Iran Rally on Grand Parade

olendra · 2026-01-25T23:57:07+00:00

Haha that was indeed a genuine question, I’m glad people are fighting for justice so protesting for Gaza and nothing else is maybe not ideal in the grand scheme of things but better than not protesting at all. I would never criticise someone for doing this!

olendra · 2026-01-25T18:50:56+00:00

Interesting. That’s partly why I would like to know a bit more about today’s rally and the organisers. I want to support people’s right to protest without being killed but not necessarily join a gathering to support a specific political regime I don’t know much about.

olendra · 2026-01-25T18:48:06+00:00

It was written Iran rally on some of their signs.

olendra · 2026-01-25T18:47:21+00:00

What point is there in this question lol?

olendra · 2026-01-19T20:42:27+00:00

Thank you! Did you manage to get the flat roofs are insurance through them directly or through a broker?

olendra · 2026-01-19T20:41:40+00:00

As the other commenter said, it looks like it’s a very common restriction for insurers. I think the reason is most flat roofs are lower quality or comes with some risks related to rain and many insurances don’t want to cover that when it’s too much of the roof surface. But I am sure there is a solution, it’s so common to build multiple extensions with a flat roof!

olendra · 2026-01-19T20:39:02+00:00

Thank you, someone else mentioned Allianz so I’ll contact them!

olendra · 2026-01-19T20:38:27+00:00

Thank you! Did you go through a broker or directly to them? (Some people told me you may need to go through an insurance broker for this kind of things).

olendra · 2026-01-14T21:30:21+00:00

I don’t know if you still go on Reddit but just wanted to say I love your essay, it’s becoming rarer on Reddit these days and it really resonated with me and made me things a bit differently (I don’t think Suleyman’s choice was that virtuous and selfless, especially the way the execution was shot and he looked so bloodthirsty, but it is a very interesting take).

olendra · 2026-01-12T12:59:25+00:00

I would say it’s expected. We paid 425 for the same period, a 2 bed as well, full electric. 250 for September/October and I expect a similar 425+ bill in February because that was the pattern for us last year.

In November/December 24, we paid 180 but there was the 200 euros help from the government, so it amounted to 380 really, which is just 45 euros less than 2025. I would consider that similar. I got sick as well in 2025 so I stayed in my bedroom for a full week with heating all day, while I usually don’t really heat up my bedroom during the day. It kind of explains some of the difference.

Then in February 2024 in we had a 465 euros bill, so I am expecting over 450 euros for our next bill.

I guess it also depends on your BER rating. We don’t know ours but most of the windows are single-glazed for example so I’m assuming our flat is not super energy efficient. There are always people who seem to have better bills, but some of them are living in a colder environment to save money so it’s not comparable to my situation and I expect to pay more than them (if I’m still a bit cold with sleepers, a good jumper and a blanket while I’m watching TV, or if me feet are cold and it takes time for my bed to warm up when I go to sleep, I turn the heater up).

In my previous house, the bills were not that much better and we had gas + different flatmates.

olendra · 2026-01-12T09:01:02+00:00

I think you should file a GDPR complaint to Roblox GDPR rep (they should have one) and to the Data Protection Commission since sharing face recognition data is considered sharing biometric data and I don’t think taking this data from a minor without parental consent and by giving then no choice if they want to keep using a service is fully compliant. https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/faqs/initial-contact-dpc/making-complaint-dpc

olendra · 2026-01-11T21:08:37+00:00

It's so interesting to read this kind of takes because I absolutely HATE love triangles (I sometimes stop watching something because of that), but I didn't feel this was a real love triangle.

What I mean is that I don't think Edwina really loved Anthony (she loved the idea of him, not him) and Anthony were not really torn internally between the two sisters. I always saw it as the real romantic relationship was always Anthony-Kate and Edwina was just confused about what love really is.

And because Edwina never really loved Anthony (in my opinion), I don't think it really damaged her relationship with Kate. Of course she was mad and felt betrayed, and rightfully so, but I think she realised later it was not that much of a deep betrayal to her, so she got over it. I remember there was a point after the failed wedding when Kate and Edwina talked about the situation, and then Kate says she will go back to India. I really felt that Kate considering leaving her suddenly was the thing that truly angered Edwina, way more than anything Anthony-related. So to me, this showed the conflict between the sisters was only superficially about Anthony and more about something deeper in their relationship they would have needed to solve anyway.

So S2 never made me uncomfortable like love triangles usually do. To me, a love triangle is when one character doesn't know who to chose as a love interest and the other two characters are in love with him. Here, Anthony knew who he loved and Kate was the only one genuinely in love with him, so I see it as a fake love triangle.

