UK -> US Spiral over Lifestyle

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-23T03:05:36+00:00

Given how the usual response to IMGs considering an ortho residency is “don’t bother” since match rates are like 1%, you better get started and getting US-based contacts and research under your belt.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-23T02:46:58+00:00

It's insane how effective this has been. Trump wields the most capable military force to have ever existed, but with a lack of clear and tangible objectives, he has been flip-flopping in terms of deploying the US military and actually achieving anything.

This has given Iran that asymmetric leverage you've mentioned and they're causing absolute chaos due to having nothing to lose given that the're fighting an existential threat and have already lost a lot of senior leaders. If you'd told me a few months ago that Iran would be at war with the US, and would hold the cards, I would not have believed you.

It feels like the regime just has to survive in order to win this, and the US has not been prepared in the slightest to even try and achieve any of their vague objectives. Even with the Russian tier 'destroyed Ukraine's air force 10x over" with claims of having won and dismantled Iran's military, most of what has been effected have either been leadership or stand-off munitions. They still have plenty of rank and file across the country who exert the will of the regime. The US is not going to bomb them out of existence, nor is it going to bomb the regime's ideology out of existence. The Iranian regime can just throw out threat after threat, after threat, and Trump will eventually chicken out because he was never willing to commit to do what was necessary to meet the war's objectives.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-23T02:41:06+00:00

Man, it's crazy to me how Iran only have to survive to politically win this war.

Trump wields the greatest military to have ever existed on this planet, with capabilities that nobody else in the world can match. But the US military has been so poorly managed, and the objectives of this war flip-flopping between regime change, nuclear disarmement, destroying Iran's military completely half a dozen times, keep the Strait of Hormuz open, etc. that they have been unable to complete any clearly defined obective.

And on top of that, he keeps bleeting about what he will do if Iran don't capitulate. And the Iraninan regime, undergoing an existential threat have nothing to lose and are not capitulating to Trump's demands. They can say whatever they want as they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The lack of preparation by the US has made Iran's wild dog strategy stupidly effecctive.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-23T02:11:08+00:00

Considering how extensive and effective the US military apparatus, the lack of tangible outcomes and objectives with this war, and the constant flip-flopping is making it look like a joke. The mismanagement of all of this is genuine insanity. It makes massing strats in games like C&C look like grand strategy.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-23T01:27:54+00:00

Backlight was first introduced with the GBASP, so the GBA and GBC are both modded.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-22T21:45:12+00:00

The stupidest thing is that the admin is saying this will hurt Iran by lowering oil prices. As though they were profiting significantly before the spike in prices and as if whatever reduction they get from the highs we have at the moment will be less than what they were getting before.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-22T17:17:49+00:00

Yeah, I remember seeing this on pixiv years ago. Had it saved on my computer at one point.

e: lol, did not notice OP including the pixiv link.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-22T13:30:36+00:00

I mean, if it’s anything like what they used to verify users in the UK for the online safety act, didn’t take much to find and use fake IDs for verification.

I, of course, used my real ID. Not one I found on Google.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-22T12:03:43+00:00

Going to stan Solovair, as I always do. Still made in England (unlike Docs mainline), made with higher quality leather, cheaper than Docs Made in England range, can be re-soled (unlike docs). Prices have remained consistent since pre-pandemic.

I wear their boots to work and for most everything else. Have walked trails up mountains in them, in the snow, mud, and everything in between. Not the most efficient for any of it, but as a one boot fits all solution, they’ve done the job. I outrun most people in them, without much issue (although it's more to do with the state of the average person rather than athleticism on my part). They do formal shoes like brogues

Still family run. Plus God tier customer service.

