Life has a way of throwing surprises at us when we least expect them. Some of these surprises add excitement, while others lead to major life changes. In this article, we explore stories from people whose lives took an unexpected turn.
Some people are etched in our memory because of their style and authenticity, more and more often drawing inspiration for their appearance and how to stay young despite their years. Almost two decades ago, Gossip Girl hit the screen, and most of us were mesmerized by Lily van der Woodsen's style. Despite so much time passed, it is difficult to tell the real age of the actress, which is why with each picture on social networks she looks younger. A few beauty tips are due for that.
Reality often surpasses fiction, with life delivering twists and turns that amaze us. Whether heartwarming, shocking or utterly bizarre, these stories are a powerful reminder that the real world can be more surprising than anything a novelist could imagine.
Life is often stranger than fiction, and sometimes, the most unexpected twists and turns occur in the real world, leaving us astounded. These stories, whether heartwarming, shocking, or downright bizarre, remind us that reality can be more surprising than any plot a novelist could dream up.
Recently, the suggested design of a train station in the Chinese city of Nanjing has attracted the attention of a massive amount of internet users — for all the bizarre reasons. Authorities claim the design of the North Nanjing station takes inspiration from plum blossoms, which the city is famous for. But many people are already pointing out its resemblance to something rather different, and the comments appear endlessly, with users expressing their own visual perception of the architectural construction.
Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is architecture, it’s a question of proportions.” For an ensemble consisting of clothes, shoes, and jewelry to look well-balanced and not distort the silhouette, you should carefully follow the lines that divide the figure into separate parts.
Mirror-check: you’ve got your beige parka on. Your chisel is packed. And your overnight plane ride to Saudi Arabia is booked. You know what this means, right? Unfortunately, you weren’t cast in the remake of Dune. It just means that you’re ready to go explore the world’s largest desert areas in the hopes of uncovering prehistoric secrets about our ancestors. Let’s get one thing straight. If you ever thought that deserts were empty spaces, think again. They might be filled with sand as far as the eye can see, but they also hold a lot of history. You know...because before humans settled down in cities and towns, we were nomadic people. And we traveled all around the globe looking for food, water, and shelter. So we had to come up with some interesting stuff to survive.
Have you ever wondered how cool buildings of the future are going to look? Well, hold on tight because artificial intelligence is here to revolutionize the world of architecture! AI is a great sidekick. It can give the architects incredible new tools to create mind-blowing structures that are not only stunning but also eco-friendly and super efficient! So let’s check what our beautiful future might look like.
They used to call this island the Paris of the East. Mostly because it had beautiful buildings with large gardens and impressive stone archways. But now it’s nothing like it used to be, with all the architecture almost entirely covered in tree roots and vines. Ross Island is a small territory [0.12 sq miles] in the Indian Ocean. It’s located East of the Indian city of Port Blair. Though initially thought of as a jail, Ross Island eventually became a luxurious resort for the local administrators. They called this island a real treat for its more privileged residents. It boasted opulent bungalows, stained-glass window panels brought all the way from Italy, neatly kept gardens, tennis courts, and even swimming pools. Soon after the complex was closed in 1937, a powerful earthquake hit the island. It caused a lot of damage, making it even more uninhabitable. The island is now in the administration of India and has become a tourist attraction for people interested in abandoned towns.
Imagine you get to be an archeologist for the day. You’ll travel the world to solve the mystery of long-lost civilizations that disappeared without a trace. Grab your chisel (and fedora), and let’s go!
Hey! I have an invitation for you. Pack your bags, and let’s head down to the world’s most visited city: Paris! The city of love, the city of blinding lights, or whatever you want to call it. Our goal is to uncover as many secrets as possible regarding the world-famous Musée du Louvre. Are you up for it? Grab your travel book and bon voyage!
Hey there! Today we’re taking you on a trip around the world’s most beautiful medieval towns. It’s a trip down history lane... ready?
Optical illusions have been around forever. Understanding how they worked, ancient Greeks even used them in their architecture and art. And though such illusions are quite puzzling and bewildering at times, we are glad to play with our minds and senses in this safe and entertaining way.
The debate around how good or bad video games are for us has been going on for years. Ever since games like Pong and Tetris, some people have claimed that video games are bad for us. But fear not gamers, it turns out that playing them is really no different than going to the gym. It’s just a workout for your mind instead of your muscles! Games just seem like fun, but they also increase gray matter. The gray matter in your brain is the part of your central nervous system and essentially controls all your brain’s functions.These include regions of the brain involved in muscle control, and sensory perception such as memory, hearing, seeing, emotions, speech, decision making, and self-control! Basically, all the most important things! It makes sense to keep this part of the brain healthy because it will lead to faster thought processes and improvements in general well-being and quality of life.
There is an inspirational quote that says, “Design is intelligence made visible.” And that is exactly the case with so many designs out there, whether they’re architectural or otherwise. And maybe people are so used to seeing bad designs that the moment they see something good and incredibly useful, they are in awe. This is why we decided to share 17 designs that will make you wish you had them.
We have all head about the Seven Wonders of The World, but how about the other landscapes that didn’t make the cut. Fire-breathing bridges, inside gardens with waterfalls, and even a giant pineapple maze! These are truly worthy of visiting and snapping a picture of, to be remembered forever.
One of the principles of architecture is to use traditional materials in revolutionary ways. The other is to create a concept that should have a narrative. The thing is that some people take this principle all too literally. They end up creating something that makes us wonder what the true story was behind it all.
