Clare, Ireland
32. Cornwall, England
33. Stonehenge, Amesbury, United Kingdom
34. London, United Kingdom
35. Brussels, Belgium
36. Paris, France
37. Pamplona, Spain
38. Lagos, Portugal
39. Granada, Spain
40. Ibiza, Spain
41. Barcelona, Spain
42. Luberone, Bonnieux, France
43. Nice, France
44. Monte Carlo, Monaco
45. Interlaken, Switzerland

TOP IMAGE: Europe Trip / ParamountmoviesDigital /YouTube

The post This dude mapped out the ultimate European road trip by using algorithms appeared first on Australian Times News.

Nope, no photoshop. These are all 100% for real. As compiled by Bored Panda, these spectacular photos were taken at exactly the right moment and from the right angle to capture something magical…. Check them out:

1. An unbelievable sunset…

2. A rock ducking under a blanket of foam?

3. Plane drops are falling:

4. Yes, this is a single photo:

5. A wheat field next to a lavender field:

6. A Picture of Sutro Tower in San Francisco which looks like the top of the Flying Dutchman’s Floating ship:

7. More boats. It’s all about perspective:

8. Feeding swans in the snow:

9. Maybe the grass is greener on the other side:

10. Before the storm:

11. The sunflower rebel:

12. This is actually a chip on a car window:

13. This glowing base of a tree made up by leaves:

14. A storm gone rogue:

15. After the flood…

16. A rare cloud phenomenon:

17. A boat floating on air:

18. A tree of gold:

19. Catching a wave…

20. This chili with a perfect mild to hot gradient:

This compilation appears courtesy of TheSouthAfrican.com

The post 20 amazing photos that warp your mind but are totally for real appeared first on Australian Times News.

Developed by Zero Zero Robotics over two years, it might have missed Christmas, but we’d go out on a limb and bet it won’t matter.

The device is a tiny, foldable drone with four propellers that is controlled by a smartphone app, snapping 4k video and photos via a 13-megapixel camera.

It is super portable and doesn’t get in your way at all. According to Tech Crunch, the drone is super user friendly – you just throw it up in the air to get started and then fold it in order to shut it down.

This camera wants to be there with you while you’re walking down the street or jumping of a cliff – without you having to worry about fiddling with remote controls.

Meng Qiu “MQ” Wang, CEO of Zero Zero Robotics told Mashable that they wanted the user experience to be very natural and easy to use. “We wanted to make sure the learning curve for users is minimum. So there is no remote control or anything. There’s no calibration process.”

The camera comes with an auto-follow mode, it has body and face tracking, is equipped with electronic image stabilization to smooth footage out and is battery operated. There’s even a Wi-Fi hotspot on the device, perfect for those who want to share their videos and pics on social media.

If you want to create magical videos and snap some awesome aerial pics of yourself, the device is available on GetHover.com now.

The post RIP selfie sticks, the camera of the future is here [WATCH] appeared first on Australian Times News.

So, here we go:

First of all assess the damage:

If you know you’re in trouble, there isn’t much to do about it now. According to Fin24, hopefully you kept within your budget through the holidays, but if you did over-indulge, now is the time to do some damage control and assess the situation. Go through your bank statements and understand where you are financially at the moment.

Take charge on upcoming payments:

This time of the year, things like school fees along with your usual payments are important. You don’t want to skip out on payments just because it’s January. Start off by taking charge and making notes of important upcoming payments. Don’t go and take out a loan and increase your debt. Adding on expenses will only do more damage. Save up for important payments and work around that budget.

Start planning:

The best time to plan your finances, are early on in the year. Make some real changes, be strict and actually get through the months with enough money for you to live comfortably.

Limit your spending:

Limit your spending habits — so as not to run up extra debt — and cut unnecessary expenses like eating at restaurants on the regular or going to the movies; and yes even travel, if only until your finances are balanced again.

Review:

Review your finances and financial pattern of 2016 and save up. If you don’t know where to begin, take a look at these awesome tips and tricks for you to try out.

Feature published courtesy of TSA

The post How to survive the rest of January, even though you’re broke as hell appeared first on Australian Times News.

So if you’ve not been able to stick to the deal you made in 2016, have another go at it.

1. Start to make a habit out some sort of exercise

Some believes it takes about 21 days to form a habit of something. According to Metro, plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz believed it to be a minimum of 21 days to make a change in your life. After he wrote about this in 1960, his 21-day-rule became the framework for psychologists all over.

