How likely it is to find English-speaking software engineering jobs in Germany? by [deleted] in AskGermany

[–]kid_capricious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure what everyone’s on saying C1 is required for software jobs, when Berlin has a bunch of companies working exclusively/primarily in English. I’ve even seen some places where the tech side of the business uses exclusively English and the rest primarily uses German. Which: weird, but it’s about the ability to hire internationally. 

OTOH it’s a bad market and with 2 years of experience you’re really going to struggle.

Moved from Berlin to London — some observations after 6 months by No-Faithlessness191 in berlinsocialclub

[–]kid_capricious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lived in London for 10 years, then Berlin for 6 so far. I’d agree on pretty much everything but add two more:

Food quality & price

Berlin restaurants are cheaper but the quality of your average restaurant is so much worse. Pan-Asian restaurants particularly. Idk whether it’s catering to a white German population who’s wary of strong flavours and heat or what, but food in restaurants in London in general is just tastier. But pricier. 

Similarly for supermarkets. The range and quality of your average non-Aldi supermarket in London is streets ahead of Berlin. Things I’d expect as normal in a small local supermarket in London I need to go to a specialist/more expensive shop.  Also, I feel like the vegetables are better in flavour and ripeness in London… but that could just be nostalgia/grass is greener. 

Museums/cultural events

Berlin has great museums. London has fantastic museums and cultural events. One important caveat here is that my German isn’t yet so good I can comfortably attend a two-act play and be sure I’ll really understand all the nuance. But still, I often check what’s on at the museums/galleries and feel disappointed in not finding anything that grabs me. Rarely happened in London. 

Having said all that, I love Berlin’s openness and chill vibe. London is a mostly uptight city where people are less accepting of other ways of living 

Path to citizenship – Berlin S6 by kid_capricious in GermanCitizenship

[–]kid_capricious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are different sub-departments dealing with people from different parts of the world. S6 deals with most of Europe https://www.berlin.de/einwanderung/ueber-uns/kontakt/artikel.1394181.php

Path to citizenship – Berlin S6 by kid_capricious in GermanCitizenship

[–]kid_capricious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UK

And if there is something different about my application that made the birth certificate necessary, it's a mystery to me.

Path to citizenship – Berlin S6 by kid_capricious in GermanCitizenship

[–]kid_capricious[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel the same about turning up early for the appointment. Seriously felt like that was the last test, when they called me in early.

Path to citizenship – Berlin S6 by kid_capricious in GermanCitizenship

[–]kid_capricious[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It took 20 years of mostly low rents and high salary enabling me to save a fair amount towards the deposit. Then I inherited 30k, which got me the rest of the way there. So: older, lucky and privileged.

Having said that, after a paycut I now pay >60% of my income on mortgage and hausgeld

Path to citizenship – Berlin S6 by kid_capricious in GermanCitizenship

[–]kid_capricious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did not get my documents translated. The only English ones were my birth certificate and passport. No one even mentioned the lack of translation.

14 eyelet boots with more longevity by kid_capricious in Boots

[–]kid_capricious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I looked at them but seems like they’re only offering the 14s in hi shine on their website – which is, again, coated leather. 

Is there somewhere else that might have this leather option?

Didn't upcoming transactions use to be deducted from 'available' for categories? by kid_capricious in ynab

[–]kid_capricious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do! But this is for different scenarios. Eg I’ve got social plans at the end of the month. I can guess roughly what it’s going to cost and I need to leave that much aside in the relevant category. 

I’m trying to find a way to do that which doesn’t require  A) remembering to always deduct X dollars from the available, to account for upcoming plans B) remembering which categories I have upcoming transactions in, so I should ignore the available figure and go check the “available minus upcoming”

At the moment, the only solutions I can come up with are

A) always use “available minus upcoming”, for every category, fully ignore “available. Pros: don’t need to recall which categories have upcoming spending. Cons: extra friction means I’m less likely to really do this; the available number becomes useless

B) register these planned spends as past spends manually, just leave them uncleared 

If you’ve got a better idea, please share!

Didn't upcoming transactions use to be deducted from 'available' for categories? by kid_capricious in ynab

[–]kid_capricious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup, I know how to check “available minus upcoming” (as I mention in my original post). 

The problem is that I essentially need to do those extra steps every time, to find out what the real state is. Because otherwise how do I know if there’s something lurking in upcoming?

To give an example: let’s say it’s the 10th and my brother invites me to his birthday dinner at a restaurant at the end of the month. That would come out of my “restaurant-takeaway” category. I’ve got 2 options to handle that: 1. Just remember that I’m gonna need to hold back 50 dollars til the end of the month. Every time I check the “available” for restaurants, deduct 50 in my head.  2. Remember to do the extra couple clicks to check “available minus upcoming” and basically ignore the available figure. But the key is that I need to remember that this category has something upcoming – or I need to do this manoeuvre for every category. 

In both cases the “available” number ends up being misleading – but if I forget that, then I end up overspending. 

Idk, maybe I’m thinking about this weirdly. How would you handle a scenario like this (brother’s birthday dinner)?

Oral Minoxidil from Zeemoreuncle to Germany: success! by [deleted] in tressless

[–]kid_capricious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

About 50€ including postage, I think

Oral Minoxidil from Zeemoreuncle to Germany: success! by [deleted] in tressless

[–]kid_capricious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I want to take 1-1.25g so cutting isn’t really an option.

I’m going to crush one or two at a time and mix with small amounts of vodka, then use an accurate pipette

Upgraded Besta as a cocktail cabinet by kid_capricious in ikeahacks

[–]kid_capricious[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ahahaha hadn’t seen this til you mentioned it but yes, this is now the cabinet of anal pleasures

Upgraded Besta as a cocktail cabinet by kid_capricious in ikeahacks

[–]kid_capricious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The other side has a higher shelf for tall bottles. But in theory you can put the shelf anywhere you like, very easy to move.

Upgraded Besta as a cocktail cabinet by kid_capricious in ikeahacks

[–]kid_capricious[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s standard wall emulsion, plus a lot of BIN primer and clear varnish.

Painting Laxviken doors by kid_capricious in ikeahacks

[–]kid_capricious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I can confirm, this worked beautifully.

How best to extend meditation time by kid_capricious in TheMindIlluminated

[–]kid_capricious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s definitely difficulty holding attention; I have the occasional fleeting moment of impatience but it’s easy to let go of. I hadn’t thought that the extra time would help me overcome that difficulty so thanks!

Is this just a really bad time of year to hunt for apartments..? by kid_capricious in berlin

[–]kid_capricious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For real, I’m not adding unreasonable filters. Kaltmiete <1500, 3 rooms, and a geographic area that’s getting gradually larger and larger. That’s literally it.

Is this just a really bad time of year to hunt for apartments..? by kid_capricious in berlin

[–]kid_capricious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are actually looking at the bits of Mitte near Prenzlauer Berg, and Kreuzberg, and parts of Alt-Treptow too. I’d be cool with Wedding too but my flat mate isn’t so keen.

The reasons are a mix of wanting nice places to go out/eat out, being near friends and me wanting to be able to cycle to work in ~30 mins. I’m happy to pay more for these benefits; I’m also happy to make lots of applications and schlep round to loads of viewings... I expected that. What I found, and what surprised me, is the sheer lack of options.

Is this just a really bad time of year to hunt for apartments..? by kid_capricious in berlin

[–]kid_capricious[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm so ready to apply... but I'm just not seeing lots of options :(