Zarina Holmes
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zarinaholmes.bsky.social
Zarina Holmes
@zarinaholmes.bsky.social
100 followers 130 following 210 posts
Award-winning creative director, photographer and writer. Flower artist. https://linktr.ee/zarinaholmes Co-founder Studio Glue: alohaglue.com Pop-culture editor: storyofbooks.co.uk Photography: zarinaholmes.com Mindfulness: aftertherainproject.com
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Hi all, I'm Zarina Holmes. Designer, photographer, visual journalist and author in UK & APAC, three decades in UK. I was a member of @nujofficial.bsky.social UK until 2023. Co-founder studio: @alohaglue.bsky.social. Creative director: @storyofbooks.bsky.social
It’s a shame because British people are kind, creative, multicultural and open to amazing ideas: but the economy isn’t helping. Brexit and the current war are making situation worse. They deserve better.
Behind paywall article from 15 October. I’m afraid this is already becoming a reality. Yes, the pound sterling is strong and culture is high level. But in UK the money earned doesn’t go far in the country. Redundancies is a common 4-5 year cycle.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10...
Loving being back in London with friends. But I’m also feeling concerned listening to the cost of living crisis in the UK. A dear friend with experience in tech and journalism, plus two Masters degrees had applied for over 400 positions before getting his job.
Reposted by Zarina Holmes
We’re excited to meet creators and fandom again @mcmcomiccon.bsky.social London next week. Looking forward to hear the latest of adaptation news, comics and new releases.

Now which anime t-shirts should we wear this year? 🍁🎃🇬🇧

#mcmcomicconlondon
#storyofbooks
Reposted by Zarina Holmes
“Although I miss my roses in London, I haven’t considered growing them in Perak. My gardening practice is about living in the present and I want to understand the plants that are growing around me.”

My note on acceptance and letting go.

Meditation on Nest.

aftertherainproject.com/2025/09/26/n...
Nest
After our move from London, we stayed for a year at our idyllic seaside home. In retrospect, it was probably the best period for me to deal with the shocks: cultural, ideological and geographical. …
aftertherainproject.com
I’m so lucky to have loving friends and family members of all races and walks of life in the UK. These people rose above all that to become my colleagues and mentors. We shared butties together in the park when we’re broke and bubblies when we’re plush. Don’t let hate divide us.
On terror attacks, I’m sad to say as a Londoner I was desensitised to it. This is something Malaysian influencers living there don’t talk openly about. They just paint tea parties and roses, but it happens more frequently than in SE Asia. Of course, people are tired of it.
Oh, the world. I normally post pop culture here but, can’t help despairing over Global Sumud Flotilla interception and the terror attack in Manchester. Why is it so hard to feed starving humans today. Why are some people absolute suckers to antisemitism and hateful ideology.
Ever since the US TikTok taking over, my TL keeps showing this guy Hegseth. We're not on TT for boring propoganda: we're here for blokes that sell makeups, pop culture memes and cat videos.
‪Those are newly hatched bulbul chicks from our garden. We get them every few months or so. You don’t need to cage birds to enjoy them up close. Just plant berries and cherries around your house.‬
“Although I miss my roses in London, I haven’t considered growing them in Perak. My gardening practice is about living in the present and I want to understand the plants that are growing around me.”

My note on acceptance and letting go.

Meditation on Nest.

aftertherainproject.com/2025/09/26/n...
Nest
After our move from London, we stayed for a year at our idyllic seaside home. In retrospect, it was probably the best period for me to deal with the shocks: cultural, ideological and geographical. …
aftertherainproject.com
‪But the character designs are fire. It just that their corporate interface a bit wobbly.‬
Excited to receive a new brand guidelines from a major sports organisation, only to scroll down and think, “Oh dear I hate that font…” “Ugh rounded corners for images”

Also, not-so-secretly delighted than I’ve produced better guidelines.
Is it just a fandom craze? No. Pop culture is a reflection of the simplest public sentiment. It's not influencing the future, but a symbolic tool for the masses to communicate their current feelings. This is the mood of 2025.
‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ crosses $600M at the global box office 💰

First Japanese film to do this
I’m on Thread. Not promising anything there; some roses from the garden maybe.
‪I don’t spend time on Midjourney much now because of Nano Banana and Firefly. See, there are too many AI channels out there impossible to explore everything,.
The establishment should listen to digital anthropologists more, because the digital space is its own universe with its own demographic.

Interesting that Nepal elected new PM via Discord’s vote. The only time I use Discord is to train for Midjourney.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
How Gen Z protestors chose Nepal’s first woman prime minister on Discord
Over the week, multiple polls were held by representatives of the protest movement on Discord to nominate possible leaders and Karki emerged as a favourite, widely praised for her integrity
www.independent.co.uk
Let’s hope after what happened to Hyundai, the Asians would smell the macha before accepting this terrible ideology export.

It’s barbaric that he was murdered like that. Yes, he died in the world that he wanted; but our job is to try to improve it.

asia.nikkei.com/politics/day...
Days before death, Charlie Kirk debuted his right-wing message in Asia
Trump ally spoke in South Korea and Japan as young men turn conservative globally
asia.nikkei.com
Just tried Google Nonabana. I think Stable Diffusion is cooked. Photoshop is clinging on dear life. If it’s not for the SVG export capability I’d been gone for Adobe system.
Doha attack. OK what the fuck, world. Doha is an important flight hub connecting the East and the West. Why attack a friendly and hospitable country like Qatar.
Yeah I believe in human revolution but burning things to cinders isn’t always the answer. Isn’t ‘the only’ answer.

Remember, when you smash things you must rebuild just as fast. Otherwise you’re no different to the Year Zero fanboys that set our region back decades.
Reposted by Zarina Holmes
The Night of the Flying Blades. Part 3 of #TheConstantCompanionTales by @salinachristmas.bsky.social Ebook available on Kindle.
 
Included in #TheKeeperOfMyKin novel, available online and at major book outlets worldwide.

Reel: vm.tiktok.com/ZNd4pnFbP/

#horror #witchcraft #fantasy
However, please be mindful that the atrocities that was done then, wasn’t done by the people today. Peace can’t be achieve if we keep looking at the past and not willing to heal.