A later study by Psychologist, Phillipa Lally suggests it takes longer – from 66 days up to 245 days for a habit to kick in. Therefore, start immediately. You can start small. How about doing some burgees for five minutes straight or take a walk around the block for ten minutes. Just do something that involves movement. If you constantly keep going at it, you will start falling into the habit of exercising.

2. Go on an adventure which includes some sort of exercise

There’s beautiful hiking trails all over the place. Start training for one and do it. The views are worth it! And it’s much easier making a habit out of something that also enriches your inner soul.

Stand on the precipice of an unforgettable adventure. via @ramonmellett 

How about climbing a mountain or river rafting. 

 

It’s easy to find your centre when you’re surrounded by this! via @majesticash06 

3. How about downloading an app?

With today’s technological advances, it’s much easier to keep track of your daily movements. Apps on your smartphone such as MyFitnessPal, a training app like Couch to 5k or exercise monitors like Runkeeper or Fitbit will help you keep some structure between workouts.

4. Cut back on the booze

This isn’t news to anyone. Adults are allowed to buy booze for a reason you know, but it does in fact prolong your fitness goals. Alcohol prevents fat burning in your belly region, it temporarily stops your body from burning fat and you make some pretty poor food choices after a night out drinking – whether it is the next day or during the night.

5. Follow your favourite fitness pro’s on Instagram for some inspiration

You can find a lot of inspiration on the internet. Looking at Emily Skye’s Instagram will be enough to get you out of bed and onto a yoga mat. She’s one of the best fitness role models you’ll find today.

A photo posted by Emily Skye – Health & Fitness (@emilyskyefit) on Dec 18, 2016 at 3:10am PST

6. Start off by exercising at home

With work, kids and basically life that prevents you from going to gym everyday, it is almost impossible to get a full workout. But, if you start exercising at home you can save some time (and money) and actually get into a fitness routine. Some jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, yoga, Pilates or squats can do the trick. Work out an exercise routine for yourself and start to see the pounds melt off.

7. Join a boot camp or exercise group

Nothing will motivate you more than joining an exercise group with your friends. It can also count towards some much-needed downtime where you can refocus and re-energise your mind.

 

A photo posted by TBCC Haarlemmermeer & Haarlem (@thebootcampclubhaarlemeo) on Dec 31, 2016 at 1:44am PST

8. Get a personal trainer

If you’re really serious about getting into tip top shape, hire a personal trainer. It will cost you, but the results are always promising. It means someone will support you on your weight loss journey and give you the best advice.

9. Keep a food diary

It’s useful to keep track of what you’re consuming everyday. An app like MyFitnessPal will hep you out. This way you can track where excessive calories come from and cut out food that you know isn’t doing you’re weight loss journey any good.

10. Make goals and not revolutions

Setting goals are much better in the long run than setting resolutions. Resolutions such as ‘living healthier’ can leave you in limbo and scramble out of control. Goals are track-able and achievable. Working out three times a week, for instance, is very achievable.

Good luck!

This feature also appeared here on TheSouthAfrican.com

TOP IMAGE: Courtesy Pixabay

The post New Year’s resolutions: 9 ways to actually lose weight and get fit in 2017 appeared first on Australian Times News.

Take a look at these incredible frosty images from the land to the far north…

1. Where even the sun is frozen

2. Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region and it is one of the best places on Earth to spot the Northern Lights – they appear on more than 200 nights a year.

3. It’s truly a magical scene.

4. Lapland is almost above the ordinary – spiritually, geographically and in everything it does.

5. The scenery is text book.

6. It’s also said that Lapland is home to Santa Clause and his reindeer. Thomson means “it’s the stuff of fairytales. Cue snow-dusted forests that stretch for miles, cosy log cabins that look like they’ve been plucked from a storybook, and a population that’s made up of more reindeer than people.”

7. It’s the perfect place to celebrate Christmas.

8. The exact location of Santa is not known, though, but it is best to head to his Rovaniemi office. This is where he greets visitors all year round! Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland.

9. Santa and his elves are only a part of the adventure: Finland is also said to be a great place to test your skiing skills or to go snowmobiling.

