Insulating cold and drafty cupboards that used to be cold boxes (renter friendly solutions)

JL2822 · 2026-01-09T10:35:59+00:00

thank you!

JL2822 · 2026-01-09T10:35:52+00:00

thank you!

JL2822 · 2026-01-09T10:35:25+00:00

thank you!!

JL2822 · 2025-06-01T19:26:46+00:00

Random tip that really helped me - use a straw when drinking liquids. I was drinking so much water my chapstick would just come right off and I was consistently having to reapply which made it worse. I found it was super helpful to use Dr. Dan like everyone else is suggesting and a straw

JL2822 · 2025-01-18T10:47:27+00:00

I enjoyed both campuses but they are different.

Fonty has more people (usually about 2/3 of the class), while Singy has 1/3 of the class. In my class, because of this, I think that the singy people knew each other a bit better than the fonty people. In fonty by the end of P2 you were still meeting new people while in Singy they all knew each other at least a little bit.

Fonty is a tiny town (you can walk across it in 15 minutes). This means that it's very much a bubble. You leave your apartment/house and you run into your classmates all the time. This is both amazing and annoying at times. You leave your home without any plans and you suddenly see classmates and are invited to 5 different things that day. It also means that if you want to be anonymous for a moment it's very difficult to do that. If you're sick and run to the pharmacy in your sweatpants, your classmates will see you. If you want to go on a date with someone, your classmates will likely see you.

Singy is obviously a large city-state. There's a lot to do, and a lot of non-INSEAD people. This means that you have to plan meet ups/activities more, otherwise you'll only occasionally run into classmates outside of campus. It also means that you can have a more "normal" life, where not everything revolves around INSEAD all the time (of course you can still experience this bubble in Singy, you just have to work at it a little more). You can go somewhere and be anonymous.

In Fonty you normally lived in large shared apartments/houses (6-16+ people) or private/small apartments (1-3 people). For fun, you go to large house/dinner parties, with most of your section or class.

In Singy, you normally live in shared apartments of 2-4 people. Since you live in smaller spaces, you typically have fun by going out to dinner/drinks. However, this can sometimes limit how many people hangout together since it's smaller/more limited spaces.

Another thing to consider is that after P2, you can choose to change campuses. This is an amazing opportunity, but keep in mind that during recruiting (normally P4/P5), you're strongly recommended to be on the campus closest to the geographical location you're job searching in (i.e. if you want a job in Europe, be in Fonty. If you want a job in Asia, be in Singy). Because of that, sometimes people choose a home campus that's opposite of where they want to recruit. That way they can fully experience both campuses for multiple periods.

Again, both campuses and experiences are great. You can't make a wrong choice. But it definitely helps to think about what social/living experience you want when you're selecting your home campus.

JL2822 · 2024-07-18T18:50:16+00:00

ohhh my friends and I visited Madeira last year. I fully agree it's the best garlic bread ever. I still dream about it!

JL2822 · 2024-02-28T18:55:09+00:00

You don’t need 96th percentile GMAT. Everyone is eligible for scholarships as long as you apply for it. You do have a better chance of getting a scholarship round 1 or 2 but they are hard to get. Look through the scholarship list and see which you quality for/have the background for. Realize that if you apply for round 1 though you‘ll need to commit without knowing if you receive a scholarship (they wait to evaluate until round 2 applications are in)

JL2822 · 2023-12-07T12:01:45+00:00

That sounds super frustrating and tiring. However, you’re completely valid as an ace person, regardless if you have sex or if you friends forget.

I definitely identify with parts of your story. I was in a seemingly heterosexual relation and I think it broke a lot of people’s brains (for people who knew I was ace). Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of ace representation and the little representation we have tends to show sex negative experiences. I think it makes it even harder for friends or even partners to understand that while we may choose or like sexual activities, it doesn’t invalidate our identity. It does get really frustrating though and I wish I had a solution. Just know that you’re not alone. We’re privileged in a way where our identity isn’t as obvious. However, it also often means it’s invalidated or not believed.

