u/jadezzyu

Hi all ! yes, I did read the beginner's guide. Big issue is, I'm not in America or anywhere near it- I'm in Sharjah.

I've been looking to buy a telescope for a while, but I can't justify paying the prices in the guide. The telescopes themselves, fine, but the shipping is the same price or almost double that of the telescope.

I just really need some guidance on what to get with what I can access. My budget is up to 1500 AED (though obviously I'd like to stay on the lower end if possible) which is about 400 USD.

Amazon either shows cheaply made ones or massive ones that cost.. way more than what I can make this year as a broke uni student, lol. No beginner friendly in between ones.

I'm looking at a used Celestron astromaster 130eq , but I have heard that the spherical mirror isnt the best. Is it still worth it given most reccomendations in that price range arent available due to shipping? or should I keep digging?

Theres dubaitelescope.com to look at, just incase anyone spots something good that I didnt notice while skimming through it. (feel free to ask me to edit out the link if I need to , not sure if its allowed to link stuff in this context)

edit: forgot to add ! light pollution is abhorrent in the UAE. I don't have a car yet, but I will this year. So when I do, I don't mind driving further out to get to a desert or mountain area. I'm not too picky, as long as I can see the planets and some stars that would be wonderful, but seeing as much as possible would be great, of course.

Hi ! im looking for people who've been to either of them (well, they've merged into being just UAS now, but SPAA is more memorable)

University of the Arts Sharjah, by the way. Not UoS.

I'm going to start my first year studying production arts soon, and I was wondering if someone could speak for their experience there or are about to join this year as well. I doubt I'll find much since lots of people didnt even know a performing arts / just art in general dedicated uni existed here 🫠 but im happy to chat if people are just curious as well

Hey all ! I'm about to start my first year studying Production arts (Focus in Set & Costume construction + design and minor focus in stage management)

I got a full scholarship- that's a dream and all, but I want to transfer somewhere else after my first year or two for personal reasons (I'm a trans person in the middle east, said university is also here, its just. not fun for me.)

The only thing which prevented me from applying abroad in the first place is the financial aspect of it- My family cant afford too much, especially if I'm not eligible for any scholarships.

If I do suck it up and stay here for uni, what's it like trying to go to other countries for work and what countries do you reccomend? Most work visas require your employer to sponsor you, and I imagine most theaters wouldn't go through the extra work if they could just get someone local 🫠 I really do want (at this point need) to get out of the middle east because of the whole queer/trans thing, plus theres little to no related jobs here- It's just that immigration is a nightmare.

(Oh and, UK/Canada is only my preference because I know people there. If you know any unis with affordable tuition elsewhere + a good shot at getting a job then feel free to suggest!)

Hi! I'm starting university soon, and while I dont know yet how much exactly, I do know I'm getting an allowance as part of my scholarship.

​

I don't want to depend on it being transferred to my parents because. let's just say they're a little strange with money even if its 100% mine.

​

I just need something simple where I can set aside some money (save) and have a debit card.

A friend and I were about to buy VIP concert tickets for MCR in Bangkok, and decided to wait a little till our flights were confirmed. Checked just days later, VIP is sold out 😭. We're fine with normal standing worst case scenario, just a little bummed because this was supposed to be my 18th birthday gift. She said something about checking at the end of the month to see if they put up tickets people refunded, is that something that actually happens? Never been to a concert before

Also, no resellers (or at least all the resellers are bullshitting), cause the tickets are attached to name and ID.

Asking for a friend since I'm unfamiliar with that area and dont know how to help her.

What's the most efficient way to get to middlesex's main campus from Etisalat or centerpoint station ? she lives in mirdif rn and has her mom drop her off to the metro. I know google maps has routes, but I know a lot of you guys have some sort of more efficient option 😭.

I could only describe my speaking test experience as strange 😭. The rest was fine, standard english exam, but I didnt expect the examiner to be so repetitive. I wasnt giving very short answers, but she stayed on the same topic for so long. It felt like that one meme that goes "will you wear wigs? have you worn wigs?". She asked me like, 6 questions about watches. watches????

And my 2 minute speaking topic was. not so good for me. "Describe a tall or short building and why you like or dislike it" ??? what do I know about buildings 😭?? I dont really see anything special in buildings. I tried my best, ended up speaking too little, and her follow up question was "do your friends like this building?" what. genuinely what. what do I even say to that. how would I know. The rest of the test was about buildings too up until the end, but I did better on those. I just dont find buildings interesting enough to be able to talk about them for 2-3 minutes straight.

I fumbled so bad, I just really hope I get a 5-6 since that's what I need for university.

I really dont care whether we go to school or stay home, I just dont like the on/off bs theyre doing to us.

Im so tired when we switch over (online gives me an extra 2 hours of sleep and I gotta adjust) + we get so much more work online for some reason that we're expected to finish in person. Idk. If we go back to school I'd rather it be permanent, but stuff doesn't look good right now 🤷‍♂️. Or they keep us online for a while. one of those.

So, I barely remember anything about this. It had home alone & back to the future vibes, so I'd say 90s-early 2000s more or less?

I remember in the early half of the movie there was a kid watching other kids play baseball (or some other game) and i think he wanted to join in, but he was rich or something and his parents wouldn't let him, I think he rebels and does it anyway secretly (this part im really iffy about and dont remember clearly)

And in the later half the kid (or kids i think?) have a typical "we beat the bad guys" part, where I think people were robbing some secretly hidden place in a mountain (it could've been mount Rushmore but im not entirely sure) and they got beat.

Other random details im not sure where to place:

I think there was a mansion involved somewhere

it was slightly futuristic (for its time) I think?

for some reason im remembering a bright green go kart or something similar but I might be making that up

Im 99% sure it's American.. or British or something, I cant tell them apart when I cant remember the voices lol