10. There’s something lonely and intangible which makes it kind of magical.

11. Save some money and book a trip to this mystical place.

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The post 15 photos that prove Lapland is the most magical place to be at Christmas appeared first on Australian Times News.

She’s going global with her delicious DIY videos and has now found her way to Sydney (don’t they all?).

In this episode she shows us all the fun things you can get up to in Australia’s biggest city. Some of these include eating banana bread while drinking coffee, forming your own artisitic impression of the iconic Syney Opera House, and of course and wearing a cork hat because ‘everybody wears them’.

She also says that your friends shouldn’t call you while you’re on roaming because she has to pay!

The post SuzelleDIY’s hilarious tourist tips for visitors to Sydney [VIDEO] appeared first on Australian Times News.

This year’s Grand Title winner, American photographer Tim Laman won the prestigious annual competition for his image ‘Entwined Lives‘. The image shows a critically endangered Bornean orangutan in the Indonesian rainforest.

According to Imaging Resource, Laman’s image was taken with a GoPro camera hidden in the canopy of the forest. Laman, a previous award-winner in the competition, reportedly spent three days climbing and setting cameras that could be triggered remotely.

His image was chosen out of 50,000 entries from 95 countries, and will be shown along with 99 other photographs in an exhibition at the National History Museum. The exhibition will also make its way to the USA, Canada, Germany, Spain and Macau.

Gideon Knight was announced the winner in the Young Wildlife category with his photograph, ‘The Moon and The Crow‘.

In the birds category, Ganesh H Shankar won with this photograph, named ‘Eviction Attempt‘.

Italian winner – in the plant and fungi category – Valter Binotto captured this image featuring a hazel tree near his home.

Winner in the urban category, Nayan Khanolkar, captured this image of a leopard slipping through a maze in a suburb of Mumbai bordering Sanjay Gandhi national park. The photograph is called ‘The Alley Cat‘.

South African Photographer, Lance van de Vyver, made the finalist list with his black and white photograph called ‘Playing pangolin‘. Apparently, he tracked the pride for several hours before they stopped to rest by a waterhole, where the lions in SA’s Tswalu Kalahari Private Game Reserve had discovered a Temminck’s ground pangolin.

Winner of the underwater category is Tony Wu with his image called ‘Snapper Party‘.

Simon Stafford made the winner’s list with his image called ‘The Aftermath‘ in the Mammals category.

Charlie Hamilton James from the UK was a finalist in the Mammals category with his photograph called ‘Wild West stand-off‘.

The post Check out this year’s incredible Wildlife Photography of the Year winners [PHOTOS] appeared first on Australian Times News.

What followed was a whole lot of mischievous whos who wanted to play, mischieviously tweeting and rhyming away…

The post Twitter tears into Donald Trump, Dr. Seuss style appeared first on Australian Times News.

1. After my son learned what made boys and girls different, he started introducing himself to random people thus: “Hi, I’m John, and I do NOT have a vagina.” – meaghanb44815185c

2. Last night getting ready for bed my youngest says “I’ve been waiting for this moment. I’m gonna scratch my penis.” – Twitter.com/CMYKilla22

3. Their homework can be entertaining as hell.

4.“The cashier at a grocery store was telling my daughter how cute and well behaved she was. My daughter responded, ‘Mommy said we can’t talk to people with bad eyebrows.’” – a4ff63233f

5.“Today my 4-year-old called her stuffed giraffe a ‘cute little bitch.’” – r47fb6647a

6.“My 3-year-old daughter said, ‘Mommy, I need some cock ’n’ balls’. After a lifetime of stunned silence, I finally asked, ‘What…do you mean?’ She looked at me like I was the asshole in the situation and said, ‘COCK’N BALLS. You know, those white balls you put in your ears?’” – andreak492692f45

7.“When I was a kid, I dressed up as Flower from Bambi for Halloween and a woman asked what I was supposed to be. Apparently I couldn’t say ‘skunk’ quite right and proudly told her I was a ‘cunt.’” – erindeyoe

8. “I was in the grocery store, and my 5-year-old son wouldn’t quit grabbing at the front of his shorts, even after I told him to stop. Finally I said, ‘Dude, quit grabbing your penis!’
He replied, ‘It’s not my penis, Mommy, it’s a kitty cat’. He then let out a quiet but distinct ‘MEEEOW!’, stopped, stretched out the waistband of his shorts, looked down at his crotch, and said, ‘Shh! Be quiet!’ To this day, I have no idea what that was about.” – kariannh4477db195