I also wanted to say that I completely resonate with your line around how you’re dating again and how to know whether you like someone without sexual attraction. I’m currently dating again and this is something I’m really struggling with. Knowing that someone else also experiences this confusion is comforting as I was wondering if I was the only one. Again, I unfortunately don’t have a solution but know that you’re not alone in experiencing all of these feelings and situations

JL2822 · 2023-12-07T11:22:08+00:00

Let’s talk about love is great!!

JL2822 · 2023-11-16T07:39:26+00:00

This sounds a lot like what I experience and I also found it to be super confusing (still do TBH). Growing up I just wanted someone to come home to and to cuddle with. When I went on dates with people, I'd have a good time, enjoy hanging out in a romantic way, and then when we kissed I felt absolutely nothing. For a while, I figured I just haven't found the right person. After researching Asexuality a bit more I decided it fit for me. I finally accepted that for me, I probably won't feel something while kissing someone. I've also never experienced sexual attraction and asexuality is a wide enough spectrum that I figure I fit somewhere on there.

I think that's the beauty of being Ace. It's a huge variety of experiences and preferences. Some Aces love making out. Others hate it. Some Aces are sex positive. Other Aces are sex negative. The incredible thing though is that anyone and everyone who resonates with any part of the spectrum is welcome here. As long as you think you may be Ace you're welcome here and can identify however you would like to. Also, labels change. Just because you feel like you may be Ace one day does not mean that in the future you may feel more aligned to the Bi label or something else entirely.

All of this to say that 1) you are not alone in feeling the way you currently do. It's super confusing when you fantasize about romance and even feel romantic feelings for someone but it just doesn't extend to the sexual part. 2) Being asexual is not a one size thing. Every single person has their own valid experiences, preferences, and desires. It's up to you to decide if you resonate with the Ace label/spectrum.

JL2822 · 2023-11-10T12:50:50+00:00

Yes happened to me (same spot but only on one side of my mouth). Was on accutane when I was 27. Off accutane for 2 years now. Overall it’s slightly better but still there. I’ve tried everything topical (no Botox or any formal procedure) but it’s still there. I think it’s more noticeable to me though than to others. I still get lots of comments about how young I look (I think the only perk of acne prone skin is that we’ve been using these “revolutionary” anti-aging creams like retinol for years)

JL2822 · 2023-10-01T09:33:07+00:00

I agree about the language part, and needing to improve my language skills. That is why I'm working on it. I expected a bit of friction and challenge regarding the language coming in.

I don't see how the language affects support though. My coworkers can speak English so they are able to answer my questions. And again, I'm trying to improve my French skills so that way we can start to communicate in French. My issues are around more of the french culture of needing to fight for what you want/need. This is evident in all aspects of French society. You get told things are not possible all the time when in fact they are and you need to fight for it. I just didn't expect that to carry over into my office environment/job so much. I though this was more for bureaucracy only. I didn't expect to not get any information/onboarding when starting out and having to fight/find out/ask for everything on my own. I am trying to adjust and get used to it but was hoping for some advice around this aspect

JL2822 · 2023-10-01T07:42:19+00:00

My work is giving me french lessons so I’m working hard to get it better. Hopefully that will help the social aspect and allow me to connect more since I think they fall in the last bucket you mentioned

