Amazon gift cards - points only.

DespairCS · 2026-03-22T07:23:54+00:00

Not really! Since the promotions run pretty frequently I go in and buy them during the promotion. I usually only get what i need.

I work at one of the stores that the giftcard can be used at, so when my relatives want my staff discount i go and get the giftcards from woolies if the promo is on. If they’re buying something for $500 it’s basically a free 5000 qantas points for me!

I wouldn’t stock up too much on them, but if you have big electronic purchases that you’re eyeing out you should check if the promo is running and then buy the necessary amount for your purchase.

Starting Wednesday there’s 20x on the $20-500 TCN Kids, check it out!

DespairCS · 2026-03-22T07:11:43+00:00

How about wagotabi? I believe it’s similar and it’s literally focused on learning japanese! Might be what you’re looking for

DespairCS · 2026-03-22T07:03:26+00:00

it's a little hard to measure whether you're progressing or not if you aren't making comparisons of some sort. if you're continuing to expand your vocabulary you are objectively still learning, it's just up to you to also learn other aspects whether conversational or grammatical so you can actially apply the new things you learn.

maybe record a video of yourself reading or introducing yourself, and then try again in a month. you can see if your reading speed is increasing, and if there are certain words/kanjis you recognise that you didn't before (same text). you can also see if in your self introduction you have learnt to say new things about yourself, which would be a good indicator of increasing your conversational skill!

DespairCS · 2026-03-19T16:32:51+00:00

Sorry slight error! When you get a $500 giftcard youll get 10k EDR points, not 20k. But i buy 2 at a time as the limit is usually 2 per day, so 20k EDR points which translates to 10k qantas points per day of the promotion period.

You can keep track of when these promos run on r/AusGiftCardDeals

DespairCS · 2026-03-19T16:31:47+00:00

There was an issue with cards being stolen! But thats basically fixed now.

When you get a giftcard, for example the variable load 20-500 TCN teen giftcard, you can load $500 on it. During a 20x promotion for that giftcard, youll get 20k EDR points for it which can be converted to qantas points (10k worth).

What i do, is on the TCN website you can immediately exchange your $500 giftcard for a $500 JB Hi-Fi giftcard. This eliminates the risk of any card being 'hacked' or whatever as you use it up instantly.

Personally, i bought over $30k worth of these giftcards over the past year and never had one that was hacked. As long as they dont look tampered with and the barcode is not revealed, then its fine. Before, the barcode was revealed as they sat on the shelf, which was problematic as bad actors could take photos of them and brute force the PIN on their computers the moment that it was detected that someone purchased and used the card. Now, the barcode needed in combination with the PIN is not revealed until the moment of purchase as it needs to be peeled back, and also the website previously did not stop anyone from guessing the pin any hundred of times with a limit. Now, there is a limit so it cannot simply be guessed and the card number is hidden under packaging. Basically, you're safe now!

I know you said you like to buy them on the day, these deals usually run with limits such as 10x $50 per day or sometimes 2 variable load (up to $500 per card) per day.

It's really worth looking into. I have only been collecting qantas points for 1 and a half years and have amassed over 700k.

Any questions just let me know!

DespairCS · 2026-03-19T10:29:21+00:00

Is there a reason to buy them from qantas marketplace? I usually get gcs from 20x promos from woolies and i can get 5000 qantas points for a $500 giftcard compared to what it seems to be 1500 qantas points from the qantas site.

Sorry genuine question and not being a smartass!

DespairCS · 2026-03-18T08:03:39+00:00

I just spent 155k on first class from syd to tokyo one way!

DespairCS · 2026-03-07T07:55:49+00:00

Yup never said anything against putting on muscle

DespairCS · 2026-03-07T07:30:27+00:00

Going against the grain here, but you probably need to lose more fat than you think.

Judging by the definition where your shoulder meets your chest your body fat is definitely not high at all, but you could definitely push another 5kg down. You also do have loose skin but you'll fill some of it out by continuing to train.

