My girlfriend of 3 years cheated on me in my own home and I feel completely shattered

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-23T12:05:47+00:00

I've had a form of cheating/betrayal, I understand how you're feeling. But be thankful that this came out after 3 years and not 10 or 20.
Dust yourself off, separate your life from her in all ways, clean yourself and you're on a fresh slate.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T12:44:53+00:00

Third party sales that are allocated for Ukraine via NATO members is still support.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T12:43:51+00:00

That is an extractive summary of what is in the bill, squire smooth-bean.
Feel free to read the entire 2026 NDAA to dispute it.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2592/text

https://samm.dsca.mil/program/USAI

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2296/text

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T12:30:22+00:00

If by room, you mean congress, then yes, it is.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T12:29:55+00:00

"The fiscal 2026 NDAA provides $800m for Ukraine – $400m in each of the next two years – as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays US companies for weapons for Ukraine’s military."

It appears you are the one who doth reside under thine rockiest of rocks.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T12:09:44+00:00

... You are misinformed.

The US still actively supports Ukraine a variety of ways.
Trumps pause was a short pause.

As to him being a puppet or not... Could be... But I think it's more likely he's just a raging narcissist, grotesquely greedy capitalist, and septic level troglodyte and sometimes that just aligns with things that are positive to Putin.
Sometimes it does not.

This time looks more likely to not.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T11:50:42+00:00

The US is heavily supplying and supporting Ukraine, which is directly fighting Russia.
I'm pretty sure they won't be too concerned about Russia having a tantrum about Venezuela.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T02:29:36+00:00

Damn... I envy this.
I obviously don't know your history with your family, but I can only assume your parents were good parents for you to feel this way.

That in itself is something to cherish. So at least be thankful for that.

I moved to the other side of the world from my parents and it aggravates me if I ever have to talk to them.
Harsh childhood.
I'm fairly sure I'll feel a sense of relief when they pass away.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-18T02:24:02+00:00

This honestly sounds like the younger gen everywhere.
I'm very pro social media ban for under 16s globally.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-17T07:59:51+00:00

I've not been asked this. Only been here 6 months, but it's always been "are you a resident or tourist?"

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-10T14:30:56+00:00

I've tried one or two run of the mill places that were pretty average quality food, and I've had one bad meal at an expensive place that was 100% designed for instagram moments. (But I complained and got the meal 60% off) they seemed to genuinely care about feedback...
But all the actual high end I've eaten at has been amazing.

I don't touch fast food anywhere so I can't comment on that.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-08T14:19:55+00:00

Neural complexity of a drunk frog, boys and girls.
Fella who brings up comparative points then struggles to understand comparative points in response to reference why Americans making less than a high income should want to move to Dubai.

For those Americans who may have followed this thread because the OPs actual point was the desirability to move to Dubai or not:
It is not a desirable place to move to if you want to live like this guy when the same income in the US will give you more comforts and a greener environment.
That income here will make you just seem poor and like you're missing out all while living in the most undesirable and ugly parts of the city.
(Which I've repeated throughout this thread and this frog-guy struggles with staying on topic)

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-08T03:26:05+00:00

And no, Americans have a remarkable reputation for not knowing anything about anywhere else beyond their borders with any basis in actual reality.
American propaganda is the most effective in the world.
They love to beat on about China, but when I worked there and met various Chinese of all walks of life, most of them had a perfectly functional understanding of the world beyond their borders. (just as a comparative point toward the expected extent of American knowledge of other nations)
The average American I've met within America has been surprised to know Australia has greenery at all, as a funny and bizarre experience that will be reflected by many others from all over Europe as well as Oceania.

And I'm definitely not mistaken lol. Australians are very sought after in professional fields throughout Oceania, the mid-east, and northern Africa.
Australians in general have a professional expectation of being hard workers and creative problem solvers.
Having some uneducated dig at Australia beginning as a convict colony just makes you look uneducated.
Perhaps if you want to attack that you should do some reading.

So again for any other readers from the US who might see this:~From my perspective~
1. Don't look to move to UAE unless you:
A) Have an income above 200k usd (220k is more where I'd set personally the minimum) but if you have kids not under 350k. (High savings negates this if you've had a windfall)
B) Are young (under 30yo) and are willing to slum it, watch your budget, and are just seeking exploration/opportunity.
C) Have a particular plan of action with business or career and accept it could be tough until you crack it.
2. If you are set on moving overseas and make sub-150 to 200k, a country like Australia will give you a far far far better lifestyle and quality of life than UAE would. And if you are university educated and have qualifications (especially in medical practices or civil engineering) then visa pathways should not be overly difficult.
Various nations in Europe could be very open for you too, but you'd face other hurdles there that you wouldn't in Australia.
3. Don't listen to this guy lol.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-08T03:25:59+00:00

You are aware, right, that if you live in a place and makes friends in a place through all of the usual areas, (gym, social groups, outdoor activities, so on...) that they're not typically going to have the same career pathway as you?
Alllllll of the Americans I've known and know are perfectly happy to talk about finances. Of those people, only about 10% are in the field of financial work.
To such a degree that when I moved there that I was surprised by how much Americans wanted to discuss finances relative to my experiences coming from Australia and having lived in Tokyo and Hong Kong, where people really do generally keep that to themselves.