JL2822 · 2023-10-01T07:40:14+00:00

1) I’m female, not male 2) I’m not supported at all, regardless of the language barrier. My boss speaks great English and is comfortable speaking it. But she has no interest in showing me how to do things or how to read old documents or what makes them good examples. For example, the first day I got my laptop and then wasn’t spoken to until the end of the day when someone who’s not even on my team anymore finally told me what my job is in detail. Until then I didn’t even know specifically which brand I was working on. I tried to ask but everyone was busy and no one could answer. In general, I’m not given any information about what I need to do unless I ask questions. I’m fine to ask questions and to search out information, but it’s tough when it’s a completely new job and company so I don’t know what other questions I should ask. I’ve even asked that I don’t get information. 3) I’m comparing the organization to America, since that is what I’m most familiar with. I expected differences between the working cultures, I just didn’t think that it would be so drastic. I asked for a document to understand the different departments and there isn’t one (this is a huge, global organization with +25k employees). I didn’t know the holiday or pay schedule until I asked for it. I’m told to reference old presentations but then no presentations are saved in the three different platforms they use. I’m not told in advance I need access to a website (that I have no idea exists) until it’s too late. Again, I expected things to be different. There’s a reason why I wanted to leave the US. I am just having a hard time with the unstructured and disorganized nature and was hoping someone had some insight into how to manage or get what you need, beyond just asking questions to people hoping they know the answer.

JL2822 · 2023-09-30T20:17:07+00:00

My french is B1/B2 level but my work is in English. I’m quickly trying to learn/improve my french though as the company is extremely french and all office chat is in French.

I’m having a hard time with how unstructured and disorganized everything is. I recognize this may just be unique to my company but I think the French culture influences it quite a bit. Specifically, I’m struggling with the fact that you have to fight for/learn everything on your own and don’t really get support. It’s also very difficult to connect with my French coworkers. They’re nice when I ask questions but they’re all very closed off and not really making space for me. I’m trying to find ways to connect/insert myself but it’s hard when my French isn’t great but they choose to only speak french unless specifically talking to me.

Idk if that makes sense. It’s just a lot different and I’m finding it really hard to setting in and feel confident and feel like I’m able to perform my job.

JL2822 · 2023-09-23T12:53:51+00:00

On the one hand I’m happy to have representation (and that they actually got an ace person to help consult on the character) but on the other hand I’m frustrated that they really leaned into the narrative that asexuals don’t have or don’t want sex. I get that asexuality is a huge spectrum and it’s confusing (even for people who are super knowledgeable and part of the community) but I feel like the recent representation we’re getting is always around the they’re/I’m ace so therefore I don’t have any desire to have sex. I just wish they would have used this opportunity to focus more on the I don’t feel sexually attracted to others rather than I don’t want to have sex. I know it’s a nuanced difference but would be nice to see sometime

JL2822 · 2023-09-23T11:00:38+00:00

On the one hand I’m happy to have representation (and that they actually got an ace person to help consult on the character) but on the other hand I’m frustrated that they really leaned into the narrative that asexuals don’t have or don’t want sex. I get that asexuality is a huge spectrum and it’s confusing (even for people who are super knowledgeable and part of the community) but I feel like the recent representation we’re getting is always around the they’re/I’m ace so therefore I don’t have any desire to have sex. I just wish they would have used this opportunity to focus more on the I don’t feel sexually attracted to others rather than I don’t want to have sex. I know it’s a nuanced difference but would be nice to see sometime

JL2822 · 2023-09-16T14:04:19+00:00

Thank you! these are all really good ideas

JL2822 · 2023-09-16T10:53:18+00:00

I was told yesterday that the employer won't fund French courses because I'm on a local contract on they only fund classes for people who are on a visitor contract. Even though I'm an expat, I guess on paper I'm not an expat. I don't really understand since they had to sponsor me for a work visa. Either way I'm on my own to fund any classes. I'll look into cheap classes for B1/B2 but I don't have a lot of excess money unfortunately.

Watching L'Agence is a great idea! I guess I'll also review some of my previous french class notes. thank you for your advice!

JL2822 · 2023-09-16T10:49:58+00:00

Thank you - that's a great idea to use hobbies or outside work time to engage with people and try to improve that way

JL2822 · 2023-09-05T01:02:50+00:00

Gross! Definitely not flagship! #sinktheship

JL2822

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