9.“After checking out at the grocery store, my 3-year-old turned around to the man behind us and said, ‘I’m gonna kick your ass, sir.’” – bridgetc40507d122

10.“While the cashier was ringing up my feminine products at Target, my 5-year-old loudly proclaimed, ‘Ugh! I hate when you’re on your period and have to stick tampons up your butt!’” – Youngnj22

11.“When my kid was 10, he told a teacher at church to ‘go die in a hole’ after she got him out in dodgeball.” – skailyr

12.“My 3-year-old asked me VERY loudly while we were shopping, ‘Mommy, are you going to steal something?’” – jessicadavidh

13.“My niece asked, ‘Grandma, my other grandma is dead isn’t she?’ My mom/her grandma said, ‘Yes, honey…but…’ My niece cut her off and said with a laugh, ‘One down, one to go!’” – brigetcollinsp

14.“When I was 3 or 4, I was with my family at a really nice restaurant. My grandma decided to have the fish, so I promptly yelled, ‘Big mom-mom, last time you ate fish your butt exploded!’” – glorymikey

15.“I was picking my daughter up from a playdate at a friend’s house. The mom and I were having a pleasant conversation until my 6-year-old daughter came up and proudly told her, ‘My mommy and daddy really like to dance naked in their room.’” – brittneec

16.“My 3-year-old son was pretending to be a bug earlier in the day, so he was wearing a pipe cleaner headband while we were at the grocery store. He said it made him look like a rhinoceros and ran up to a little old lady, pointed at his head and yelled, ‘I’m horny!’” – tanisf3

*This feature first appeared here

The post 16 hilariously inappropriate things kids have said appeared first on Australian Times News.

Naturally, the internet responded with the best memes of Jennifer Aniston:

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3. It’s hard not to draw comparisons.

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10. Jennifer is probably just like…

11. She’s married to Justin Theroux after all…

12. But the internet will always have its say…

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The post Jennifer Aniston memes explode following shock Brangelina split announcement appeared first on Australian Times News.

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The post 20 hilarious tweets that prove modern kids are cheeky little buggers appeared first on Australian Times News.

The hashtag, #HowToConfuseAMillennial recently hatched out on Twitter. Many enjoyed pointing out that millennials can be confused quite easily, but as it progressed it took quite a different direction when millennials slammed back at their elders.

1. Many ‘elders’ pointed out that millennials wouldn’t know how to use certain ‘basic’ things.

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3. They did not hold back.

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5. Some reminisced over the way things were in the past.

6. But, it didn’t take long for millennials to hit back.

7. They kind of ‘hijacked’ the hashtag.

8. And pointed out that their elders ‘screwed up’ society

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11. And of course…

Ouch!

The post #HowToConfuseAMillennial backfires on baby boomers who started it appeared first on Australian Times News.

According to Global News the images were judged in three categories: nature, cities and people. After receiving more than 10,000 entries, the winners were announced and below you will see why they won.

Take a look:

1. Grand Prize Winner, Anthony Lau from Hong Kong won with this beautiful photograph featuring a Winter Horseman in Inner Mongolia.

On National Geographic’s Website he shared the story:”The winter in Inner Mongolia is very unforgiving. At a freezing temperature of minus twenty and lower, with a constant breeze of snow from all direction, it was pretty hard to convince myself to get out of the car and take photos. When I saw Inner Mongolia horsemen showing off their skills and commanding the steed from a distance. I quickly grabbed my telephoto lens and captured the moment when one of the horseman charged out from morning mist.”

2. First place winner, in the cities category, goes to Takashi Nakagawa. The photograph features a quiet moment in Ben Youssef in Marrakesh, Morocco.

3. Second Place Winner in the People category goes to Yasmin Mund with her photograph called “Rooftop Dreams” taken at a guesthouse in Varanasi.

4. In Third Place; Nature we have Victor Lima with a shot of The Baltinache Ponds, also called Hidden Ponds, found in the second region of northern Chile, in the Atacama desert.

5. In the nature category, first place went to Hiroki Inoue from Japan. He said: “Romance is in the air. It was the time of day immediately following sunset. I heard a voice [saying]: ‘Wherever you go, I will follow you'”.

6. Second Place winner in the cities category, Wing Ka H’s photograph features the school dormitories of South China Normal University.

