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Hero

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Everything posted by Hero

  1. Hero

    Dating ages

    If you're over 18 and finished with high school, you really don't want to start dating minors. It may be legal in your country, but let's face it, it's creepy, regardless of the circumstance. Why would you be hanging out with people so young, anyway? What will you do when you want to go out but they have homework, or have to study for an exam? Not to mention that teenagers generally make for terrible dates, anyway. Working part time at the local EZ Food Store and driving a ten year old Hyundai is not the same as actual maturity. And if there's somebody so much younger than you that you really really like, then they're worth waiting for. Let them grow up a little before you inject yourself in their life. As an adult, really anything is game with other adults. Your brains should already be developed enough to make decisions for yourself. But bear in mind that if the age difference is immediately noticeable, people will start making assumptions and asking questions.
  2. Well, it appears the coup is being announced as unsuccessful across all media outlets. It seems Erdoğan will remain president of Turkey until his natural death, unless someone else can make a better show at taking his seat by force of arms, and for now that seems a long shot. Get ready for a new round of purges! There is a danger that a new regime might cuddle up to Iran, but Erdoğan is going down eventually. Wouldn't you rather it be by the hands of the army rather than some cult or other unknown actor? At least they are somewhat bound by tradition and the constraints of reality.
  3. The teenage years aren't easy for anyone, man. Nobody's mentally mature, and everybody's got to find a way to blow off steam. Some face challenges that let them come off looking pretty capable and innocent in others' eyes, but that doesn't mean they didn't make mistakes. Others find no escape to their difficulties except drinking, starting drama, obsessively playing games at the expense of their social life and academics, or other variably addictive, variably destructive behaviors. My advice is try to find an outlet that's productive or at least neutral. Dedicate that energy into art, music, reading and exploration. Go for sweet girls, not street girls. If you really must use a substance to feel good, limit it to coffee and pot. Don't procrastinate your goals, the better you do earlier in life the easier it is to do still better later. It doesn't magically get better when you turn 18. Being a young adult isn't easy, either. But there's a peace that comes as you come to know yourself and accept your path in life.
  4. There's really nothing that makes you feel engaged as your waiting? It sounds like you're depressed buddy. As "normal“ and widespread as this condition is, if you can't promptly remedy the situation I recommend making an appointment with a psychiatrist before you let it influence and/or delay your studies.
  5. I say grow it out, man. Not enough guys do anymore. Everybody and his brother's got some kind of fade or undercut these days. Even a bit of length will lend an air of confidence to your demeanor, and nobody's going to think "hipster wannabe" without first thoroughly considering "'80s movie star".
  6. I think the shootings will continue more or less undiminished as long as police officers know they will always go scot free for a first offence. Hey man, sorry to change the topic, but I have to ask. You're an American, right? Are you a Neo-Nazi or what?
  7. Not the best example bud, since all the Algerians who were native speakers of French all fled to France way back in the 1960s when the Arab nationalist FLN took over and set off a series of massive purges. Not that it matters, since the US, Canada UK, etc. have some quite rigorous non-discrimination laws in place to preempt exactly this situation.
  8. I'm an expat living in China, not Asian. Now I know China is not Japan, but I think these two countries (and other East and Southeast Asian nations) are culturally very similar inasmuch as they play host to extreme xenophobia and racism by American or even European standards. This may not be a popular opinion here, but I think Magician Lugh should just chill and get a better bullshit filter. Nothing to be gained when you're living abroad from having a delicate ego. In my experience Asian-Americans and other Asian-Westerners have the best hand of all the expats. They get all the same privileges as any non-Asian when they definitively play the nationality card, but at the same time get to miss out on a massive amount of harassment. There are benefits to having the same skin color as the local elite: For example, you aren't the world's biggest mark to every scammer and slightly dishonest dealer around, you don't have the traffic police tap on your window at a red light because they don't believe you could possibly have a fully legal license and registration, you