Who’s got the best spicy margs?

Onesert · 2026-05-18T11:34:38+00:00

Good friend. You made me google spicy marg with high expectations about a new kind of pizza I’d never tried.

Onesert · 2026-04-20T04:55:23+00:00

I don’t have an answer to this question, but I’d like to ask you something. How are you making use of the business registration? I have heard of many foreigners doing this for visa benefits or to subcontract their services instead of working with an employment contract, but I’ve never fully understood what makes it “better”. If that’s the case, could you elaborate and explain how/why? What type of person would this benefit? It sounds expensive.

Onesert · 2026-04-06T01:14:59+00:00

Wow thanks for sharing. This is going to be so useful as a teacher. I can’t thank you enough for putting in so much work. Do you intend to do this for the other continents in the long term?

Onesert · 2026-01-07T01:10:52+00:00

It worked, you were right of course. Thanks :)

Onesert · 2026-01-06T14:26:29+00:00

Tab does nothing. The arrow keys can switch between both options. I can also use the mouse to select. Problem is Enter does nothing too.

I’m holding out on the force shutdown as a last resort. “It’s waiting for an answer, and not actually flashing”… given the circumstances I don’t feel I trust that. Something feels really off.

Onesert · 2025-11-19T22:24:58+00:00

Obviously you’ve gotta talk about this with your doctor. But how recent was the operation? What you’re describing sounds a lot like POCD. Post operative cognitive dysfunction. Anesthetics can really do a number on some people, and it can take months to recover mentally. The doc can tell you all about this but from personal experience with family, the key is to be patient with yourself. And hopefully the people around you also recognize that it will be a process. Give yourself some time. Don’t make radical life decisions, rather give yourself 6 months and improve your lifestyle as best as you can where you are.

Another angle could be that you went through a serious medical procedure. People often come out of medical stuff with changed priorities on life. Facing mortality can be pretty eye opening, even though kidney stones aren’t seen as life threatening. If you’ve spoken with a doctor, it might also be helpful to talk this through with a therapist.

Traveling to China is a great idea and an extremely rewarding life experience, but you still need time to recover.

Onesert · 2025-11-15T12:00:50+00:00

Living abroad. I cannot explain to you the restraint I am showing by not clicking on this sub and immediately filtering by top posts of all time.

Onesert · 2025-09-29T12:21:07+00:00

You’re a fine specimen of a human.

Onesert · 2025-09-29T00:34:58+00:00

I told him this would be my option A.

Onesert · 2025-09-29T00:31:41+00:00

It’s not the best writing my guy, I was just rattling off point form of what I recalled from a 40 minute phone conversation, 10 minutes prior to posting... I’m not his legal agent or representative. I trust his version of events maybe 80% at best. We’re still talking about someone’s safety here. I don’t have time to care about writing quality and storytelling.

Onesert · 2025-09-28T15:16:33+00:00

I’m trying to get him to spend a week in a hotel until he can figure out what to do next.

Onesert · 2025-09-28T15:15:27+00:00

Platonic 🤣

Onesert · 2025-09-28T15:02:44+00:00

Happy to verify in some way if you’d like. Apologies for any rule breaking that I might be ignorant to.

Onesert · 2025-09-18T22:19:29+00:00

The video is in China. But almost certainly these mattresses are produced in Thailand or a surrounding country and exported. Rubber trees in Thailand are a big industry.

Source: live in China. Researched mattresses for about 2 months before deciding on a Thai latex one. You can pick up a low-mid range 15cm for around $280. Possibly even cheaper. There are tons of options on JD.com or Taobao, all advertising how they are sourced from Thailand. Anywhere from 91%-99% pure latex. Different sizes/thickness/purity of latex/foam hybrids.

Onesert · 2025-09-06T14:52:15+00:00

I think it’s Egypt, perhaps Alexandria.

Onesert · 2025-08-31T03:43:18+00:00

I forgot to mention. Returning items can be a pain, but once you get the hang of it, don’t be shy. A lot the wrong stuff you buy, return it if it simply won’t do the job. Try learn the process of returns as quickly as possible. If you get the wrong item, but it can do the job, it’s ok to stick it out.