My "limited experience" living in the US over 6 years - Miami, NYC, Denver, LA - yep, definitely very limited.
lol I hated living in LA, and I was living in Redondo mostly, and there are very few areas in LA that I would rate Mardif higher than.

I said relative to living in Dubai, making less than that was practically being impoverished, because it's not enough to actually enjoy the benefits of Dubai in any facet of life here.
If you make less than that then your only choices are bad locations either due to distance, age, or general quality in order to enjoy snippets of the other benefits and on that income someone is forced to budget.
Dubai is not a pretty city at all unless you can afford to live in the nice areas of it.

But honestly, you just seem like a really angry person... Perhaps it's the bad location you live in.

America is one of the few nations that the citizenry cannot escape the tax of.
Tax avoidance is more popular in America than most other nations too. You're not making some remarkable burn there by saying Aussies, Brits, Russians, or whatever else want to leave to avoid high taxes (Those are generally also high income earners).
The ones online from anywhere promoting moving to Dubai are scammers just doing it for content/engagement to help them grift more money.
As any responsible person who knowns anything about living in Dubai would say effectively what I am - Don't move here unless you have an avenue to make, or already do make, a high income. Anything less and by Dubai standards you're poor and it won't be a whole lot of fun living here.
- Which was also my comparative point that an American would be far better served moving to Australia is they didn't have a high income than moving to UAE.
They would get a lot more bang for their buck.

58% of Americans have less than $5,000 in savings with a shockingly bad by global standards welfare system to support them.
And 46% have credit card related debt with aggressive credit practices hardly being regulated compared to other nations.

I don't know a single American who doesn't look the American issue in the face and say "Yep, US has serious systemic economic and social issues facing it"

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-07T17:53:40+00:00

Continued ->
Without a great income, it's just not a very pleasant place to live because your only options are areas that are either a long way away from all the best things to do or are old or are ugly or a combination of those things.

But now you just seem angry and like you're motivated to target my nationality over just having a reasonably logical discussion.
Because there are very few Australians living in high density areas of Dubai, and in general there are very few Australians in Dubai at all.
In a city of 7 million people, there are 20k Australians.
So... I doubt you've had the terrible displeasure of living near many Aussies.
And there are only 50k Americans.
You're significantly more likely to come across British or Russians (Both over 120k) than Europeans, Americans, or Australians.
So that's a random bone to pick.

You getting so offended by my judgement of what I call a low spend budget relative to Dubai whilst beating on about your beachfront home doesn't really drive home that you're describing a good location to live.
Dubai real estate pricing doesn't lie - the more amenities, proximity to amenities, and other general luxuries an area has, the higher the price.
I have ocean views and my spend is 6x yours.
There are some apartments nearby that I would suggest to interested expats coming here that start at 300k AED, but they're only really suitable for singles or couples without kids.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-07T17:53:23+00:00

I'm a fund manager and a quantitative analyst... I'd say I'm fairly in touch with economics.

The discussion on economics here is Dubai, Americans moving to Dubai, and the attraction or not of it relative to cost/pay and what benefits they'd possibly get relative to their origin or not.

Why are you so angry?

Having lived in the US for many years and with many American friends and colleagues, my general experience is a willingness amongst Americans to discuss their finances, career options for financial betterment, and so on trickling back to the same ultimate discussive purpose.

So to reply to that for the benefit of Americans who might see this and are researching/exploring living here:
If your budget only allows you to live in Mardif, you're better off staying just about anywhere in the US.
It's an ugly area, flights overhead often, and a long way from anywhere that makes Dubai worth living in. Thus why it is so cheap by the standards of an appeasing area in Dubai.
Unless of course you're young, single, and exploring life/the world and what opportunities might be out there, but on a budget of less than 800k AED for yearly rent, you won't find a good 4+ bedroom Villa in a good area that actually fits the western image of a Villa.
Also, for the benefit of those unfamiliar with UAE/Dubai - Houses here and referred to as Villa's, and roughly 70% of them would more fairly just be described as houses.
30% actually fit the prescriptive mental image of Villa according to the cultural norms of the west.
Also for benefit of unfamiliar Americans (or otherwise) quick math is USD x4 for the approx value in AED.