don't get people of all ages descriptions loudly discussing you in pejorative ways about you because they assume you can't understand, and you won't find kids pulling your hair, shouting "fuck you", or randomly running away in fear in public places. That's just real. And everybody knows Asian-Americans, etc., can get the most and the classiest ladies if they have even a hair of charisma. A blue or whatever color passport plus a skin color that won't make everyone stare at her and call her a whore is a winning combination. As for Asians getting lower salaries when teaching English regardless of nationality, that's a load of crap. I've never heard of it in real life. If somebody is offering you a job at a lower salary than your potential coworkers just because of the color of your skin, don't respond and block their accounts. They are some sleazy company you don't want to be working for anyway, or else a sleazy recruitment agency liable to steal a big chunk of your salary every month on the sly and not deliver on any of their promises. Not even exaggerating. A real public school will never do this because salary schedules are set very strictly by local governments. And if you're interested in working for a private English training company, you can find plenty that don't discriminate by color. I could even recommend a couple in my city if you're so inclined. The demand for English teachers with real qualifications all across Asia is as high as ever, and if anybody tells you otherwise it's just because they're trying to lowball you, or else they want to limit the competition for their own job. So buck up, buddy. I hear Japan is a lovely place to be, and it sounds like you'll be going back home and into your old comfort zone before you know it. Eat all those dishes you never heard the name of before, get those language skills up to snuff, network like there's no tomorrow, and take a train or bus somewhere new whenever you can. Use your time well and this'll be one of the best experiences of your life, who knows, you might even want to come back after you have a degree and some work experience under your belt.
  9. Try living in a place that uses Metric, and you'll get used to it fast enough. It's not hard. Frankly the American Customary units aren't that hard either. Lots of other countries have their own customary units that are in everyday usage, too, but don't give them "official" status. American Customary measurements aren't all that hard, either. It's all a matter of getting used to it. In the end the systems aren't all that important.
  10. Just find something dude. Don't be afraid to tell a white lie or misrepresent your way into a job, it's not like you're gonna get grilled by the FBI. First step is standing up on your own feet. All that other good stuff can come later.
  11. I'm in an '11 Chevy Cruze, 1.8T. It's nothing special, but at least it's a manual, so I can still shoot out in front of automatic sedans that cost three times as much at red lights. The first things I did after I got it were install aftermarket parking radar, new leather seats, and some decent tires. It's "nice" in every respect and I put a lot of love into it, but I can't help but think of it as an econobox. If I go back to the US, where cars are reasonably priced, I have my heart set on a Camaro SS. A lot of people say the last couple years' models look a little bit like Hot Wheels, and everybody associates them with Transformers now, but I still really like them. Of course, I could compromise with a Mustang or even a late model Miata. I met a freak stroke of luck a couple years ago, and somehow got a free Mustang rental for two weeks from my insurance when my Honda Civic was in the shop. It was an automatic, but getting behind the wheel of that thing really gave me an appreciation for good handling, high-performance cars that I won't soon forget. The first time I ever got out of a speeding ticket was when a cop pulled me over in that thing, showed him the rental papers, explained the situation, and he laughed his ass off. To this day I can't believe that the rental company let me take it across state lines without paying any extra fees. I doubt I'd ever take one of these cars on the track, but it'd be the highlight of my future daily commute and an easy excuse for a lot of road trips. More realistically, a new motorcycle might be somewhere not so far in my future. They don't call it the poor man's performance for nothing. But even though there's no snow or ice, it rains so much around these parts that riding really sucks half the time, and the winter chill and summer heat rapidly get to you on any journey of more than a few blocks. Also, Chinese drivers have absolutely zero respect for anyone on two wheels and lots of dangerous habits, most places have outright banned bikes, and they aren't even allowed on the freeways here. So while nothing is impossible, it's a real hassle to rely on a bike here or take it on a long trip, and you can't get real insurance outside of a few narrow situations.
