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As promised, it’s finally here! Thank you to all of my patrons for not only the support that made this possible, but for giving me the confidence to work on a big project like this.

Rather than providing any drawing instruction, what this writeup aims to do is help you learn to unpack the decisions being made in a given composition, and articulate what elements in a piece are responsible for its impact. Being able to isolate these qualities in your own art and art that inspires you opens up avenues for improvement regardless of medium, style, or technical skill. This is the first of hopefully many PWYW art ‘tutorials’ from me. 

I hope you all enjoy! 

Hi Miss Uzbekistan! :3 what are your favorite foods?

Number one has to be our national dish! We call it "Osh" here, but a lot of people outside Uzbekistan call it "Plov" instead. Truly the food that represents Uzbek cuisine, it's rice cooked with carrots, meat, onions, and chickpeas, sometimes raisins, in an iron cauldron.

...at least, that's how it's supposed to be done. I need to teach Turkey about the wonders of cauldrons.

Osh is served in a big plate, and everyone digs in! Traditionally, people ate with their hands as they used their fingers to act as a scoop to feed with. However, since the introduction of spoons, you'll only really see people continuing this tradition in rural areas.

My next favorite has to be somsa! I've heard of variations of this food across Asia, from South Asia to the Middle East. Juicy meat, potatoes, and onions are stuffed into a pastry-like triangular pie, which is then decorated with sesame seeds on top. It's filling and also very convenient to pack on trips!

In terms of snacks, Uzbeks love eating dried foods, like dried apricots and raisins! However, if you're more of a salty person, qurut may be to your liking. They're yogurt balls made of fermented milk. It's both salty and sour, and therefore an...acquired taste.

The taste and texture of qurut differs based on where it's made. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, qurut is harder and can last you the whole day! It's also more sour. However, my qurut is slightly softer, creamier, and can be fully consumed within an hour. I think it's easier for beginners.

Speaking of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, my brothers love pranking other nations by giving them one to try as a "treat" while they watch for a reaction.

After 2000 years of standing strong, the one thing that made her knees buckle was a single qurut from Kazakhstan...

Everyone please keep her in your prayers.

CNN

'Reasonable' to believe genocide against Armenians being committed, former ICC chief prosecutor says | CNN

A former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor has said there is “reasonable basis to believe that genocide is being committed again

Azerbaijan has blocked all the roads to Nagorno-Karabakh for over 7 months now. People are starving, not receiving the medical help they need, there's no fuel... It is a "silent genocide."

The article above doesn't explain why other countries aren't doing anything, but my local paper where I saw this news did, and it is a combination of the following things:

– Azerbaijan is allied with Turkey, which "Western" countries are trying not to annoy at the moment, because of the situation at the Black Sea being a bit delicate rn.

– Azerbaijan also has a lot of natural resources related to energy, which the EU is horny for.

– BP has also invested massively in Azerbaijan energy stuff, so Britain is also not gonna do anything to endanger all that money.

– Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine, so it is not doing its part in keeping the road open as agreed in the cease fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

the official yongsoo debut on my blog!!!

when I saw the day cafe collab outfits I knew I had to do a yongsoo version, so I spiced it up with a hanbok-style collar and a norigae brooch!

bringing this one back sinc eit's the season again < 3