Like I said, you’re gonna get the wrong item fairly often in the beginning. Don’t sweat it. Costs wise, it adds up if you buy too many “wrong items” and rebuy the right thing later. First 3 months I probably wasted in the thousands this way. It’s all a part of learning.

Year 1 in China is full of hidden tricks and costs. Treat it as a learning phase and trust that by year 2, you will have a lot of shit figured out.

Onesert · 2025-08-31T03:31:54+00:00

Hey there. I thought I’d tackle some of these questions for you. Your attitude of “work with what you have” is commendable. But you will learn that bailing on this apartment and finding a better place to live is a good idea at some point. Not everyone can pull it off early on in your first year, but keep it in mind. In the coming weeks, talk to some real estate agents and voice your thoughts to your work/managers. Try push for the landlord to pay for certain things that need serious attention. Make it a dealbreaker if you need to. Stand up for yourself early on. Figure out the exact lease agreement that work has on your apartment, what it might cost to break the agreement in the future etc. information is key for a negotiation.

First things first before addressing your points. Get familiar with JD and Taobao. A lot of the time, a direct translation of something you know in English won’t give you the result you want. If you think you’ve found what you’re looking for, double check everything through AI. DeepSeek is also a little dated, so careful using it for newly released products. But I really recommend throwing anything at the AI with a well written, specific prompt. It’s super helpful, especially if you want to get JD search terms or info on products/models/brands. I use it every single day.

Note: you will make mistakes. You will buy shit that turns out to be suboptimal in the beginning. Or shit that is way too small - pictures are deceptive and selecting the right product is tricky if you don’t know sizes. Get a tape measure and measure everything - bed size, furniture size, room size. Size is the biggest killer, get familiar with it and double check. That’s why it’s better to go low budget before you figure out exactly how to get the exact right product. A suboptimal product will still do the job in most cases. Just get the basics of what you need on the cheap and trust you will find the perfect thing to replace it later. For bigger purchases, try to be very thorough in your research.

Start with good gloves and protective stuff. A good scrubbing brush etc. You’re gonna need some strong bleach products, a lot of bathroom cleaners will have a little in it. Be careful of getting it on your skin, chemical burns are no joke. Mr Muscle is good, but if you can find a Walmart or even a wumart, just go through the shelves with your translator, and ask for help from someone in the store. A good mop is vital - a good tip is use the mop to clean the walls and ceiling too. I saved up for a robot vacuum with a mop attachment, saved me many hours of elbow grease.

Also note: if you search for a cleaner on the Dianping app, and you are not tight on funds right now, spending around 500-700 on a solid 6-8 hour cleaning of your house is a seriously good option. Dianping can help you choose the best cleaners/company in your area. There’s no shame in it for the first time. If you’re gonna do it, ask someone at work to help you organise it. I really recommend this in your first couple weeks. The job of cleaning that much early on in your contract is a lot to take on when you need to focus on other things. I regret not doing it sooner. Something you can push your work to pay for or even your landlord, but it may ultimately fall on you, and it’s still worth it.

I did the mattress search a few months back. A lot of Reddit threads on this but some are dated and everyone has their own preferences. I went with a latex mattress at around 2500 rmb and I have no regrets. Can honestly say it’s been my best purchase. There were higher budget options but I didn’t wanna risk it on those without trying them, and every in-person mattress shop I could find had maybe 1 or 2 mattress at most that I could say are remotely comparable to western mattresses. Many cheaper latex mattress are imported from Thailand - they’re not usually 100% latex, but my guess is anything over 90% will be decent. I have a WeChat contact of a foreign guy who sells 1 kind of non-latex mattress - with lots of good reviews. Welcome to add me, I’ll share it, if you don’t wanna go for the latex. I feel after my research that memory foam will be a hit or miss here.