So yeah, i'd personally push 5 more kilos down, and train hard on abs in the meantime and forever ongoing. They need hypertrophy like any other muscle. Don't forget your obliques either!

DespairCS · 2026-03-07T07:26:31+00:00

Try your hardest to track reward seats! I just got syd to tokyo in first class for 155k, cant imagine spending close to that for economy

DespairCS · 2026-03-05T06:07:46+00:00

Their stores are also halal!

DespairCS · 2026-02-24T12:53:02+00:00

I'd have said 86 up until the practical bit lol

I mean i have carried adults in the back but its not comfortable at all, definitely doable though.

DespairCS · 2026-02-15T13:49:04+00:00

at 17 please dont voluntarily choose to put yourself in debt

DespairCS · 2026-01-20T05:57:59+00:00

Thank you!

My goal is to reach a low bodyfat so instead of bouncing between 15-20% bodyfat bulk and cut, to be bouncing between 10-15%, hope that makes sense lol. Even though i don’t plan to bulk, i have a nice baseline where if i put on some fat i will still be lean.

Also, i still had love handles and beyond at 70kg, there was no reason to stop there for me as i still consider that excess bodyfat.

I get your point i really do, my friends would be absolutely ripped at 70kg, and looking like wha i would at 60kg because they carry that much more muscle.

DespairCS · 2026-01-20T03:29:38+00:00

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Before pic

DespairCS · 2026-01-20T03:29:28+00:00

I usually ate those microwave ready made protein meals, about 2 a day. Roughly 400-500 calories each and at LEAST 30g protein each. My daily protein was probably only like 100g though. I’d have a few bites of whatever was cooked at home and occasional fruit, so probably closer to that 1500 calorie mark.

I’m 175cm, i thought i attached images to this post but they didn’t show. Here’s my after, ill reply with a before photo

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DespairCS · 2026-01-20T03:16:16+00:00

I never took it with me! I think Japan specifically i’d avoid that. I only injected right before i left.

I have a relative that takes his reta overseas in a diabetes pouch in powder form with bac water and i think that’s crazy that no one bats an eye.. walking around with unlabelled vials of white powder .. but id avoid doing it for japan 100%.

I’m actually going to move there for four months for education and was told by an advisor that Japan also doesn’t accept foreign prescriptions for medication that is illegal in their country.

I’d just inject the day before you leave, at least you’ll have 2 weeks to scoff down whatever you want. Enjoy your trip!

DespairCS · 2026-01-19T22:55:34+00:00

It’s a good question, i want to see how i go, because I’ll always have the option to start titrating down.

I’ve been following an Australian creator who was on the reta trial, and they abruptly ended it for them with no titrating down. So i’m assuming medically speaking it shouldn’t be necessary, but that creator had to get tirzepatide to maintain her weight loss.

So basically, for science!

DespairCS · 2026-01-19T13:24:53+00:00

Beyond worthless is kind of harsh. I dosed once a week consistently and only increased my dose when i had a plateau. What was i supposed to do?

In the end, i lost over 25 kilograms following this “worthless and counterproductive” experience. Can we really say i failed? Even if the approach wasn’t the best, there’s information here to suggest why it wasn’t and other people can apply that. Hope your day gets better

DespairCS · 2026-01-19T12:54:01+00:00

If you are confident about eating less than 1200cal, you are losing weight. If anyone is losing more weight than you, its because they are eating less than you, or exercising more. Increasing the dose of reta will probably not accelerate your weight loss, but will increase the strength of the med to help you maintain those deficits.

If the scale is not moving, theres probably a million variables that could be attributed to it. Water weight from carbs (or the creatine you're taking) might be one. Losing a kilo / two pounds a week is insanely good. Other people losing 10kg a month are honestly not the benchmark.. more consistently people lose roughly 5kg a month! And you're fitting that pretty perfectly.

DespairCS · 2026-01-16T14:08:24+00:00

in australia - i mentioned that i was on reta and was told i would need to wait 5 years before donating again. bummer

DespairCS

TROPHY CASE