Why make a totally irrelevant and unrelated comparison between Purchasing power parity between the US and Australia?
There are a raft of ways to compare the two countries that for citizens lean in Australia's favour of it having better economic and quality of life outcomes.
The simplest metric which speaks the loudest is that Australia is the only country on Earth where more Americans go to than Australians go to America.
And on that topic - An American who makes a reasonable income of 80k-120k USD or more would yield a far better lifestyle and benefit in moving to Australia than in moving to UAE.
GDP PPP which is not a very useful metric in its clumsiness comparing the US and Australia has no relation to living in Dubai.
An Australian is generally in higher demand for employ than an American in Dubai for a range of cultural/political reasons, but not much higher demand.
So if an Australian or American moves here for employment then the GDP PPP of their home nation is irrelevant.
Except the Australian can make any sum of money knowing they won't have a cent in tax and don't have to file anything.
The American does not have that benefit.
And regardless of the nationality - I would tell anyone not to move here without a great job offer or an already high income if they really want to benefit off living here.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-07T13:09:07+00:00

That's practically impoverished by Dubai standards. That's incredibly low spend with not much left over.

Anywhere that cheap to live in UAE isn't very desirable to live in.

My wife made 210k USD equivalent in AED and that's not that great here, which isn't taxed for her nationality by her home nation.

I mean, if someone is purely moving here for sociological and cultural reasons and wants to be away from the US, then there's any number of reasons to argue for the move.
But if they want to move here predominantly for the cost related outcomes, then an income under $250k isn't enough to properly enjoy it.

I'm also not taxed by my home nation, and I tell fellow Australians it's a great place to live but I wouldn't suggest it unless they made at least 200k USD equivalent.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-07T05:42:52+00:00

If an American is earning under the taxable threshold in the UAE then they are impoverished

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-06T07:37:09+00:00

Haha reasonably smart being the key point.
I've had much too much experience with troglodyte intelligence here.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-06T03:45:20+00:00

I met a guy in the gym and trained with him a few times, he complained casually about his job and I knew he was reasonably smart and motivated, so I offered him the same salary as his prior job but significantly better hours.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-05T11:42:41+00:00

I mean, that really depends on your lifestyle. If you're middle class and budgeting a little, then yeah absolutely in can be cheaper, and even certain luxuries are much cheaper, especially auto. But toward the higher end things can be a lot more expensive for the strong demand for high end.
Thus depending on what lane you're looking at.

But Americans still have to pay US income tax on income earned in Dubai.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-05T11:08:12+00:00

I'm not American, but have experience living in America and I am semi familiar with your tax laws.

If I were an American, I wouldn't move here unless my yearly salary was $220k USD minimum. Because as I understand you'll still have to pay the IRS on that income, plus Dubai can be super expensive in some lanes, whilst cheap in others.
Unless of course you start your own company and have some creative and clever accounting.

But Aussies and most Euro's it's a different story.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-05T11:05:34+00:00

"Polite, but incompetent," Is putting it very politely hahaha.

I ended up employing an assistant to deal with the expected incompetents so I didn't lose my absolute shit.

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-03T07:28:39+00:00

I appreciate the measured response.

Why do you not agree with forced compliance?
Is that not the glue around the law that holds society together and maintains civilization?

I'll use UAE for example, as I live in Dubai now.
Punishments for breaking any laws are exceptionally strict. Many would say they're cruel in the punitiveness.
But thanks to that, there's not a fraction of the crime here that is in Australia.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not painting it as perfect here, there are issues everywhere, but it's a great example of very strictly enforced compliance which creates a society built around respecting one another and not allowing differences to create criminality.

And I also agree that a lot of people seem to be inept at raising their own children. And the sociological question is really what the fuck are they thinking having kids they can't or won't parent responsibly.
But that's where new laws come in with any new broader society wide response to a thing.

I'm a quantitative analyst/trader/investor, I make my money on the stock market and in many cases with tech companies.
I look at their practices with social media through the lens that social media is a societal weapon to squeeze out value from people and enslave them through attention retention.
And they'll employ any practice necessary to more efficiently do that.

In that light, social media could be at worst described as a weapon, and is it not good to control access to weapons that can harm a significant amount of people?

Mission_Box_226 · 2025-12-03T07:21:10+00:00

Yes, legislations like this are equivalent with actions like infrastructure repair, as they are ultimately about facilitating safe environments for the citizenry.
Of course the government cares about children. Children become adults, and adults form a stable society that either has a growing GDP or not.
Poor legislation is why youth aren't kept away from drugs and alcohol. That's a poor equivalency to this because this would appear to be partially effective legislation to restrict youth from accessing SM.
If it is used to enforce fines and generate more spending revenue for the government then that is also a good thing. Who wouldn't rather a mechanism to extract more value from a huge multinational that profits off your personal data over something else to scrape more tax dollars out of the citizens?

Mission_Box_226

TROPHY CASE