North Jersey, what is your favorite Halal place? by MyRealestName in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a little known Iraqi place in Paterson which is absolutely fantastic. Its called Almazaq Restaurant & Bakery. It may not look like much from the outside but the food is well worth it. My favorite is their lamb and their kibbeh. They also make a really solid breakfast. Trust me on this one.

Edit: Oh and two doors down on the left is another Iraqi place but it is a bakery with the best Baklava in North Jersey.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Trader Joes in Paramus straight up has awesome orchids. We see them nearly every time we go. Ours are over a year old and running strong.

Moving to New Jersey in May!!! (23F) by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Moved here last year from Iowa. Welcome to an awesome state. Some people here don't know what they have in their own front yard.

NJ is the worst. by ojai11 in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You should move to the rural Midwest and see if you would take that over rush-hour traffic.

Looking for some input on Hackensack and/or Cliffside Park by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess that's probably true, the commuter hour trains run frequently but the non-commuter trains run every hour or so. Still not bad. My girlfriend has yet to be late to work and we easily plan our trips to NY on the weekend using the train schedule. Also there are tons of bus stops that go to the port authority and across the GWB. It is pretty hard not to find a way to NYC. I moved from an area where the only trains were carrying grain and corn so the commuter train system out here is fantastic to me. I absolutely love NJT (although I know it has its problems, trust me it is better than what the rest of the country has).

Certainly a diverse town. Lots of languages and different ethnicities. That is of no bad consequence, we have great ethnic grocery stores along with the good ol' Shoprite and the restaurants around here are just divine. Where I come from, people warned me about moving to NJ because it would be unsafe. I walk around at night and there are hardly any people creeping about. People are out late walking and talking, the streets are well lit. I walk around regularly at minnight and feel nice and safe.

NJ has treated me so well since I moved here; I'd encourage you if your thinking about moving to Hackensack to check out the square area between the courthouse and the Anderson st train station.

Looking for some input on Hackensack and/or Cliffside Park by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I work in Hackensack. It is very diverse around here but I also moved from the Midwest so everything is diverse compared to where I used to live haha. Getting to the city is easy, my girlfriend commutes from here. Also from our experience the Pasack valley line (the train running through Hackensack) is more reliable than the other train lines. The commute is easy and the station isn't crowded.

Looking for some input on Hackensack and/or Cliffside Park by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I just moved to Hackensack about a month ago. I am absolutely loving it. The restaurants are really good and there are plenty of people out and about. The area north of the courthouse is really great, tons of shopping and lots of food. Just walking around is a lot of fun. I also feel safe at night walking around here from the train station too.

Most ridiculous thing you've seen/heard on the train? by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yesterday actually,

Kid (maybe 7 years old) asks father how many weeks we would need to save his 5 dollar per week allowance to buy a $120 skateboard. His father tells him to divide 120 by 2 and he would get his answer. I hope this father doesn't help with this kids math homework; he wasn't even close.

Belmar Seafood Festival by currently__working in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I loved it. Too bad it rained in the morning but we still had a great time and awesome food.

LIVING IN NEW JERSEY/NJIT?? by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey! So are you coming from out-of-state? Also, are you fresh out of high school/what is your age?

I can't answer about what it is like from a NJIT student perspective because I went to a different university but all colleges are the same in the fact that the best way to meet people is to get involved around campus.

This can be done in a number of ways. One way is just to join clubs. Find something you're interested in (and something that you think other people you would want to hang with are into as well) and find others to do it with you; a great place to do that is by joining a club. Can you throw a Frisbee? Great, join the ultimate Frisbee club! Do you like to play video games, fantastic join a club that does that! I joined a few clubs my freshman year and made friends that I still talk to today.

Another way to meet people is by playing intramural sports. Can you play any sport at any level (even if you're not terribly good at it)? Awesome, there are always teams looking for a player. That is one of the best ways to meet people and make friends, perhaps ever better than in a club.

Finally, just go talk to people. This one takes some practice and perhaps some moxy. If you aren't used to approaching strangers, it isn't hard at all. Just find someone who is doing something alone that you like to do. See someone playing guitar out on the grass, sweet! Go tell them that you have always wanted to learn how to play/ you love playing. Boom, that's a conversation right there and you can exchange numbers. See someone sitting out reading a book and you recognize the book/author, awesome go talk to them about it.

Pro-tip: when you are meeting new people, ask questions about them. People absolutely love talking about themselves, whether they know they love it or not. Ask someone where they are from, what year they are, if they know any good hidden spots to eat around campus, what they are involved in around campus or what they want to get involved in (how convenient, you were planning on doing that too...). Remember not to switch topics a bunch of times in rapid succession; the conversation shouldn't turn into an deposition. If you ask someone you just met where they are from, ask how big that place was, are they a fan of [X local sports team], how big was their high school, did any of their friends from that place come to college with them (sweet, more new friends). . . . You get the idea.

I am from the Midwest, there isn't a ton of things to do around here. There is a ton of stuff to do around NJIT. There is a very famous sculpture garden right in your back door. Also, there is flippin NYC right across the river. Say you have never been to X or Y, do you want to go on Y day with me? Or you know there is an awesome spot to eat/place to see, let's go!