7. Mattia Passarini won third place in the people category. The shot was taken in -21 degrees in a remote village in Himachal Pradesh, India.

8. This photograph “Double Trapping” was taken by Massimiliano Bencivenni in the Brazilian Pantanal and came in at second place in the nature category.

9. Receiving an honorable mention in the nature category, photographer, John Rollins said: “This photo was taken far out on the sea ice in the Davis Straight off the coast of Baffin Island. This mother polar bear and her yearling are perched atop a huge snow covered iceberg that got ‘socked in’ when the ocean froze over for the winter. To me, the relative ‘smallness’ of these large creatures when compared to the immensity of the iceberg in the photo represents the precariousness of the polar bear’s reliance on the sea and sea ice for its existence.”

Absolutely spectacular!

The post Feast your eyes on this years’ most amazing travel photos appeared first on Australian Times News.

It also looks like a subject Jullien’s quite fond of: Brightside reported that his favorite subject is the ways in which modern society’s increasing dependence on phones and social networks is often interpreted mistakenly as signs of a real connection between people.

In the illustrations below you will see him mocking technology users in a wonderfully sarcastic way and you will be able to relate because we see it around us everyday – (we’re all culprits in some way or another in any case).

Check it out:

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The post 20 funny illustrations about modern life [IMAGES] appeared first on Australian Times News.

The study was published in the Journal of Sex Research and consisted of 1,940 Canadians of both genders.

IFLscience reported that under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5), sexual behaviors are divided into normophilic, which means “normal” or typical” behavior and paraphilic, which means “anomalous” or “deviant”.

Out of the participants 45.5% said they are interested in a sexual behavior linked to paraphilic while 33% said they’ve already acted on these desires associated with the latter.

One of the researchers, Christian Joyal said these facts suggest that we need to know what normal sexual practices are before we label a legal sexual interest as paraphilic. According to him, EurekAlert reported that: “Some paraphilic interests are more common than people might think, not only in terms of fantasies but also in terms of desire and behavior.”

Out of the eight types of paraphilic behaviors, four were found not to be rare or unusual for women and men at all. These behaviors are: voyeurism, fetishism, masochism and frotteurism.

The study revealed 35% of the participants liked watching someone engage in intimate or sexual behavior (voyeurism), 26% said they enjoyed sexual stimulation from nonsexual body parts (fetishism), 19% said they liked getting sexual stimulation from pain or humiliation (masochism) and another 26% said they enjoyed rubbing or groping (frotteurism).

But, even though men are found to be more interested in paraphilic behaviors, women aren’t necessarily shying away from it.

“In fact, women who report an interest in sexual submission have more varied sexual interests and report greater satisfaction with their sex lives. Sexual submission is therefore not an abnormal interest.”

Joyal added in a statement that: “A paraphilia is not a mental disorder but rather a sexual preference for non-normophilic behavior, whereas paraphilic behavior is non-preferential and only engaged in from time to time. At the same time, this study strongly suggests that some legal paraphilic behaviors are far from abnormal, contrary to what is suggested by the DSM-5.”

The post Study suggests weird sexual fantasies are actually very normal appeared first on Australian Times News.

via GIPHY

It goes as far as to describe it as a “global epidemic”.

The miserable_men Instagram page urges people to send in pictures of men having probably the worst time ever while out shopping to eventually capture this so-called ‘epidemic’ and the reality of it all. In a very funny way of course.

Ahhh men, they feel so sorry for themselves. Got to give him points for actually going with you, though…

The post What men look like when they go ‘shopping’ [PHOTOS] appeared first on Australian Times News.

Below you can see the illustration or click here to see in more detail:

Mediarun Digital

On their website the company states that it is interesting to see how style has changed over the years. “The early ceremonies were a far less extravagant occasion and fashion choices reflected that, while today’s events see luxurious flowing gowns from the world’s leading designers.”

According to The Daily Mail, the designer who has dressed the most winners is the Italian fashion house Armani with three, dressing Jessica Tandy in 1990, Jodie Foster in 1992 and Emma Thompson in 1993.

Best Actress winner Jennifer Lawrence celebrates in the press room for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook” with Jean Dujardin. Image Credit: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images

Dior has two wins under the belt with Reese Witherspoon in 2006 and Jennifer Lawrence in 2013. Yves Saint Laurent follows with Jane Fonda in 1972 and Kate Winslet in 2009. Gucci also scored two wins with Helen Hunt in 1999 and our very own South African born actress, Charlize Theron in 2004.

