explanation of the features and benefits of
kharon’s integrated data solutions for risk
screening and enhanced due diligence;
featured on fintech partner temenos’ website

rebranding for
pocky

CHOCOstix

“Stick to your sweet tooth.”

CHOCOstix are a quick, convenient way to fulfill your sweet-toothed cravings. These biscuit sticks are generously dipped in creamy chocolate delight, delivering sugary satisfaction instantaneously. Widespread enjoyment of their rich flavor is made possible through ease of shareability, allowing you to invite others to savor the fun. Whether an impromptu snack or light dessert after a meal, CHOCOstix provide a delectable experience for all to take relish in.

“Sweets have never been so easy to enjoy.”

case study for
florascape

Florascape Helps Homeowners Sell
Property for $100K Above Asking

background

In the 40 years since they purchased their property, David and Sarah Wong’s 1,900-SF Los Angeles home had quintupled in market value. Their neighborhood of Highland Park in particular had experienced a tidal wave of gentrification for the better part of a decade, with homes selling for astronomical prices per square foot. Hoping to fetch top dollar and make a hefty six-figure profit on their investment, the couple decided to give their home a high-end makeover. They wisely dedicated the bulk of their financial resources toward renovating the kitchen and bathrooms using high-quality materials, fixtures, and appliances. With a large lot and little room in the budget for exterior landscaping, the Wongs’ only recourse was Florascape.


objectives

• To provide the Wongs the opportunity to fully landscape their front and back yards in a manner that was both environmentally conscious and sophisticated in design

• To make the Wongs’ property competitive on the open market with other high-end house flips in their neighborhood

• To get the Wongs to sell their property for more than quintuple the price they paid 40 years ago
  

solution

Florascape worked with the Wongs for about a month from the time they submitted their competitive application to the day the final trees and plants were put in place. The Wongs collaborated with a professional arborist in custom designing their property’s softscape, choosing from a carefully curated selection of flora according to their preferences and the recommendations of the arborist. In working with a professional, the Wongs were able to create and implement a sophisticated landscape design that optimized shade and environmental sustainability within the constraints of their relatively small budget.


results

• The property received an offer after being on the market for only three weeks, followed by multiple all-cash offers that ultimately drove the sale price well above what the Wongs were asking.
  
  
• The Wongs sold their property for $1.14 million, nearly seven times the amount they paid ($170,000) for the home.
  
  
• The Wongs owned the property for 40 years, so they were paying well below their fair share of property taxes. This is because a property tax bill is based on a fixed amount of the assessed value of the home, which is calculated by its purchase price plus a 2% increase for every year of ownership thereafter. Therefore, the assessed value of the Wongs’ home before they sold it was only $375,000. The property tax rate for the city of Los Angeles being 1.220441% at the time, the Wongs paid as much as $4,600 in property taxes the year prior. With the home selling for a whopping $1,140,000, the new owners paid $14,000 in property taxes that year—a net increase of $9,400 in property tax revenue.

testimonial

“We were financially tapped out after we renovated the interior of our home. Had we not participated in the Florascape program, we wouldn’t have been able to landscape our parkways and yards to an extent that would have given our property the competitive market advantage that we sought. It’s because of Florascape that we sold our home far above asking price.”

                                                                David Wong


call-to-action

Participating in Florascape gives you the opportunity to make money while fighting climate change and improving quality of life.

elevator pitch for the
sony playstation vr

I often wish I could escape reality and transport myself to a world beyond imagination — one packed with action, adventure, adrenaline, and awe. Well, with the Sony PlayStation VR, I can now immerse myself in the world of my favorite PlayStation 4 games, and for a very affordable price.

For just $399, what was once deemed science fiction can now be, well, virtually real with the PlayStation VR headset and PlayStation Camera. The VR headset is the most comfortable of its kind on the market, and can be worn with or without glasses. With the Camera, the VR headset also lets gamers play non-VR PS4 games and watch movies on a virtual screen.

The Sony PlayStation VR — it’s time to experience your wildest gaming fantasies.

headline for myself; 
headlines for clorox 
disinfecting wipes

“Skinny Asian kid from Los Angeles can write”

“Clorox Disinfecting Wipes eliminate bacteria, viruses”

“Cleaning wipes for the germaphobe’s soul”

“Germaphobes, meet your new best friend”

“Clorox kills 99.9% of bacteria, viruses”

“The most powerful cleaning tool yet”

instagram

“Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are the quickest and easiest way to eliminate germs on any type of surface.”

