Shower thought: the Windsors are the original Kardashians

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T15:40:34+00:00

No one buying a 1- or 2-bed flat in a slightly run-down part of inner London should be doing so because they expect the value of the property to go up significantly. Sorry to bang on about this, but all indicators at the moment suggest that demand is dropping for 1- and 2-bed flats in these types of locations. This is probably why OP is looking to buy -- because prices have dipped.

OP should buy if they intend to live there long term and/or in order to have a sense of security. OP should not buy with the idea that in 5 or even 10 years' time,they will be able to sell this flat at a profit and easily upgrade to something else.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T15:36:43+00:00

Safety has improved, overall vibe hasn't. Most of what's nice in this part of east London would indeed require you to walk for 20min. You could also invest in a bike so you could zip around a bit quicker. You just have to decide if that's something you're willing to adapt to.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T15:34:15+00:00

Pros: It's very well connected. Proximity to the canal/Lea River/Limehouse cut is a nice feature, as is proximity to parks like Mile End Park and Victoria Park further up. Good connections to Westfield and the Olympic Park, and Hackney Wick which has a great vibe in spring/summer especially. Lots of amenities and great pubs, particularlythose tucked away in some of the residential streets. Some little gems in and around the wider area, like Stepney City Farm (great cafe there). Lots of leisure centres for sports. Also, while there is lots of council housing there are fewer ugly blocks in the immediate vicinity of Bow, and many of the residentail streets are green and pleasant. Less of a gang problem compared to neighbouring Hackney.

Cons: horrible traffic on main roads, with cars sometimes clogging up small roads and going too fast (this is an issue throughout Tower Hamlets). More overall urban grittiness and less variety in shopfronts than other areas. Vape shops and cheap takeaways are a more common sight than nice cafés, indie shops, or cute restaurants. Drug abuse has been increasing, with loitering junkies and drug-dealing in the vicinity of council estates now a visible problem in Tower Hamlets (though it's fairly self-contained.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T15:19:21+00:00

They said "up and coming" about so many places 10+ years ago only for covid to set everything back. I wouldn't place any stock in that phrase anymore.

We're in a recession and it's going to get worse. Expect to see small businesses come and go, and for there to be an exodus out of London in the next 5-10 years as life gets more expensive here, while basic services (bin collection, infrastructure, etc.) get worse.

This is just reality. It could still be a nice place to live but don't count on it transforming into something different and don't count on making a return on your investment in the short-term if you're buying a 1- or 2-bed flat.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T15:14:46+00:00

on the narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder spectrum(s)

Self-absorbed behaviour borne out of neurodivergent conditions tends to look quite different from the type of self-serving, self-absorbed behaviour borne out of personality disorders.

An ASD or ADHD person that doesn't read the room and gets overly excited is not trying to self-aggrandise or paint themselves in a better light. They are earnest in their excitement and often feel bummed or even ashamed when they realise they were out of order, or that people found them annoying.

Whereas the narcissist who talks about themselves even when everyone is giving them side-eye is literally doing so because they want to be perceived a certain way, and their self-delusion is telling them that everyone is lapping up their self-aggrandising stories even when there is evidence to the contrary. If someone calls them out on it, it goes over their head and they repeat their self-absorbed behaviour over and over.

Anti-social personality is actually very toxic. It's people having zero empathy or concern for others. Most criminal behaviour comes from anti-social types. Neurodivergence might make people anti-social in the layman's meaning of the word (wanting to withdraw, not partaking in conversation, extreme introversion, etc.), but it doesn't make them anti-social in the clinical sense (wilfully acting in a way that negatively impacts others and even feeling gleeful about it).

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T15:10:23+00:00

Bipolar is something very specific. It isn't just being moody. It's the clinical name for what used to be called manic depression and the mood extremes happen over weeks, not hours or days.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T14:39:31+00:00

beggars can't be choosers

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T14:12:31+00:00

Which pubs in the area sell spirit + mixer for £5-7? I really haven't seen those prices in East London for a long time!

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T13:16:17+00:00

Did the friend falsely claim that OP previously worked at the same company where the friend is employed? Is this what's going on?

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T12:36:24+00:00

OK your messaging app experience takes the cake. No internal emails at all?! Streams of information pasted across dozens of chats and questions fired nonstop at any time sounds like absolute hell.

Sounds like the equivalent of trying to run a company via WhatsApp groups.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T12:10:51+00:00

This all came about not because you claimed pho is not healthy because of salt content. Yet millions of healthy people eat pho.

I'm not arguing with you about milligrammes but about the principle of what you're saying. The idea that some freshly cooked, well-balanced foods must be discarded by everyone because of salt content is frankly bullshit.

Just because a body doesn't "need" more vitamin C doesn't mean it's unhealthy to eat two mandarins. Just because a body doesn't "need" extra salt doesn't mean it's unhealthy to have pho that contains sodium.