  12. If you need to do it, you need to do it. Some people have good self-control, but maybe you don't, and if that's the case you'd better take all the measures you can to get away from bad temptations. If you have a big entertainment/home theater setup with consoles in your home, try putting that into storage for a while. Trade out your custom-built desktop for a new laptop. Life's opportunities fade fast and are hard to come by. You can always come back to gaming later.
  13. Hey Jotari, funny I should get this topic in my inbox. I haven't been a regular Serenes Forest user in a good six years plus, but I'm an American living in China right now, in Hunan province. Don't believe any of the bad stuff people are saying here. Life in China has its disadvantages, certainly, but they're just repeating overblown fear-mongering nonsense they heard in the media, from old people, or from borderline shut-in coworkers. Take it easy. Suzhou is a very nice place, full of rich people. It's a big tourist destination, should be a fun place to spend some time. Air pollution ain't a scratch on Shanghai, and certainly can't compare to Hangzhou. Make as many friends as you can in the beginning, they'll be useful. Enjoy nights out on the town, enjoy the abundant street food, enjoy the water villages in the countryside, and soak in what you can of the diversity of people who come to that destination city from all over China. Save up money for when you head back from the US, or else spend it on something stupid like an extended international vacation or a car. Either way, you shouldn't have regrets. In the meantime, take your time finding yourself the nicest apartment you can, and buy a motorcycle or electric scooter. You'll get to know the city a lot more intimately that way and it'll pay for itself ten times over. You need a really thick skin and solid bullshit filter to thrive as a non-Chinese-looking expat in China. The average guy on the street may say he highly esteems "foreigners”, but it doesn't matter how fluent your Chinese is, you'll be the mark for every con or scam and you won't get any kind of customer service or polite treatment unless you assertively demand it. SJW-type whining about discrimination and fairness won't get you anything here. The same principle applies to your employer, especially if you're working for a Chinese company. Do your job well, but don't expect favors from anyone and don't do extra work for free. If you were able to get the company to shell out for a legitimate work visa, you have a very highly valued skill and with it some intrinsic leverage, use that to your advantage. Nothing pains me more than seeing naive people getting conned by their employers. But the refreshing thing about China is that if you demand respect and actually deserve it, you will get it, no need for empty self-promotion or backstabbing. Modesty (after a fashion) is still considered a virtue here. One last note: Learn Chinese! Don't let anybody convince you it's too hard. Serious and committed studying for a solid hour or two every day can get you to the HSK 4 level (equivalent to IELTS 5 or CEFR level B2) in a year. I know people who've done it even while working full time. And that might be conversational, but it's really only the beginning. Study, study, study. The more standard Chinese you can speak, the better your life in China will be. Chinese people will laugh at you extensively, but they respect people who learn their language. Most non-Chinese never bother, or never make more than a halfhearted effort. Just be sure to get started learning the characters right from the beginning, spoken Chinese is only ten percent as useful as it would otherwise be if you're illiterate. Anyway, this is a subject I could go on about for a long time, but I probably ought to cut it short. If you have any questions at all about being an expat in China, shoot me a PM. And especially if you ever happen by Changsha, we can get a beer and some spicy crayfish.
  14. Thanks for the thought but you were 11 minutes late.

  15. Thanks for the good wishes

  16. Happy birthday.

  17. you're right, I misread the "in live chat" bar at the bottom of the index for the birthdays.

  18. Wait a minute, weren't we the same age just a year ago? When'd you gain these extra 21?

    Happy birthday.

  19. whoa shit it's your birthday? And you're five years older than me now?

    Happy birthday, gramps.

  20. Happy birthday you cocksucking croatian

    I'll pick up some grape rakia and listen to Balkan Beat Box in your honor.

  21. I hate that elipsis. This time it only cut off one word, "registered".

  22. Fire Emblem World nigga!

    The website and community don't exist anymore, but lots of people on this forum such as Shuuda, Le Communard and more have backgrounds there. My name was either Thunk00 or Thunk. There's one successor site, still online though dead, called Fire Emblem Anthology where "my circle" (I imagine that I managed to piss of most FEWers) almost all ...

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