The architecture of different countries in the world has its own characteristics, for example, New York lofts, Swiss chalets, or the skyscrapers of Singapore and Tokyo. However, there are also buildings that have no analogs. For example, fashion designer Pierre Cardin owns a bubble-shaped house. The architect of this building designed it in the form of bubbles because he hated straight lines, considering them to be “an aggression against nature.”
Would you have ever thought that underground palaces, dance salons, immersive sci-fi sites, disco night moods, or museum-like structures, could be just one step into the earth away from you? It’s true. And for many of us, they are free to use on a daily basis. Metro stations might have the bad reputation of being dark, dirty, or loud, and maybe most of them are exactly that. But the exceptions can be breathtaking.
In many countries, modernism has taken over in big cities, but this is not the case with Japan where tradition is still highly respected. And that’s because not everyone is willing to sell their property so it can be rebuilt. No matter the amount of money, some landowners stay true to their roots and say that their land is not for sale. And Japan Property Central shows how the old and the new can live peacefully without one overcoming the other.
You’ve probably wondered what it would be like to sail on the legendary Titanic. An Australian billionaire was sure that many people who were amazed by the ill-fated ship would want to do so, avoiding the tragic sinking, of course. So he’s started a grandiose plan to build the Titanic II, a precise copy of the original ship. And the return of this magnificent vessel is coming soon.
A person’s individual traits often help them in the professional sphere. For example, it has been proven that a teacher’s sense of humor positively affects both the attendance of their classes and the academic progress of the students, while responsiveness and kindness can attract the most avid “F” student.
When we travel, we mostly look at the sights. But aside from the famous places and monuments, there are other things that can impress us. When we plan our trips, we don’t expect our phones to be full of photos of toilets and ordinary umbrellas.
With overpopulation becoming more and more common in big cities, architecture and urban planning projects are constantly having to be reinvented to fit more people into smaller spaces. Whether or not they are based on the rules of this profession, there are impressive buildings (for better and for worse) that make us wonder: “What would it be like to live in those uncommon buildings?”
If you take a moment and think about how many advertisements you see every day, we can say for sure — you’ll be shocked. Researchers say that an ordinary person comes across up to 10,000 advertisements per day. The fact is that we are surrounded by ads — they’re on our phones, our TVs, our laptops, and they also took over the streets of our cities a long time ago.
It’s really hard to imagine modern Barcelona without the creations of Antoni Gaudí. His buildings seem to have come from the pages of fantasy stories. And the Sagrada Família, which has remained unfinished for 138 years, is the true symbol of the city. The life of the architect himself was quite difficult as he experienced loss, bad luck, and illness. But because he loved art, he always managed to stay afloat.
Architecture, like other disciplines, is an art because it requires a great deal of creativity and imagination. However, sometimes, the designs of certain constructions go beyond any preconceived limits and become really unique pieces thanks to their beauty and functionality. Either that, or they just end up being a weird mix of originality (sort of) and a lack of logic. What good is a building that you cannot just walk into like any other regular place?
Progress is unstoppable and it can be seen in every area of our lives. Scientists invent new devices, and people with hobbies improve on their skills. It’s very useful for people to see the changes and differences between “before” and “after” pictures. In fact, it can be very motivating and inspiring.
A building that melts, an upside down house, or a jungle that is kept inside of an airport: these are not shots from a surreal movie. In fact, all of these architectural masterpieces really exist. And there is even more, because the ability of some talented minds to create exceptional things knows no boundaries.
There is a good chance that almost all of us, at some point in our lives, have done the typical DIY project at home to try to improve a kitchen cabinet or to install a new shower head. So if you’ve done it, you know that improvising is the way to go when things start getting difficult. However, some people are just unaware of the existence of the word “boundaries.” They decided to take the concept of creativity to the next level by creating things that pretty much defy the laws of physics, architecture, and engineering. There is literally no other way to explain these constructions.
Ancient India found a way to keep us tuned in to new discoveries. India itself is famous for its diverse culture, colorful history, and mysterious structures. Let’s take a look at Kailasa temple, the oldest single rock carving in the world. Being one of the most visited places by both locals and foreign tourists, it is also the focus of archaeologists, since they still cannot find the answer to how they could build this masterpiece by using ancient traditional methods.
Lying is a silly, but very popular mistake people make during job interviews. This is why many recruiters say, “We’ll call you back” and then never do. Professional recruiters shared their life hacks and stories from their personal experiences.
Our favorite cartoons and animated films have sparked debate among fans: some think they are riddled with plot holes, some think those plot holes are mysteries that are meant to be solved with a little bit of imagination and a lot of attention to detail.
On October 31st, one of the brightest woman architects of our time was born — Zaha Hadid, whose name can be translated from Arabic as glorious. In 2019, she would have turned 68 years old. She refused to see things in an ordinary way, her projects were called impossible to build and insane, she lost bids for 17 years, but she became the woman who totally changed the world of architecture.
In nature, architecture, and even human attraction, we find symmetry much more appealing than things that are asymmetrical. Now, those mesmerizing shapes and structures can be seen in many ways in buildings or completely by accident, in a way that causes immense satisfaction.
China alone had approximately 60.74 million international tourist arrivals in 2017. And it’s no wonder! Asia has always attracted people with its architecture, nature, and culture. You feel like you’re in a totally different world where you can sometimes even lose yourself.