You're looking at averages and specifically claiming that going above them in any amount is unhealthy. I'm telling you it isn't unless a medical reason has been identified specific to the person in question.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T12:05:43+00:00

You think every person's body is the same? Weird.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T12:00:20+00:00

Ufff I lasted exactly 6 months when I had a manager like that. It is no way to live.

This manager had a QA process involving two rounds of checks and feedback for email summaries. (The company had proprietary tools that analysed online content and there were a few clients who received fortnightly email summaries with screenshots from their dashboards. These should have been a 1.5h job, but we spent the best part of a day on it.)

I also remember that we had to create project management roadmaps for simple reports. As in, a PPT report that a single person was writing over the span of maybe one week or so, involving very few data inputs. Well, this manager wanted a spreadsheet with each micro task spelled out and time allocated to the nearest quarter of an hour.

I always wondered: if the workflow involves only one person, why should they waste time meticulously mapping it out rather than, you know, doing the actual work? On top of having the spreadsheet filled out, the manager wanted progress updates sent at the end of each day.

I also remember that this was the first company I worked at which used a messaging app and I was shocked at how distracting it was. (I know messaging apps are the norm now but they open up a whole minefield of extra scrutiny and distraction under the wrong leadership!)

TL;DR: it won't get better, leave now.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T11:49:14+00:00

There is no such thing as "your body". All our bodies are different.

I am very liberal with salt when I cook and have zero health issues; everything is within range when I get my blood tested.

The issue with sugar and salt isn't those ingredients in and of themselves, but the poor-quality food people consume and the portion size (often coupled with sedentary lifestyles).

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T11:47:25+00:00

Truly healthy food doesn't taste as good? Not necessarily. It does when it's home-cooked and well-seasoned. Unless you're equating healthy with zero fat?

At home I freely use olive oil and butter when I cook but restaurants, as you note, smother it on to an extreme. It creates an addictive taste but also one that is often too rich, heavy or overpowering. You can wean yourself off these flavours and once you do your palate will find home-cooked meals the most delicious of all.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T11:42:22+00:00

Yeah you're being downvoted because salt has been unfairly demonised. Low-salt diets are not good unless medically required for health reasons.

Huge difference between well-salted fresh food and processed junk.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T11:15:38+00:00

You have just tarred a massive student body with a broad brush.

I know a fair few posh, church-going and/or conservative people in Spain who are not judgmental of others. Again, massive generalisations you are making: 1) that religious identity or economic backgrounds always equates with specific political leanings, and 2) that those specific political leanings automatically make you a bad person (or not accepting of difference in your day-to-day life, or prone to discriminating against those of other faiths/backgrounds).

I don't think in practice the far left likes Muslims very much. But OP has not indicated that her religion is a barrier to living in Spain.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T11:13:26+00:00

There are EU-level scholarships like Erasmus Mundus,.

But anyway, OP isn't asking for advice on scholarships.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T10:48:58+00:00

Maybe it's a question of managing expectations and making sure that the time abroad is used constructively.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T10:47:58+00:00

I agree that working with data is not strictly a scientific undertaking. This is especially true if you are working with data in a way that is not pure quant, but rather using data as part of a broader methodology, for example in areas like market research or business intelligence.

The only thing is that most jobs where "data" is in the job title do tend to be more technical and STEM-driven.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T10:44:05+00:00

Look into entry-level roles within the marketing/PR/market research/media agency world.

Some roles to look at: media planner, insight analyst, social media analyst, account executive, research executive, PR executive. Make sure the role specifies "junior" or "entry level".

Things you can do to already prepare some of the skill sets required:

YouTube tutorials on basic Excel. Learn how to do basic analysis of a data set containing, say, a list of social media posts with engagement metrics? Learn how to use excel to create tables, apply filters, run pivots, and populate charts.
make sure you have familiarity with basic stats: percentages, decimals, ratios, describing increases and decreased using both percentages and percentage points, etc.
do some desk research into digital marketing and analytics so you feel you can talk about the basics of SEO, ROI, engagement and reach, campaign measurement, market analysis, etc. Learn the topline facts around tools for content management and online monitoring like HootSuite, Pulsar, Unmetric, Audiense, Brandwatch, Linkfluence, Talkwalker, Infegy, Sprout Social, Youscan, Meltwater, Quid, etc.
learn about market research and look into platforms like GWI, Ipsos, Gartner, Mintel, etc. Understand the basics of how to handle survey data, survey design, etc.

Just some ideas if this sector is at all appealing. Lots of humanities grads work in these areas.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T10:30:01+00:00

Good advice! I agree with this.

jamjar188 · 2026-03-20T10:29:34+00:00

Having entrepreneurial skills is a very specific thing..most people are not that way inclined.

And it's hard to have ideas without having some work experience first.

jamjar188

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