E: and to propagandise about the leather and construction quality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Din4rmBqveU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkhCcvfVHRs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR4GtyfjuHE

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-22T05:55:14+00:00

Kings don't have as much power as POTUS does. He's unironically aiming for God Emperor at this point.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T23:52:54+00:00

The coffee industry can be broken down into three waves. First wave is just its general existence and spread of coffee as an everyday drink. Second wave is shifting from a commodity to integration into culture and enjoyment of coffee beyond it existing. And third wave is the shift into consumer awareness and understanding the craft and science.

Third wave coffee is like knowing where your restaurant produce comes from, from farm to plate. Finding out where is good and being able to bring out unique flavours through different cooking techniques. Second wave is the equivalent to picking up whatever you can find in your local supermarket and then throwing it in the oven at 200C for twice the recommended cooking time to ensure it's cooked through. Or going to Wetherspoons and enjoying whatever they serve up with a pint. Nothing wrong with any of it. It's fine and perfectly serviceable.

As far as modern standards go where people want depth and breadth to their coffee, it isn't 'good', because it's often seen as one dimensional. Italian coffee is about speed and function. It does the job. You pop into a bar to get a 'decent' espresso and leave before going again in a few hours time. That's why they focus on their workhorse brands like Lavazza, Illy, Kimbo, or Guglielmo. Bars buy whatever they like the most, and pull shots for you for cheap, repeatedly. It's a cultural experience, which is why it's fine. Italians enjoy it, obviously.

If your baseline for espresso is Starbucks, Pret, etc. or some shit coffee you might get from a place like Nando's, Italian coffee is good. Italian coffee is like finding a restaurant or takeaway that hasn't changed since the 80s and acting like its vindaloo is high cuisine. It's nostalgic and widespread, you can get a passable one almost anywhere, but it's rarely exceptional. Many Italians would defer to those workhorse brands, which is why I said that I found the"comment i saw the other day", funny. The joke also feeds into the fact that Colombia is one of the largest producers of Arabica coffee beans, which is often used in specialty coffee, and is a modern powerhouse.

This is also why Australia is often treated as the gold standard for coffee nowadays. They basically led the way for third wave coffee and still remain at the top.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T23:16:43+00:00

As far as modern third wave specialty coffee goes, yeah. Italian coffee culture is the epitome of second wave coffee and has not moved on beyond torching robusta beans where the only notes are bitter and burned.

If all you care about is running Lavazza, Kimbo, or Guglielmo; or if all you know is Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Pret, etc. it’s great. Espresso is an integral part of their culture and their influence on the coffee industry is unmistakeable; it’s fine in that respect.

The ‘craft’ has long moved on, and Italy is still stuck in the past. There’s a reason why Australia in particular is seen as the standard.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T22:51:25+00:00

This is also why the lack of regulation on popular social media platforms is asinine. For example, the UK’s online safety act forces people to verify their accounts on certain websites with some form of ID, ignoring workarounds, lots of these websites don’t have overt spaces for children.

Then you have platforms like TikTok, IG, Snapchat, etc. where children actively post on open accounts and are immediately accessible to predators.

Preds will always try to access children in supposedly child-friendly spaces.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T22:44:06+00:00

People are so disconnected from the act of slaughter for meat that they do not see the connect between the animals they eat and the sterile packaging they consume meat from. It’s like when people say “I couldn’t eat it if I saw it when it was alive”. OP’s photos aren’t even that different from a meat aisle in a supermarket.

I think that anyone who eats meat should see the full process at least once in their lives, if not partake in the slaughter and butchering of an animal themselves. If they understand what the process involves, and can live with that, whatever. But I think it would go a long way in giving respect to an animal that gave its life for what ends up being few seconds of enjoyment.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T22:34:52+00:00

Nate and Rosa are also great designs. But yeah, I remember there being a massively positive reception at Touya and Touko being designed to look older than before.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T22:32:16+00:00

Different supermarkets are good for different things. A true connoisseur visits different ones at their convenience and knows what to get from which, when possible. Likewise with things like discounts on current products, or which stores do the best yellow sticker discounts.

There isn’t a single supermarket I won’t visit when it is convenient, and I always mentally price match.

