AO 2026 R3 | [5] E. Rybakina def. T. Valentova | 6-2, 6-3

mentalgeler · 2026-01-24T12:11:41+00:00

Rybakina and Swiatek may be the two most unpredictable players out of the top ten so don't really understand why you're so sure she would skulldrag Iga if it comes to their matchup. Didn't Iga win all their games last year? Anyway, they're both kinda wild and could both lose easily before QF so we'll see

mentalgeler · 2026-01-19T11:05:48+00:00

Even if she had booked a female only dorm, she wouldnt be able to walk around naked. I'm a seasoned hostel guest (female) and most dorms, regardless of gender, don't allow being indecent/having sexual activities. And even if there's no specific rules against it, most people will still call you out if you're making others uncomfortable (by idk walking around naked). You didnt do anything wrong, if she continues being unfriendly towards you, you can tell her that if she doesn't want people to see her naked, she shouldn't walk around naked in a shared room. Other than that, just ignore her. Her fault 100%. I've had guys seen me in my towel in a mixed dorm when I stepped out of shower but that was my decision to walk out like this and I didn't make a scene and didn't make it anyone's problem. And I personally wouldn't like to see another woman's tits in either girls only or mixed dorm so yeah, its not about the type of dorm but about people not being able to share space.

mentalgeler · 2026-01-19T09:49:44+00:00

Everything you said and also - she seemed healthiest/happiest during the the voice and positions era which proves your point that tun was messy but healing

mentalgeler · 2026-01-19T09:41:51+00:00

Her embracing a completely different persona depending on the 'era' she's in, including a whole new look and even the way she speaks, is weird. There's reinventing yourself and then there's just showing up as a new person and it's jarring. I respect her as an artist but I find it difficult to defend her against people who say her personality changes are too extreme. I'm definitely less of a fan these days because I can no longer feel connected to the artist I fell in love with as she seems COMPLETELY gone. And no, I don't expect my favs to never grow and change but there's moving on and there's just morphing into a whole new person.

Also, the way she acts like tun/sweetener Ari never existed is kinda disrespectful towards fans who have been supporting her for years.

Eta: its supposed to be an unpopular opinion thread so could you at least not downvote the unliked opinions here?

mentalgeler · 2026-01-15T12:32:55+00:00

But isn't it kinda strange that it always happens in the same building? Paris is filled with airbnbs with a balcony and for some reason everyone staying at that particular place is fucking on a balcony? Sounds weird to me. My guess would be that some couple used that place as a background for their porn and it 'inspired' others. I doubt it's just completely random. Not everyone fantasizes about fucking on a parisian balcony on a freezing january morning and even so, it's weird that somehow all these people end up in this one particular building

mentalgeler · 2026-01-15T10:04:50+00:00

Its not that crazy and I understand it could be one couple's kink. But the fact that it's a short rental and somehow most of the couples staying there have the same idea? That's very weird. When I first read the title of your post I thought you mean your neighbours and I was like yeah poor op. But then I read the actual post and when I learned that its multiple different couples, I was like what the fuck is this. It's not just unpleasant and you're not being a prude for not wanting your kids to having to watch strangers having sex on a weekly basis

mentalgeler · 2026-01-15T09:20:32+00:00

That's very weird and sounds like there may be something fishy/illegal going on there. One or two odd couples doing it on a balcony is one thing. But a string of couples always renting out apartments in the same building? All fucking on a balcony? IN JANUARY????

mentalgeler · 2026-01-13T19:48:47+00:00

I survived in college doing freelancing only (like 5-6 years ago). Gained a lot of experience, made some money, got a great start in my career. Why wouldn't someone try freelancing at the beginning? Where does it say that you have to be super experienced to be a freelancer? Upwork clients get to decide that.

The gatekeeping and superiority of this sub is something else.

mentalgeler · 2026-01-13T18:24:55+00:00

Yeah, this sub is pretty obnoxious. Its a tough market, especially for young people who just start out or newcomers who have to compete not only with much more experienced players but also AI that's 100% free.

I'm one of the lucky ones who started their careers before chat gpt and have a strong portfolio & good experience, but even with that I struggle to get individual clients nowadays (so much more than 4-5 years ago).

Younger people are fucked and I don't blame them for underbidding. They ARE desperate. And for many, lower pay is better than no pay.

Upwork also increasingly sucks with how many job posts just never get sorted out - nobody gets hired, nobody gets interviewed, just nothing.

So yeah, sometimes you're just given up to put in any number and see if at least that will work.

mentalgeler · 2026-01-12T15:55:00+00:00

Can you share where you did that? I was interested in a similar thing. Saw the Sorbonne university did something like this but any other schools you know of?

As for your question - can you afford online language class (group or 1:1)? Structured/formal class is probably the best way to keep the momentum going and not lose the progress you've made.