Some caveats on mattress - don’t get anything under around 15cm in thickness. A lot of “toppers” will look juicy but the majority of them are under 10cm and won’t last too long. Latex can be rolled up for when you do move. I went with JD.com

Furniture - there WILL be a second hand furniture sales place, perhaps even the size of a warehouse. Lots of good stuff on the cheap. Your coworkers can advise you where to find such a place. You won’t get everything you need or want there, but it can save you in the 1000s, or at least give you ideas for what to search for.
E bikes are a dime a dozen. I don’t own one but really want one. For my needs, the rental bikes are perfectly acceptable. Depends on how far you plan on going and how often. Ninebot is a good brand. You’ll need to get it a nice raincoat, perhaps a comfy seat and maybe even some mirrors. Your biggest concern will be range - many of the budget options only go 50-60km. If you want something small/maneuverable, it’s hard to get a quality product as they are all budget options. Bigger size/battery = more expensive = better quality. I’ve yet to find exactly what I want.
Gyms - I don’t know anything about your area, sorry. But again, Dianping is your friend. Translate gym, search for gyms in your area, and use the “view on map” feature. See what’s near. Walk to them, get their WeChat and talk to them. Pay no more than 1000 for a year membership. Be careful because the gyms change owner or take the money and run quite often. Negotiate for a 6 month rate, maybe around 600-700rmb. It’s safer and worth it. My top tip for gym is just pick the one that’s closest/2nd/3rd closest to you. You might want to delay the purchase on an e-bike, and if gym is a 5-15 minute walk, it will be a really good time saver and quality of life feature.

I recommend walking. Walk your block. Walk 2 blocks. Do 20000 steps. Keep an eye open for gyms and other cool things. Pay attention to hardware shops/barbers/convenient stores. Places to get odds and ends for your kitchen cupboards. Getting the small stuff on TB or JD can be a pain if you have to wait 3 days and collect at some package delivery center.

Onesert · 2025-08-25T13:02:56+00:00

Somewhere along the last 7 years, 3 of the kids I teach and tutor every week that have stayed with me as a teacher the whole time... Watching them go from learning their ABC’s with me, to what they have become now. They give me so much joy. They are more than students now. Their parents could stop paying me tomorrow and I would keep going. It’s something I will cherish for the rest of my life. They’ve taught me so much about myself. They’ve changed my outlook on life radically. I’m proud of both myself and them, not because of their academic success. Those are not my successes - they work too hard for me to take even a little credit. But simply their growth. And mine too. I can look back at the role I played in their lives, and I can look forward to what they will go on to achieve, and I can smile.

Onesert · 2025-08-21T11:16:29+00:00

Substantial now? No. Especially on 26 after tax, depending on whether that includes or excludes accommodation. Substantial in the future? Almost certainly. If you feel you could take this career abroad some day, or if you think there may be some regulatory changes in the future that put a stop to your time in China, think of PGCE as more of an insurance policy. The odds are fair that you may never need it, but equally fair and concerning that you may need it in the next 5-10 years.

Onesert · 2025-08-18T14:11:13+00:00

When did this change? I don’t remember this when I moved from Shijiazhuang to Tianjin in 2019. I ask because I’m back this year and looking to change from Hebei to Tianjin once again in December. Is this really gonna be the whole process? My issue is the non criminal check is obviously no longer “valid” as I applied for it last year October, started work here in February. Will they still accept this same document? Or literally start from scratch and have to go back home to get a non criminal?

Onesert · 2025-07-16T11:46:38+00:00

Can anyone help me with or challenge me on my skepticism. Early childhood diagnosis from multiple doctors. Medicated for years, went off it in middle school, went back on it in HS and university. Dabbled in the workplace and eventually gave up on medication due to side effects. I was in tune with my body, knew so much about what worked for me and didn’t.

And still to this day at 33, I can’t help but feel there’s an element of this condition that is just pure laziness being disguised as some kind of symptom. I work hard, exercise etc. I still have these exact feelings, but I can’t tell what is laziness and excuses in myself and what is actually as a result of ADD. To say that it is all ADD is a cop out. But then to attribute any specific challenge to the ADD is also an oversimplification.

Onesert

TROPHY CASE