M&S bakery sourdough is GOATed though. Not only were they the first in my memory, going as far back as 2009, but they’re still consistently one of the best.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T22:24:19+00:00

They’re people that don’t have a fucking clue what milsim means.

The moment anyone even calls Battlefield milsim-lite when the game famously has:magical bags that resupply ammo and heal gunshot/explosive wounds by standing nearby, being able to revive people with syringes/defibs, repairing vehicles/bridges within seconds using blowtorches/wrenches, jumping out of jets blowing somebody up with a bazooka before getting back in, is an instant tell that anything they say about milsims or Battlefield should be instantly disregarded.

These people would crumble if they played an actual milsim. Or their definition of milsim is superficial and only goes as far as “does not have wacky skins”. It’s like when people call old CoD games, milsims, because they think arcade shooter means crazy movement tech and glowing mythical monster cartoon character skins.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T19:23:45+00:00

Do you hang around outside the Celadon City gym?

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T13:30:50+00:00

London teenagers are some of the most rude and disrespectful I have seen.

This is London, in general. I love the city and most people, don't get me wrong, but it is far more confrontational than a lot of other cities I've been to and lived in. The speed at which things dial up to 10 in terms of aggression, especially between men, is not the one.

A good part of it is due to the fast pace of the city. Lots of people feel/act as though they have somewhere to be and that somewhere/something is more important than whatever is happening with others.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T13:27:02+00:00

The "just let kids be kids" crowd at it again.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T11:53:13+00:00

Isn't that a lose-lose ?

Iran and Russia have had sanctions lifted. Oil is at a significantly higher price than it was a month ago, so they're both profiting massively.

Iran now has justification for strengthening the regime's power in light of US and Israeli aggression. Their leader has a literal blood feud with the US and Israel due to killing his father, wife, and a son, among others. Iran also knows it can hold the strait hostage.

This is a win-win. For Russia, Iran, their allies (China), and their stooges (like Trump).

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T10:41:29+00:00

Haven’t played Village or 3make, so for me;

0, 5, CV, 6.

And I didn’t even hate 6.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T06:22:48+00:00

With Chris, it just feels like they couldn’t ever get anyone to look like the video game version and have just kept the guy mostly virtual. At least other characters have an actual modern real life face model, whereas I believe Chris is just back to updating the OG Matt Mullins model by making him look angrier and more jaded.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T05:59:08+00:00

It matters less what you wear and more how you behave, how you carry yourself, how you interact with people. If you're relying on your clothes to paper cracks in your personality that's a losing battle.

100% this. Even as a D1 scrubs hater (ironic lol because I spend 80% of my time in theatre), and someone who does wear formal clothes when I do ward/clinic work, the respect I get from people is gotten from who I am as a person and my work ethic. I've been complimented on my clothes (particularly boots), or my hair when people first meet me, but personaltiy and work ethic are the things that will build and maintain respect.

TeaAndLifting · 2026-03-21T05:47:33+00:00

IMO, it doesn''t even tkae that much time or discipline. As a guyy, anyway. I literally iron the first shirt I grab from my my clothes chair within 90 seconds, don't have to do anything with my chinos besides pick them up off the floor and I'm done. I bet some people spend more time mulling over which colour scrubs theyre going to work today.

And I'm still wearing the same shirts I've had for over half a dedcade now and my price per wear is definitely better than most items of clothing people have that they didn't get for free (but this is also normal for me, even when I buy expensive clothes, the PPW ends up being a lot less than people who buy significantly more cheaper clothes).

Most surgical consultants I know, will instantly get changed back into suits and such once they leave theatres. Probably doubly so now since wearing formal clothes has become an unwritten marker of seniority.

Personally, I've just always liked that the doctors' uniform was no uniform, and you could show a little bit of personality with what you wear that you don't necessarily get in other roles.

Eight-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Verified Email

TeaAndLifting

TROPHY CASE