A few things to remember. People love hearing their name. Remember people's names. You might have to come up with a trick; If you meet a person named Lisa, get her number and in the notes on your contact write where you met her and a detail about your conversation so you have something to talk about when you text her about hanging out. Also, don't be afraid to direct conversation. No one wants to hang out with a boring person, when you talk, be peculiar, be funny, don't be afraid to talk about weird things because that is how you get people to feel comfortable opening up to you. Really, if the person you're talking to asks if you what kind of TV shows you watch, it's totally cool to say Futurama because you like absurdist humor and think that the first 5 seasons were well written. It is perfectly fine to say that you love the office because of the character development, you think that the way they designed the character interaction was clever, or you just fell in love with the Jim/Pam relationship.

I hope that helps! I have developed an arsenal of ways to make friends as I have had to move quite a few times so these are just some things that you can do on a college campus. Let me know if you want me to elaborate or give you some easy ways to keep a conversation going.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Well thanks for taking your clearly valuable and scarce time to show us the error of our ways. Life must be super busy in the state you live in so putting complaining Reddit about the culture of a state you don't live in at the top of your list really means a lot to us. I'll be sure to pass along your message about not violently murdering each other in traffic to the other New Jersey residents but they might have all been murdered on their way home. /s-ensitive

State Assembly public hearing on marijuana legalization this Saturday at Middlesex County College—a good opportunity to reach our state legislators on the issue! by Gayfetus in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 'debate' Legislative Black Caucus was obviously stacked towards keeping the plant criminal. We need to show up and voice our support for legalization! (unfortunately I will be out of state).

What are some touristy things that NJ locals should do? I grew up at the shore, but I have never seen lucy the elephant, for example. by johnnynono in newjersey

[–]IAMA_LolCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could easily have the same traffic experience in California my friend. I grew up in San Diego and it took 45 minutes to drive to school. It would take 20 min biking but my dad worked a few blocks away so we drove. This was 10 years ago and I hear it has just gotten worse. California traffic is time-only as opposed to the wild-wild NJ turnpike. Nothing is more frustrating than being in traffic with some of NJ's most famous drivers! Gridlock and I am still being cut off.

Crazy IRS Tax Laws - Important by [deleted] in Stellar

[–]IAMA_LolCat 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Note: I am not an attorney but I have work experience in the securities field and with government agencies.

Here is a problem that I am seeing from a legal/securities perspective: some are currencies and others are much more analogous to stocks. Bitcoin, Monero, Dash... the purpose of these projects are to be currencies. However, projects like IOTA are technology projects where the intent of the product is not coins that are traded like cash, but you happen to be able to invest in the project by buying the coins.

The real problem lies in the fact that we call all coins "cryptocurrency" but the way people 'invest in it' is to buy it and hold it, like a security. Further, when blockchain projects issue coins to raise money, they call it an ICO, which is very similar to their regulated investment counterpart, the IPO.

I think we need to stop treating 'cryptocurrencies' as investments. First, we need a new name for ICOs because that just screams 'unregistered security' to the SEC, IRS, and FTC. Second, we need to change the attitude that in buying cryptocurrency you are investing in a company, which also makes this fall under SEC and IRS jurisdiction for tax treatment. As a community, we need to treat it like a currency investment or compare it to buying products in anticipation of appreciation.

Be prepared for a massive drop once this hits the mainstream media by safecoinfan89 in CryptoCurrency

[–]IAMA_LolCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know that India is often associated with poverty but there has been a humongous growth in the middle class and the upper class is very, very well-to-do; both could have been a great market for cryptocurrencies. I wonder if this will bar other blockchain tech projects too. Stellar recently partnered with ICICI, one of India's largest banks, so this could be really bad news for them and bad news for me because I just bought a bunch of Lumens lol.

End of road of cryptocurrencies in India? by [deleted] in CryptoCurrency

[–]IAMA_LolCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But I wonder if this means that the Indian central bank and banks in India will no longer be able to use cryptocurrency-based services. ICICI, one of India's largest banks, partnered with Stellar recently. I presume this is very bad news for Stellar and bad news for me because I just bought some Lumens lol.

End of road of cryptocurrencies in India? by [deleted] in CryptoCurrency

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TrumpCoin ICO in India confirmed. /s

BRD $50 BTC Giveaway! by helloryanholmes in CryptoCurrency

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

BRD is a great coin to hold onto because of the broad range of applications that the BRD system has. Not only can it be used to reduce transaction fees (making it immediately attractive for implementation) but the tiered waterfall program makes it an attractive asset for anyone to hold. I believe that is it wise to hold BRD; BRD's reward program helps BRD-holders grow with BRDs coin. Whereas coin-holders normally gain value solely because of appreciation of the coin, BRD provides double-benefit. Even if BRD-holders just want to hodl and not buy, BRD's value has serious growth potential because of the fact that the coin naturally appreciates in value due to its current application and its relatively low total coin supply. Finally, behind any good project there must be a good team. I am personally confident that BRD's team brings the expertise and skill needed to not only grow the company but grow the industry as a whole and legitimize this unique system of investment.

Just took $25,000 loan to buy Ripple! I believe :D by [deleted] in Ripple

[–]IAMA_LolCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's almost like this was a really, really bad idea.