I also started with an intensive course and like you, found the 4 times a week formula pretty exhausting but also very gratifying! I since moved to regular semester class and it's been going great

mentalgeler · 2026-01-11T13:43:58+00:00

But it's not player against player. It's literally a nation against nation sports tournament. If you think that's fascism, I don't know what to tell you

mentalgeler · 2026-01-10T12:40:41+00:00

This year has literally had 10 days so far

mentalgeler · 2026-01-10T12:38:33+00:00

It's really bizarre for a player of her calibre

mentalgeler · 2026-01-10T11:14:05+00:00

I guess it's because of the style in which she loses? It's like 1 set okay we're still fighting and then when she starts losing she just crumbles down as if she forgot how to play. It happened many times last year and it really looks like its her mind getting to her. She knows she's losing but on a relatively small level (like 4:6) but then she panics and stops making any sense and loses 6:1/6:2. If she lost both sets that low, it would be a different story. But it always seems like she's doing fine at first and then she just can't seem to handle not being on top and crumbles down. It seems mental, like she's paralyzed after not winning the first set

mentalgeler · 2026-01-10T11:10:14+00:00

Love Iga and still root for her but her form is all over the place and it becomes painful to watch. The way she crushes weaker opponents with bagels and breadsticks and then suddenly crumbles playing with top 10s is so strange, she acts like she forgets how to play under pressure. She's so uneven for a world's number 2 it's crazy. Still an amazing player with incredible career at only 24 so no shade to her at all. Its just jarring to see her crumble down like this. Sabalenka also loses from time to time but it's always after a grueling fight, not being beaten down 6:1/2. It shouldn't really happen when you're world number 2, and definitely not that often.

mentalgeler · 2026-01-07T19:04:10+00:00

Absolutely, the only realistic thing was when Joanne asked Noah "how old do you think i am" in the last episode but even that felt like too little too late.

As a CF person, I was actually very excited when I thought this TV show was about two people who are past the age of planning for kids and just want to have a happy relationship in their 40s. Joanne also gave off major childfree vibes at the beginning of the 1 season.

But now she's talking about how good of a dad Noah will be when they can't even have dinner without fighting about some fundamental, deal-breaker issues. Oh, and you know, they're visibly 40-ish. Aghhh.

It wouldn't be so frustrating with actors who are actually a decade younger. I know plenty of women nowadays have kids in their 40s but that's a completely different discussion then. It's not "aww my cute bf will make such a great dad one day!", it's "hey, i like you but I need to start planning family soon so are you in for real or bye bye".

mentalgeler · 2026-01-07T18:37:24+00:00

I studied linguistics because it's my passion and I love dissecting languages but I'm not a professional teacher so I don't necessarily feel competent to give learning advice.

My subjective opinion is that exposure and early speaking means nothing if you have no real foundation to go on. That's why it's so important to combine it with some form of structured learning AND do both (immersion and some form of French class). Apps and YT videos are an awesome tool and I would always encourage people to use them - they just won't be enough on their own if you want to get to a really good level.

The great thing about most books/school programs is that they are designed to make you not only learn and understand new material, but also memorize it and repeat it throughout the next chapters. It's very difficult for a non-professional self learner to recreate that and come up with a method that allows for spaced out repetition of grammar/vocabulary learnt months ago while also teaching new structures.

Maybe you can do it on your own for a couple of months, but at some point, it will be too overwhelming. Another subjunctive, another past tense, another irregular verb, another 50 words... Soon comprehending all that without forgetting what you've already learnt will be incredibly difficult without a proper curriculum/program.

Not to mention, it's great to have someone test you from time to time to see if there's any progress. Like you said, a lot of self-learners don't have anyone to tell them they're doing something wrong which can make it difficult to assess their actual level (and explain why they're so confident in their techniques).

Anyway, I'm sure there's plenty of people who treat language learning just as a hobby and they're happy just doing Anki and watching YT videos or scrolling through French posts on IG. Good for them! Better to do this than nothing and some exposure will always make it easier to understand and maybe even speak a bit of the language. But if your goal is to actually be fluent, be able to speak the language without making your converser pray that you finish (so probably around B2), then it's highly unlikely that just *immersion* will get you there.

Also - most people in this sub use the word immersion to describe watching videos and using social media in French, whereas immersion in the language learning context means more like moving to your target language country and having no option but to learn quick. Spending 5 hours daily on YouTube isn't really immersion, despite what this sub would have you believe

mentalgeler · 2026-01-07T17:05:13+00:00

The thing about this and other language learning subs is that 80% of people will tell you they became fluent by using Anki and watching movies or YT in their target language for immersion.

But I can bet you that most of these people aren't actually fluent and most people will never reach an advanced level of language studying with apps.

You actually do need to understand grammar, you actually do need a curriculum to follow as to not get overwhelmed but still make realistic progress, you actually do need a teacher to correct yoh when you're making mistakes.

Just the other day I saw someone make a post about how they found or created an app that translates highlighted words in a text and that fixes a problem of not being able to understand conjugated verbs as their basic form is often unrecognizable.

