u/IvyDamon

im traveling to seoul next month and looking for good skin care recs since my skin feels dry and a bit dull lately from travel and stress. i want something that gives real results without the big factory clinic feel.

i found lalian clinic online with good reviews and it seems perfect for foreigners like me with 1 on 1 private consultations thorough procedures and interpreters ready. they focus on natural k beauty style treatments that fit what im after.

has anyone been there and what skin care or treatments helped most with dryness and glow? any tips for first timers would be useful.

We’ve been slowly updating our older home, and I keep finding myself falling into the same trap of thinking “this should only take a weekend” before discovering three layers of old repairs, confusing DIY decisions from past owners, or materials that need way more care than I expected. The hardest part isn’t even the physical work sometimes, it’s deciding whether to preserve something original, replace it, or stop halfway before the project takes over your life.

For those of you who have restored or repaired parts of your century home, what project humbled you the most once you got into it? Was there anything you almost gave up on but ended up being worth the effort in the end? I’d also love to know if you’ve learned how to tell the difference between a project that deserves patience versus one where it’s smarter to let go of the “save everything” mindset.

father's day soon and i'm already exhausted.

every list is the same. beard kit. bbq tools. yeti mug. whiskey stones. do men even use whiskey stones? i've never seen one in real life.

anyway i was deep in some random thread and saw a link for engraved jewelry. father's day collection or whatever. didn't open it because i was on my phone and lazy.

but it got me thinking maybe personalized is the way to go? something with a date or initials idk.

or maybe i just get him a hammer and call it a day. at least it's useful.

someone please tell me what you're getting i can't look at another top 50 gifts for dad article

I'm a beginner and I keep running into the same problem. A recipe will say "heat your pan over medium high heat until hot" and then add oil or butter. But I never really know if I've waited long enough. Sometimes I add the oil too early and it doesn't sizzle when I put food in, so things stick or don't brown right. Other times I wait and the oil starts smoking and I panic and throw the food in anyway. I've heard the water drop test works for some pans but not for nonstick, which is what I have. I've also heard you can hold your hand over the pan to feel the heat, but that seems vague and I'm not sure I trust my judgment yet. Is there a more reliable way to tell when a nonstick pan is at the right temperature for sautéing or searing? I'm not looking for professional chef level precision, just something concrete I can look for so I stop hovering and wondering if I should add the chicken or wait another minute. Also, does the right heat level feel different depending on whether I'm using butter versus oil? I've burned butter more times than I want to admit and I'm not sure if the pan was too hot or if I just wasn't paying attention.

I have had a unit for almost two years now and I realized I have not opened it in six months. Part of me thinks that means I do not need half the stuff in there. But every time I think about cleaning it out, I get overwhelmed and just keep paying the monthly fee. For people who have been storing for a while, how often do you actually go back to sort through things?

I’m not even talking about obvious stuff. More like ideas that sounded true for years until life (or recovery itself) proved otherwise.

Things like: “I need to hit rock bottom first” or “if I really wanted to stop, I would” or “once I quit, I’ll immediately feel normal” or “recovery is mostly about willpower” and “if I relapse, I’m back at zero”

Curious what myth ended up being completely wrong for you.

 I have been job hunting for about four months now and my confidence is genuinely shot. I have sent out over a hundred applications, made it to seven final round interviews, and gotten rejected from every single one. Some of the rejections were polite, some were ghosting, and a couple were brutal like we went with someone who has more experience in x even though my resume clearly showed that experience. I am starting to doubt my own sense of what I am good at. I used to think I was solid at what I do but now I second guess every portfolio piece and every interview answer. The worst part is I know rationally that the market is rough and rejections happen to everyone, but emotionally it feels personal. I catch myself avoiding applications because I assume they will just say no anyway. For people who have been through a long stretch of rejections, how did you pull yourself back up? Did you take a break, change your strategy, or just keep grinding until something stuck? I would love practical advice, not just hang in there. How do you separate your worth from the process when the process keeps telling you no?

I am in a situation that sounds good on paper but is messing with my head. My current job is stable, pays decently, and the people are nice. The work is fine. Not exciting, not terrible. Just fine. I have been here three years and I know I could coast here for a long time without much stress. The problem is I feel bored and a little stuck. I recently got an offer from a much smaller company doing something I am genuinely passionate about. The pay is actually a bit higher, maybe 15 percent more, but the company is new and I am not sure how stable it is. They have been around for two years and seem to be growing, but who knows. I am in my mid thirties and do not have a huge safety net. Part of me says take the risk because I will regret wondering what if. Another part says stay put because a boring stable job is better than a fun short term job followed by unemployment. For people who have made a similar jump, how did you evaluate the risk? What questions did you ask the new company before deciding? Did you regret playing it safe or regret taking the chance? I would love to hear real stories, not just generic follow your passion advice. Thanks.

My kitchen still has the original footprint from when the house was built in 1910. Narrow galley style, one small window, and exactly zero counter space by modern standards. The fridge sits awkwardly against a wall where a pantry used to be. The stove blocks a baseboard vent. Nothing lines up. I have been going back and forth on whether to renovate or just learn to live with it. Part of me loves the charm of working in a space that has fed people for over a century. The other part of me wants to scream every time I try to prep a meal with six inches of free counter. I am curious how other old home owners have handled this.