“Grease, grime be gone! Clorox Disinfecting Wipes keep surfaces clean for up to 48 hours.”

sales pitches for clorox
disinfecting wipes based on 
various target audiences

It’s flu season and your office is teeming with staff who are sneezing into bundles of tissues, wiping their noses dry whilst conversing with colleagues, their eyes visibly red and watery. To make matters worse, your team is on a major deadline crunch, and the loss of one employee could very well result in the client’s needs not being met; nobody has the time to wash their hands with soap. Think of all the germs that have been spread onto keyboards, desks, and tabletops!

What you need are Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are the easiest and quickest way to ensure that your office remains a clean, sterile workplace for you and your employees to remain healthy and productive. They are so potent that they kill 99.99% of all bacteria and viruses on surfaces for up to 48 hours — 48 hours you can’t afford to lose. Remember, time is money.

Having a husband, two young kids, and a large dog is often a recipe for a dirty home. Greasy fingerprints on the TV remote control, sink bowls covered in toothpaste and soap scum, and perhaps even flea-infested dander.

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes can make your home more livable. They kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses, and are a powerful agent in removing unwanted grease and grime all around the house. There’s no place like home, so what are you waiting for?

Are you a major germaphobe? Do you cringe every time you see a greasy computer keyboard or somebody touching something after sneezing into their hand? Don’t worry, your fears aren’t irrational.

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are just what’s needed in your life. Killing 99.99% of all bacteria and viruses for up to 48 hours, you can go about your life knowing that your biggest enemies are just one wipe away from being out of sight, out of mind.

press release for
a fictional event

MARCH 13, 2018



DERRICK LO TO AUCTION OFF PRIZED WORKS

The renowned artist is set to place a set of paintings, drawings, prints, and furniture from his personal collection on the market


LOS ANGELES — The enigmatic and widely misunderstood artist and designer Derrick Lo announced this morning that he intends to auction off some highly valuable and rarely seen pieces from his personal collection. A partial list of the prized works has been released, which includes a series of exquisite line drawings, five stunning lithographic prints, three sublime oil paintings, and a pair of streamlined armchairs designed and constructed by Lo himself.

The event is intended to both celebrate and provide closure for the precocious artist, who has in recent months expressed a desire to “move on to the next phase of [his] life and career.” It is also meant to raise money and awareness for liver cancer research, a cause near and dear to Lo, who lost his grandmother to the disease in December 2016. “Derrick was extremely close to his grandmother, so he sees this as a way to both honor her and give back at the same time,” said sister Tiffany Lo over a phone interview. She also added that despite the personal backstory behind having the auction, the event is supposed to be “exciting, festive, and nostalgic” in tone.

The auction will be held at 7 p.m. on March 19 (Lo’s birthday) at his DLO Gallery located at 1991 Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles. In attendance will be Lo’s closest family and friends, as well as the who’s who of LA’s artistic community.

Derrick Lo is a Los Angeles-based visual artist whose work has been showcased in some of the world’s most renowned galleries, sold at prestigious auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christies, and featured in splashy design publications like IDEA and Eye magazines. He currently serves as the Creative Director of GOOD magazine.

creative writing exercise
involving two “weird” 
fictional characters

The girl sitting to the right of me as I type this doesn’t believe in ever holding back any of her thoughts, emotions, or urges — even when surrounded by complete strangers. I don’t know her personally, but I see her daily in this coffee shop just around the corner from my apartment.

She’s such a fixture here to the extent that I know what her parents do for a living, what her favorite restaurant was while living in New York City, and the names of all the guys she’s slept with in the past week (Kama Sutra positions included), among many other things that I have no interest in hearing.

In other words, she lacks total self-awareness; her brain has absolutely no filter or thoughtful consideration for others. She burps, farts, and picks her nose at will, never daring to think twice before doing so. Humiliation, pride, and courtesy aren’t part of her mental lexicon, apparently.

She reminds me of my friend Gordon Morton. A walking mess himself, Gordon’s also someone you’d pity, but in a more loving way. Most find his idiosyncrasies strange and off-putting; I find them endearing. It’s comical every time he trips on his untied shoelaces, or the way he eats fish and chips with silverware, or shaves his pubic hair the first thing every Sunday morning.

I can only imagine the two on a date together. She would probably start off by commenting about his height and making quick assumptions about his manhood. He would be so nervous that he’d end up spilling his drink all over her after raising his glass for a toast.

Gordon would then offer to buy her a new dress; she’d decline his offer before stripping to her undergarments and then throwing the dress in the garbage. Next, she’d ask, “Do you like what you see?” Gordon would start sweating and trembling before proceeding to urinate in his pants, just as he does on every other date.

loglines describing
fictional films

When a serial killer terrorizes a remote town, police ask an eccentric telepathist to help find him before he can get to his next victim.