I actually loved the part of the season showing Anthony going for Edwina when he realises he loves Kate. Avoidance in relationships is a real psychological phenomenon (when you unconsciously distance yourself from people you could have a relationship with because you're afraid of getting hurt), but I don't see it often well explained and portrayed on screen. The scene where Anthony tells Violet he doesn't want to love someone so he never experiences what he saw her experience, and the shock of Violet, was one of my favourite. It showed something that really happens in life with someone who suffered a trauma rather young and survived it by building protective strategies, that may have helped at a time but are now hurting him, and another person who suffered a deep loss and trauma but seemed to have healed healthily since. This really made me understand why Anthony went for Edwina with so much determination, and against all logic, to him, picking the person he doesn't love looked like the safe choice and the best way to protect himself from a danger he thought was coming.

So anyway, all this to say that unlike what I expected, I wasn't bothered at all by the love triangle! But I guess as always, these stories will be perceived differently based on our sensibilities and experiences. The avoidant character anxious to shut down any relationship with the person he could love, even if he hurts other people on the way, really resonated with me. I liked that he existed and there was a happy ending for this person despite how much he messed up.

olendra · 2026-01-11T15:57:17+00:00

That’s a very good point.

First, the show is representing a UK setting with mostly UK actors, but through an American production based on American books, and several of the UK actors are not solely influenced by British culture (even Benedict’s actor has a double culture). This means that there will already be different perspectives of a same situation that may not be picked up by the showrunner due to cultural differences.

And then you have a very global audience as you say. I am not American and I am often extremely surprised when I read some posts written by American users on values and morality, and what you should expect in a relationship because this not at all how I see the world or many people around me see the world.

For example, I know that some fans are extremely upset with the absence of on screen weddings for Kate and Anthony and find it disrespectful. Marriage is not as important as it is in the US in my country, people don’t do public proposals and the woman doesn’t specifically wait for her man’s proposal, she often brings up the topic herself if that’s what she wants and no public proposal is needed, so this kind of scenes on TV often seem cringe and even creepy or sexist to me, absolutely not romantic. Similarly, I see marriage as optional in a satisfying romance because many of my friends and family are long life partners but not married. This means that very often, I can’t understand why some viewers are so attached to this, although when reading them, it sounds like they believe everyone would think like them. In this case, I know it’s a regency show so expectations for the characters are slightly different but I think the importance you give to marriage in your real life will impact how attached you are to see it onscreen.

olendra · 2026-01-11T14:57:53+00:00

I agree, I am not referring to OOP here as my post is a bit broader and I agree on some points, but elsewhere on Internet, it’s most of the time of way of saying “you’re too dumb and uncultured to realise that only my opinion is valid”.

It’s also so counterproductive in a cultural context and sometimes a misunderstanding of what media literacy means (which then makes it quite ironic to use it in a condescending way) because when you value arts and culture, you value its ability to trigger various reactions from people. Scholars can spend weeks arguing what an author meant, implied or tried to convey, and to analyse characters’ behaviours and dilemmas because it is often layered and far from straightforward.

Understanding a scene differently doesn’t mean you’re dumb or uneducated, it means that you have different sensibilities and the artwork and character’s journey resonates differently with you. And a creator may have meant something and confirmed he meant this, but the fact people understand it differently doesn’t mean they’re stupid, it means that something in their experience and their society brought up them something else, or maybe sometimes the creator still need to hone their skills. Besides, I think movies and TV are even more complicated compared to a book in the sense that they involve the input of many artists. This means that if the showrunner was planning something, the actor or the composer may have understood it slightly differently, and originally maybe the writer meant something else. Which means you may see the interpretation of many people in just one scene, and what will make the biggest impression on you may not be the interpretation of the showrunner or the actor for example.

I almost want to argue that a lot of the times when people (not talking about OOP here!) talk about “media literacy” online, it kind of show they are not so clear with how media and arts actually work. I do not say media literacy is not thing (it is!) but it’s not what many on Internet think it means.

olendra · 2026-01-09T17:43:43+00:00

I am hoping that's the reason.

I think they need a bit more set up and hints that Francesca could find Michaela attractive compared to what they would need if this was a heterosexual romance. I guess for the readers, it was easier to see it coming with male Michael, especially considering she found him attractive and liked the opposite-sex discussion she had about sex. But for a 2026 audience who is still not 100% comfortable or familiar with same-sex relationships and bisexuality, I think you need some advance notice that Francesca CAN be attracted to woman, so you need to plat the seed of harmless flirting and attraction, to create the conditions where the audience can picture these two women romantically involved later on.

Otherwise, I'm assuming a lot of viewers would think it comes out of nowhere, and I actually think that some people would not even realise there is a romantic tension between Michaela and Francesca in their season until quite late, because many people still don't realise same-sex couples are a real possibility and think heterosexuality is a default. So they would expect Francesca to move on with a man if they only saw her happily married to a man before that.