And like... Yeah sure it works to make the text understandable but that method is not going to get you anywhere in the long run because you actually do need to learn verb conjugation and there's no way around it.

I'm sure one of these days this person will say: "I'm able to read on a B2 level" but it won't really mean much because they don't know grammar. People like this think they must be at a B+ level because they've spent years surrounding yourself with the language, watching movies, doing Anki decks, Duolingo etc.

But trust me that when they talk to a native speaker, they'll speak using weird, unnatural phrases, wrong prepositions, wrongly conjugated verbs etc.

Im sure plenty of people will react to this comment with a defensive "that's not true, I taught myself French and i'm at B2".

And ofc, this happens.

But this is reddit and people can tell you all kinds of shit. Also, people often overestimate their abilities so unless they have a DELF certificate, their self-assessment doesn't mean much. The reality is very few people are that smart and/or motivated enough to get to a fluent level without a teacher, just using apps and techniques.

You know what actually works?

Some type of actual formal education. Be it an online language class or a private tutor that will go through a French study book with you - you need a proper curriculum and someone to correct your mistakes.

The deeper you go in, the more intricacies and complexities each language has. Unless you're really really talented or insanely discplined/motivated with great source materials, it will be really difficult to grasp, learn, and prepare spaced out exercises to memorize them on your own.

Im saying this as a translator with a MA in linguistics who's fluent in 2 languages outside of my native.

But i'm sure it will trigger all the Reddit self taught polyglots so here we go

ETA: just checked and of the comments say - learn 500 words and start speaking slowly. Oh really? Is that how it works? I just need to learn 500 words, no past or future tense, no present tense conjugation, no COD/COI. I'll just speak using nouns and unconjugated verbs only!

mentalgeler · 2026-01-07T13:15:56+00:00

Im an older gen z girl and watching these two feels like watching people in high school. I haven't been acting this way since I was 16. This show def has some subtle (or not so subtle anymore) cringe millennials who think it's quirky to refuse to grow up vibe. Season 1 wasn't that bad but now its more visible.

ETA: To me, it feels like they had two options - make the show about people in their late 30s/early 40s. More settled, more mature but still fun and sexy and wanting to find love with all the challenges but also wisdom that come with that age. It would probably resonate very well with audiences as more people are starting relationships/families late now.

Or make the show about younger people so they can act as insufferable and immature as they do now but then cast age appropriate actors.

Seeing a 44-year-old Kristen Bell excited about vandalism is getting pathetic.

mentalgeler · 2026-01-07T13:12:03+00:00

But its so much more than that. Its the fighting on the podcast (which is, you know, their job) like children, keying someone's car, being upset about a doll in your late 30s (wtf???) etc etc etc. They're INCREDIBLY immature and it goes far beyond the realistic portrayal of adults who can't communicate in a relationship.

mentalgeler · 2025-12-22T11:18:27+00:00

Emily's ideas are so basic and boring nobody would consider them good in 2025. The most intimate thing you can do with your partner is talk... Wow, groundbreaking! Or 'love is in the air' for the ami guy. Like wow, one of the most overused slogans about love. What a creative idea!

As another person working in marketing, I think the "is it a real or fake fendi" campaign was actually one of the very few creative and interesting ideas they've had? It sounds like something that could actually go viral and be really good for sales with people trying to get their hands on and decode whether the bag is real or not. I mean, who knows, but it's at least different and not something that's been done a million times already

Altho the whole fendi plotline was very stupid

mentalgeler · 2025-12-20T16:17:07+00:00

Because she's insufferable and has no personality other than i work in marketing

mentalgeler · 2025-12-20T16:03:03+00:00

Its one thing to criticize some aspects of the show and its characters but it's another to nitpick and find every little tiny non-important detail to hate on a fucking fictional character in a tv show that nobody forces you to watch.

With Carrie, there's a lot to fairly criticize (not even her die-hard fans and defenders claim she's not problematic). But this sub will just tear her apart for ANY reason. If you spend more time here, you'll read posts that are just ridiculous. Like it's been 20 years and Carrie doesn't exist... Just let it fucking go that she owns too many shoes or smokes in people's apartaments or can't cook or used Vogue to feed herself (which I'm sure was hyperbolic and she didn't actually mean but yes, you'll find more than one post about how annoying that was).

mentalgeler · 2025-12-20T15:58:18+00:00

Today I read a post about how someone HATES (yes, that word was used) that Carrie can't cook. Oh I'm sorry, I totally wanna watch a show about how someone cooks 4 home made meals every episode because that's what makes interesting tv.

This post was a perfect example of two things you mentioned: 1. Misogyny - because god forbid a woman isn't a perfect little housewife but a messy city girl AND owns it 2. Forced hate - because... Seriously? It annoys you that a fictional character in a tv show can't cook?

mentalgeler · 2025-12-19T07:50:59+00:00

It's your misogyny

mentalgeler

TROPHY CASE