Did you bite the bullet and reconfigure the layout, losing some historic character in the process? Did you find clever workarounds like freestanding islands or built ins that feel period appropriate? Or did you just accept that old kitchens are quirky and adapt your cooking style to match? I would love to hear what compromises you made and whether you are happy with them years later. Photos of awkward appliance placements are especially welcome so I feel less alone.

I have been at my current job for about a year and a half. Overall I like the work and my teammates are solid. But my direct supervisor has a habit of presenting my ideas and completed projects to senior leadership as if they were their own. At first I let it slide because I thought maybe it was just poor communication or they would eventually give credit where it was due. But it keeps happening. Last week I built a presentation from scratch, ran the analysis, designed the slides, everything. In the leadership meeting my boss presented it and said we have been working on this and here are our findings. No mention of me at all.

I have tried gently redirecting in the moment by saying things like oh yeah when I was pulling that data I noticed xyz. That did not seem to change anything. I am worried that directly confronting them will damage the relationship or get me labeled as not a team player. But I am also starting to feel invisible and resentful. For people who have been through this, what actually worked? Did you talk to your boss directly, go above them, or just find another job? I do not need a parade in my honor but I would like the people who evaluate my raises to know what I actually do.

 I've got a second floor bedroom with original horsehair plaster that feels solid in most places but has a few spots where the wall gives slightly when you press on it. Not a crack, not a bulge. Just a little movement like the keys have pulled away from the lath. I'm worried if I ignore it, the whole section will eventually separate. But I've also heard that chasing every little flex can lead to opening up a bigger can of worms.

For people who have dealt with this, do you inject adhesive through small holes and use plaster washers? Or is that overkill for spots that aren't actively failing? I don't want to tear everything out and go to drywall because the texture and history matter to me. At the same time, I don't want to be patching something every year that just needed a proper fix now.

I've watched some videos from plaster magic type products but they feel expensive for what they are. Has anyone had luck with regular construction adhesive and washers from the hardware store? Or do you just leave it alone until it actually cracks? Would love to hear what worked for you and what made things worse.

i run a small solar install crew in QLD, 6 vans nothing huge. always thought safety was for office workers with clipboards. like yeah wear gloves, dont fall off a roof, done. wrong apparently.

one of my best sparkies, been with me 3 years, calls me on a sunday night. says he cant work for me anymore. i was like what did i do, pay you late? no. he says mate the way we work scares me. i been having nightmares about that old tile roof last week and tbh i didnt even remember that job. some cheap install, steep roof, cracked tiles, we didnt use a harness cause it takes too long. we just did it always did it no ones fallen yet.

but this guy said he talked to his brother who does commercial work. and his brother told him i should have full safety management system, regular briefings, incident reports. like for real? for a 3 man crew changing inverters?so anyway he quit. good sparkies are impossible to find btw.

i was pissed at first but then i start reading. turns out if someone falls off my ladder im personally on the hook. like not just the company buut me. house goes bye bye. so maybe he had a point.

called consultant that a mate from perth recommended. came out for a morning, looked at how we work (not how we should work) and wrote down 7 changes. a better way to tie off ladders, a cheap harness that takes 2 mins to clip, a simple checklist before we start.cost me 1500 bucks. one of my guys laughed when i brought it out first day. called me a safety sally whatever.

im not suddenly a safety guru but i sleep better. and my new sparky who just started? he mentioned on day one that he liked that i had proper systems in place. didnt even know i was being judged on that.any other tradie business owners here ever lost a good worker because of safety stuff? or am i the only idiot.

also what do you do day to day. are you doing toolbox talks (god that word makes me cringe) or just hoping for the best.and for the non tradies, do you check safety stuff when you hire a builder for your own house? or you just trust them and move on.

what everyones doing cause im still not sure how far to take this. dont want to go full corporate but dont want to lose another good bloke.Thanks guys

I've been trying to get better at cooking and I noticed I taste everything like five or six times before it's done. Sauce, soup, even just rice. I'll taste when I add salt, taste again after simmering for a few minutes, taste right before I think it's almost done, then taste again after adjusting something. I'm not talking about unsafe stuff like raw chicken or eggs obviously. But I feel like I might be going overboard. My roommate saw me taste a tomato sauce three times in ten minutes and asked if I was okay.
Is this just a beginner thing where I don't trust myself yet or do experienced cooks also taste that often? Part of me thinks it helps me learn what actually changes during cooking. The other part wonders if I'm being neurotic and should just trust the recipe more. When do you know it's time to stop tasting and just let the food cook?

I'm slowly working through my 1920s foursquare and I've hit a wall with the interior trim. The previous owners painted over what looks like original wood with at least three layers of latex, and underneath I can see hints of shellac or varnish. Part of me wants to strip it all back to bare wood because I love the craftsman look. Another part of me knows stripping miles of trim is going to take forever and test my patience. I've tested a few small spots with a heat gun and it works, but it's slow and messy. There's also the lead paint risk to think about. For those who have been through this, how did you decide whether it was worth the effort? Did you strip just the main living areas and paint the rest? Or did you paint over and convince yourself the original wood wasn't that nice anyway? I'm torn between authenticity and my sanity. Also curious if anyone has tried those infrared strippers or soy gels. Do they actually save time or just cost more money for the same hassle? I'd love to hear what you did and whether you regret it.