Charlize Theron during 2004 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Mortons in Beverly Hills, California, United States. Image credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Jean Paul Gaultier is also ranked with two wins – dressing Oscar winners Nicole Kidman in 2003 and Marion Cotillard in 2008.

This year the nominees for best actress in a leading role are: Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlotte Rampling and Saoirse Ronan.

We can’t wait to find out who will walk away as the winner and what she will be wearing this year. All will be revealed this Sunday, 28 February.

TOP IMAGE: Oscar winner Anne Hathaway. (By S.Bukley / Shutterstock.com)

The post Every Best Actress Oscar winner’s dress worn since 1929 [Illustration] appeared first on Australian Times News.

Well, this year you can play with your imagination and spice things up a little bit. Valentines Day cards doesn’t have to be boring, especially for the dirty minded people out there, who like to be a little bit more – let’s just say creative.

These cards are just the thing for you then.

IMAGES: Via etsy.com

The post Naughty Valentines Day cards for the cheeky romantics appeared first on Australian Times News.

Nobody wants any negativity in their lives. So if you have any friends, who is dragging you down, it’s time to cut the cord and figure out who lifts you up and makes you happy.

Here are a list of 10 types of people who might be dragging you down in life and who you might reconsider naming your ‘friend’:

1. The liar, liar pants on fire

via GIPHY

If you have a friend who is constantly lying to you, and of course you know they are lying, it is time to let them go. If your friend can’t be honest with you, there is no trust present in the relationship.

2. The friend who is always there when the ‘sun is shining.’

We all have this one or had this one. This is a friend who is constantly by your side when everything in your life is going well, but when you need help – they simply disappear, only to come back when the storm is over. This is not good and you are probably just being used.

3. The friend you need to babysit – constantly

via GIPHY

It’s annoying when you turn your back and said person is always there!

It’s really off putting when you are attending a party with a friend who follows you around and whom you have to attend to the whole time. No. Let go, you are not a babysitter.

4. The friend who never has any money

Can we talk about Alan from Two and a half men a second? Yep, these friends always forget their wallet at home or are nagging to borrow money from you the entire time you are in their presence. I’m sure you don’t mind helping your friends when they forget money once in a while, but constantly borrowing money without paying it back?  You are only being used for your money my friend. This is definitely not real friendship.

5. The jealous friend

via GIPHY

Jealousy makes you nasty! And this is the truth. Jealous people won’t have anything good to say to you – they will probably slip out nasty comments and make you feel like crap. Nobody likes that.

6. The egotistical friend

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These people never ask who it is going with you or what’s happening in your life – they only talk about themselves for hours. Friendships are two way streets

7. The friend who can never have a honest conversation and only wants to party with you

As we grow up, we start living more responsibly and (most probably) drink less than we did in college. When you are going on with your life and succeeding, you don’t necessarily have time to party every night. That one friend who does might get angry because of your boring lifestyle. But hey, if that’s the case, let them go. They are not going to grow up any time soon anyways.

8. The friend who pressures you into doing things

via GIPHY

Nobody likes to be pressured into doing things they don’t want to do. When someone pressures you into drinking or whatever you don’t want to do then it’s time to say cheers – forever.

9. The friend who talks about you behind your back

If a friend gossips in front of you about other people, they are probably gossiping about you with other people. If they can’t say it in front of you and talk to you about it – then there is definitely a problem!

10. The friend who always drops out… of everything

That one friend who always cancels on plans and leaves you alone sitting at a bar is a no-go. When they have good enough reason or a very hectic career – okay fine. If they don’t, you are probably not a priority to them. Real friends always make time for each other.

TOP IMAGE: Via Shutterstock.com

This article originally appeared on TheSouthAfrican.com

The post 10 Types of people you should consider leaving behind in 2016 appeared first on Australian Times News.

Now, these percentages might not be exactly the same for Aussies (more or less, do you think?), but if you know you do it once in a while, after reading the benefits that go with it you might think about doing it more.

Dr. Lauren Streicher, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University and author of Sex Rx: Hormones Health And Your Best Sex Ever told Huffington Post that masturbation can help you sleep and relieve stress. It is also said to relax you both mentally and physically. Well, well, well, who knew?