A college student finds her professor having an affair with a student, so she decides to blackmail him for sexual favors.


When the President’s daughter is kidnapped by a foreign government, she falls for the dictator’s son and doesn’t know whether to stay or go home.


When a man is wrongly accused of murdering his wife, a key witness with Alzheimer’s must provide testimony to acquit him of the charges.


When a woman cheats on her husband, the husband must convince his kids to not seek revenge on the other man… their biological father.

obituary for a 
fictional person

Ben Murphy of New York City passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday, April 27, 2018 at his Manhattan apartment. He was 97 years old.

Ben was a well-known, highly respected author and journalist. His books on American political crises and scandals frequently topped the New York Times Best Sellers list. He was also a popular contributor to esteemed publications like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Politico, and Foreign Policy, among others. When he wasn’t writing, he enjoyed attending Broadway shows and watching his beloved New York Yankees.

Ben’s political savvy and expertise stemmed from his upbringing. Born in New Jersey on February 5, 1921, he came from a family of politicians that included a father who worked for the FDR administration as an adviser, a mother who was an assistant to a local Congressman, and an uncle who served on the New Jersey State Senate. Although Ben knew from an early age that politics was in his blood, he never expressed a desire to become a public servant of any kind, on any level. Rather, his more analytical mind naturally lended itself to research-based work.

After receiving a B.A. degree in Political Science and a J.D. degree from Columbia and Yale Universities, respectively, Ben began his career working for several think tanks in Washington, D.C. He then founded his own political consulting firm with several of his friends from law school — his livelihood of the next 35 years. Ben’s two children would follow in their father’s footsteps, joining the firm fresh out of law school and eventually assuming control of the company once he was ready to step down as CEO at the age of 65. His legacy already made, Ben still wanted to redefine his career by exploring another lifelong passion of his—writing. The culmination of his life and career was the release of his final novel Yuge Covfefe: How We Got Here in January 2018.

Ben is survived by his wife of 72 years, Cate; their two children, Robert and Michelle; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. On his passing, daughter Michelle issued the following statement:

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my beloved father, yet take comfort in knowing that he lived a long, fruitful life accomplishing everything he wanted to and so much more.”

flash fiction

Time’s Up

Another year, more of the same histrionics. Ambitions of new quickly spoiled by habits of old; the path to self-destruction shamelessly reemerging from obscurity, ready to wreak havoc once again.

“I’m too old for this,” he thought to himself in disgust. The clock then struck midnight, and he found himself yet another year older. Another year too late. Another year to conquer… or be conquered.

instructions on how
to do something

How to commute to Otis College from South Pasadena

A student that attends Otis College in Los Angeles who lives in the San Gabriel Valley community of South Pasadena must travel 30 miles to get to campus. Traffic congestion levels along the 110 and 105 Freeways vary considerably depending on the time of day. Therefore, the student must plan their commute accordingly.

If the student has to attend a class that begins at 8:00 a.m., he or she must leave no later than 6:40 to arrive on time. The traffic along the Arroyo Seco portion of the 110 is normally very light, if nonexistent. However, the traffic transitions to stop-and-go at the Dodger Stadium exit and continues past Bunker Hill. To bypass this bottleneck and reduce the commute by five minutes, the student should exit the freeway onto Hill Street.

Continuing south along Hill Street through Chinatown and up Bunker Hill, the student must prepare to make a right turn at the Temple Street intersection by getting into the right traffic lane. Once on Temple, the student should drive past Grand Avenue and Hope Street before making a left turn onto Figueroa Street. The student should then proceed down Figueroa along the right two lanes, reentering the 110 via the 3rd Street onramp.

Back on the 110, the student is to drive south for 10 miles using the FasTrack Express Lanes before merging onto the 105. By this time, the clock should read no later than 7:20. If traveling alone, the student will need to exit the current traffic lane about a half-mile past the Metro Green Line station at Vermont Avenue, as it transitions into a carpool lane. At this point, all traffic lanes will move slowly until Crenshaw Boulevard. The traffic congestion clears up there before picking back up around LAX. To save time, another detour must be taken. Therefore, the student should continue to drive along the 105 until it merges into the Imperial Highway.

The student should drive down Imperial Highway until reaching Pershing Drive, where the student must make a right turn. The student will continue north along Pershing Drive before making another right turn at Westchester Parkway. Traveling east along Westchester Parkway, the student should stay in the left lane in preparation of making a left turn onto Loyola Boulevard. After driving a few hundred feet, the student must make a right turn onto La Tijera Boulevard. The entrance to the Otis parking structure will be found on the left side of the street.