I'm looking at my first storage rental and I've read the basic tips about climate control and access hours. But I'm worried about the things that only become obvious after you've already moved your stuff in.

For people who have been renting for a while, what questions do you wish you had asked the manager before signing? Things like how often rates actually go up, or if there are any hidden fees for after-hours access. Also, is it worth asking about how long the current manager has been there or the turnover rate of tenants? I'm trying to spot problems before I'm locked in. Any advice on what to look for in the lease agreement that people usually skip? I'd also like to know if there's a way to tell if a facility is going to raise rent aggressively within the first year. Thanks.

I used to think outbound communication was one of the simpler parts of web apps. Send the email. Trigger the SMS. Schedule the reminder. Done. Then the product actually started scaling 😭

Suddenly communication logic turned into its own infrastructure layer:retries,background jobs,webhook timing,delivery failures,duplicate sends,async state drift,timezone edge cases,race conditions between workflows,users replying after the app state already changed,messages arriving in the correct order across multiple channels (I'll leave this list of thing to consider cause maybe someone would read this post and take notes)

The weirdest part is how fast notifications stop feeling like a frontend/product feature and start feeling like distributed systems engineering. One delayed webhook or stuck queue suddenly creates: stale onboarding messages, duplicate follow-ups, broken automation chains, support tickets from confused users, workflows reacting to outdated state.

And the more automation you add, the more fragile the orchestration layer becomes.

And maintaining outbound messaging + voicemail workflows internally was becoming way more operationally complex than we expected.

Honestly gave me a completely different appreciation for communication infrastructure in modern apps. Users see “a text message” or “a reminder.” Underneath it there’s usually a ridiculous amount of async coordination trying to make sure the right thing reaches the right person at the right moment without accidentally spamming or confusing them.

I am storing some old computer equipment and stereo components. Nothing museum grade, but stuff I would like to keep working. My current standard unit gets very hot in summer and damp in winter. I have seen mixed opinions on whether climate control actually prevents damage to electronics. Some say as long as humidity stays below sixty percent, standard is fine. Others insist that temperature swings cause condensation inside components. I am in a region with humid summers and freezing winters.

Is climate control worth the extra monthly cost for electronics, or am I overthinking it? Also curious about putting electronics inside sealed plastic bins with silica gel packs inside a standard unit. Does that work well enough? I would rather not pay double if simple precautions do the job. But I also do not want to open a box of corroded circuit boards next year. What has actually worked for you long term? I would love to hear from anyone who stored computers or stereo gear for more than a year in a standard vs climate unit. Thanks.

I’m renting an outdoor unit for furniture and boxes. The place seems clean, but I’ve noticed some droppings in the back corner of my unit. I’d rather not use poison because I don’t want dead mice rotting somewhere I can’t reach. Traps are an option, but I can only check the unit about once a month.

Has anyone had real success with things like peppermint oil, steel wool, or ultrasonic repellers? Also, do plastic totes actually help, or can mice chew through them anyway? I’m storing wool blankets and clothes, so I’d really like to avoid damage. Would upgrading to an indoor/climate-controlled unit help at all, or is that not much better for rodents?

I’m in a rural area, so field mice are pretty common.

I’ve been renting a unit at a larger chain facility for about 6 months now, and I’m starting to worry about the typical rate hikes people talk about. I’ve heard that some places increase prices pretty aggressively after the initial move-in rate, and I’d like to stay ahead of that if possible

For those with more experience, is there an ideal time or strategy to either delay or minimize those increases? For example, does it actually help to call and ask for a better rate before an increase hits, or is it more effective to wait until you get a notice? I’ve also heard that occupancy levels at a location can impact flexibility, but I’m not sure how to gauge that as a renter.

Another thing I’m curious about is whether moving to a different unit within the same facility (or even another nearby location from the same company) is a realistic workaround, or if that ends up costing more in the long run

Would appreciate hearing what’s worked (or not worked) for others dealing with chain storage companies

I’m trying to figure out whether I actually need a career change or if I’m just dealing with burnout in my current job. I’ve been in the same role for about 4 years. At first, I was learning a lot and felt motivated, but lately everything feels repetitive and draining. I’m less excited about projects I used to enjoy, and even small tasks feel heavier than they should.

At the same time, I’m not sure if the issue is the job itself or just how I’ve been feeling overall. Outside of work, I’ve also had less energy and focus, so I’m worried I might be blaming my role when it’s actually something else going on.

For those who’ve been through this, how did you tell the difference between outgrowing a role and being burned out? Did you try to fix things within your current job first, or did you start exploring new paths right away?

I’m hesitant to make a big change without understanding the root cause, but I also don’t want to stay stuck too long if it’s a sign I’ve plateaued. Would really appreciate hearing how others approached this.