Here are some other benefits gained from masturbation:

1. It makes you happy! After pleasurable acts like sex and orgasms, endorphins such as dopamine and oxytocin are released which in turn creates a natural high for you.
2. Explore your body ladies! If you want to know what you like and what feels good for you – it’s time to masturbate. In that way you know what you like and where to go to achieve an orgasm.
3. Masturbation makes you sleepy. Streicher said this is because orgasms physically and emotionally release tension. After calming hormones such as oxytocin are released, you feel sleepy and relaxed and in that can get a good night’s rest.
4. Sexual tension what? You’ll never feel sexually frustrated if you take care of business yourself.
5. You’ll feel more sexual. Streicher told Huffington Post that when you have more sex you think about it more, and the more you’ll want to have it. “It follows that the more you masturbate and become comfortable being sexual with your own body, the more you’ll want to be sexual with your partner.” Masturbation can therefore, definitely expand your sex life with your partner.
6. Women don’t have to stop at one orgasm like men. Why not explore and reach multiple orgasms?
7. If you don’t like doing it yourself, you can get a vibrator. There are a lot of sex toys for you to try out. Mix it up a little, why don’t you?
8. In a number of studies it’s been found women who masturbate have a greater resistance to coronary heart disease (CHD) and type-2 diabetes. According towomenshealthnetwork.com this resistance is due to more orgasms and frequent sex.
9. Another reason womenshealthnetwork.com points out is that masturbation can prevent urinary tract infections and cervical infections. When women masturbate and orgasms, the “tents”, as they call it, opens the cervix. In the case of urinary tract infections, women often decide to masturbate to relieve the pain. It also helps to lubricate the vagina and flushes bacteria from the cervix.
10. Connect with yourself and unwind. Forget about chores and work and give it to yourself ladies. You definitely don’t need a man to help you out ! Plus you can’t get pregnant or catch a sexually transmitted disease…so there’s that.

In Australia, the Victoria state government also declares that masturbating is healthy. Check out what their ‘Better Health Channel’ has to say about it.

This feature originally appeared here

The post 10 reasons why women should masturbate appeared first on Australian Times News.

It seems glitter has been the key when it comes to putting new fashion trends in force this year. Some call it a glitter epidemic. Others have truly embraced the sparkle.

In case you’ve missed some of them, here’s a recap on this year’s hair trends.

The clip-in man bun:

The clip-in man bun made its way back into our lives. Sigh. You can find them at Groupon for only $10. With over 10,000 sold so far, it seems this trend is still making some waves.

Glitter Beards:

An account on Instagram, called thegaybeards, has made some headlines with their glitter beards this year.

A photo posted by The Gay Beards (@thegaybeards) on Jul 12, 2015 at 5:04pm PDT

Glitter armpits: For the love of the sparkle, I guess? People started using the hash tag #glitterpits to show off their sparkly armpits on Instagram.

  När jag har tråkigt #GLITTERPITS   A photo posted by jennifersolorzano (@jennifersolorzano) on Dec 4, 2015 at 2:00pm PST

Glitter Roots:

Some even decided to bedazzle their roots. #Glitterroots has definitely taken the internet by a storm in 2015.

We are oficially in love with the #GLITTERROOTS trend! have you tried it yet? #glitter #glitterroots #briteorganix #britebabe #colouredhair #diy

A photo posted by BRITE ORGANIX (@briteorganix) on Dec 8, 2015 at 12:45am PST

  How about some #RainbowRoots?

#RAINBOWROOTS by @alexbrownsell for @lottietommo123 # Looks so cool!! A photo posted by BLEACHlondon (@bleachbabes) on Nov 4, 2015 at 11:26am PST

The newest trend seems to be confetti hair:  

Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, had some things to say when it comes to some of these new trends. Check it out and tell us how you feel about some of these new fashion statements:

The post Recap of 2015’s most out there hair trends appeared first on Australian Times News.

That said, maybe your “travel genes” are open and anxious to explore the world, while others haven’t been fully bitten by the travel bug. T

Perhaps those who were born to travel have more in common than this gene?…

via GIPHY

Here are 9 more things those who travel love and understand

They’ll never get tired of travelling

These are usually the people who start off their sentences with “When I was….”. Yes, these people are addicted to travelling and they will never get enough. I mean to travel and see the world, seek out new adventures and experience life in all its forms is a great way to live your life

They know how to pack like a pro

When you travel, one of the biggest tricks up your sleeve should be the art of packing. You should be able to pack according to weight and do so smartly. People who love to travel already have this skill in place. You’ll also know the airports ins and outs and you know what is allowed and what not on the plane.

They can handle jetlag

They are immune against jetlag, mainly because they know the drill. They know when to take naps on board and can work out time zones accordingly to make sure they will be A-okay when they land.

They don’t mind going to countries with exotic diseases

Travellers know that if they are going into an infested land full of diseases, they should take precautions in doing so. For instance, if they should visit a place that is infested with malaria, they get the right jabs and pills to do so. Diseases and illnesses don’t easily scare them off.

The anticipation of planning the trip is half the fun

While you are planning and booking your trip to your next destination, you get all wind up and excited. That is the travellers’ addiction – the excitement that builds up before going on the trip. They plan out their time schedules and check out the fun things they can expect to do wherever they are going. I’d say that is half the fun. We all work hard and live in stressful times, being excited about something makes it all worthwhile.

via GIPHY

They make friends all over the world

Travellers are not afraid to meet new people and learn about their culture or lifestyles. The traveller quickly makes friends with strangers in new places. There are a few tricks in doing so: if it’s in a club, or playing cards in a hotel room, travellers are sure to make some friends along the way.

They say money doesn’t buy happiness….

It was recently found that money can in fact buy happiness, but only in the things you pay to do and in that make memories. To make great memories make people happy. That’s why travellers don’t have to justify their budgets because they are making memories that will last a lifetime.

They are very curious

Travellers are curious about the world and new places and you know your thirst for curiosity will not fade until you travel and find out what is for what.

They are very fond of maps

Travellers love, love, love maps. Travellers like to know where what is in the world and will most likely study maps to make sure they are right. They probably also know the capitals of cities and famous landmark destinations which they could pin on the wall for their next trip.

via GIPHY

TOP IMAGE: Via William Perugini / Shutterstock.com

The post 9 things only people who travel truly understand (maybe it’s genetic?) appeared first on Australian Times News.

Watching the following movies and wishing the television can suck you in and transfer you to that location is something I wish upon. I’m definitely guilty of watching these five films over and over again just because of their locations.

The Holiday

That little cottage named Rosehill Cottage in the English countryside was in fact not the real deal, but hell it looks nice! Snuggling up at the fireplace with a glass of wine seems idyllic for those who want a nice little breakaway. Here’s the ad which Amanda (Cameron Diaz) found on the internet about the cottage:

This looks like heaven!

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

The location is mainly set in the one and only, Hawaii, more specifically Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu. There are beaches, waves, cocktails and Hawaiian luaus….this place is paradise, and the movie is really funny!

via GIPHY

Christmas with the Kranks

Attention Christmas lovers: This is a nice family movie which features a lot of Christmassy things we all love. The film was filmed in a setting near a suburb in Chicago. In the setting you can see a lot of Christmas trees with lights and snow, mixed with a movie full of humour. It is a sure thing to put you in the Christmas spirit. If you don’t like this Christmas movie, there are a whole bunch of others you can choose from.

via GIPHY

Mamma Mia!

The film, an adaption of the Broadway musical based on Abba songs, was filmed on the Greek Islands and it surely takes your breath away. A week in Greece can sure do some good, don’t you think?

via GIPHY

Midnight in Paris

The movie set in the French capital of the world shows the beauty which Paris beholds. With the cities romance, art and history it would be a dream come true to go to.

via GIPHY

So, what is your list of movie locations you’d want to go to?

TOP IMAGE: Meryl Streep goes Greek in Mamma Mia!

The post 5 Film locations you wish you could escape to right now appeared first on Australian Times News.

The acccount even invites guys to send in their details so that they can be compared to food.

Foodies and those who love crushing on guys can gladly feast their eyes and go and follow the account.

Here are some of the posts…

Life’s too short not to eat cake, right?

First you twist it…then you lick it…..

We all scream for ice cream!

More ice cream…

Pizza…

That looks divine…don’t you think?

Omnom…nom…

Do you have a sweet tooth?

And…that’s a wrap!

Originally published on TheSouthAfrican.com

The post Hot guys that look like food (ahem) appeared first on Australian Times News.