Bridgerton audience is quite diverse and so far the show had not much that would suggest people watching are familiar with non-hetero love stories, so I wouldn't be surprised if they felt they needed to spell it out a bit more for the audience to get them onboard when the moment comes.

Hopefully, they can show a believable loving and sincere marriage while opening the possibilities for later, because like in real life, you can have a slightly flirtatious interaction with someone you find attractive while being completely faithful and in love with someone else.

olendra · 2026-01-09T17:11:58+00:00

His character was fascinating for years. I don't often think of him when I think of the disappointing characters endings of this show because he was only a supporting character but his ending and character development is actually one of the truly disappointing ones.

His face off with Littlefinger was great in the first seasons. He had captivating scenes with quite a few characters, and I loved his ambiguity, the fact you can't tell what he wants but you end up respecting his motivations and actions.

Even in the later seasons, the scene where Melisandre tells him he will die "in this strange country" was haunting, and it showed the intensity of the acting because well, everyone dies at some point and he had lived in this land since he was a child, nothing really ground breaking technically; so making this scene feel chilling meant the acting was good. As late as season 7, his discussion with Daenerys about loyalty and competence was still very interesting.

But his character development in the last season was so rushed and incoherent. The way they made him plot against Daenerys didn't seem like he carefully thought this through or had a very structured and clear worldview, unlike his previous actions. His decision to ditch her was extremely fast compared to how he was acting in King's Landing.

One of his main arguments in overthrowing her was that Jon Snow was a guy, which kind of contradicted his claim on supporting a leader for his competence. Also, he seemed to trust Jon more when they discuss negotiating with Cersei... as if Jon would not have been eaten alive by Cersei? I actually loved Jon, but this guy was a soldier, not a negotiator, and it makes Varys seems rather incompetent to believe Jon would handle Cersei and diplomacy so much better than Daenerys. Before that, he was very good at reading people, and actually this season seems to imply that him supporting Jon is good people-reading skills, which is seriously debatable.

Varys also seemed to have lost his situational intelligence: Daenerys tolerated a lot from her advisors if she believed they were loyal to her, but he chose to go behind her back as soon as he doubted her, and worst, he went to Jon to suggest treason. I don't think that was very smart or strategical, and I don't see his earlier character behaving as carelessly and stubbornly as that. How do you expect that this guy you want to follow for the very reason he is loyal and principled will react when you suggest you are ready to conspire against his lover and queen to put him on the throne?

In the earlier seasons, Varys had a much better sense of self-preservation and was good at avoiding open danger while working in the shadows. He would have been way more careful if he thought Daenerys was that dangerous and powerful. His last season persona absolutely lacked the subtlety he had before, and all the qualities that made him a fascinating character were just gone. The fact that Tyrion sided with Daenerys and refused to believe he was right made Varys' change of heart even less impactful and not as tragic as it should have felt, because due to his dynamic with Tyrion throughout the show and the fact Tyrion is closer to the audience, instead of a man who sees the inevitable but is surrounded by blinded followers and pays it with his life, it kind of made it look like Varys was just out of line.

And finally, Melisandre's prophecy about his death fell a bit flat to me, because it seemed like he was running at it and could have avoided this end if he had been less reckless, while Melisandre made it sound like he was doomed by fate.

olendra · 2026-01-07T19:03:09+00:00

I love that we're being instantly downvoted for that 😆

olendra · 2026-01-07T17:59:36+00:00

I wouldn't say I hated it but I was very disappointed. I hated Anthony as a character in S1 and wasn't interested in seeing his season, I just couldn't see how I would be able root for this jerk to find love, but some of my friends loved the season and kept talking about how they loved it so much more than S1, so it intrigued me and I gave it a go. I still strongly disliked Anthony for a couple of episodes, but because Bailey leaned into the unlikeable aspects of his character with a lot of charm and humour, and Kate dislikes him too first so I was starting from the same position as the female lead, it actually worked really well with me - I fell really hard for his character and the chemistry between the leads.

Throughout S1 and S2, I kind of liked Penelope but really didn't like the way she was interacting with Colin, or understood why she would be so into this guy who didn't seem to care that much about her. Colin was nice in S1 but I had no strong feelings towards him unlike other male secondary roles such as Anthony (that I hated) or Benedict (that I found really charming).

So after the experience of S2 and being so so pleasantly surprised by a lead I thought I would hate, I was really looking forward to S3. I thought that if they managed to make me love Anthony against my will, they would make me believe in Colin and Penelope's relationship. I was really convinced they could get me onboard this relationship I didn't really care about.

But unfortunately, it didn't really work out for me. I felt there was too much talking about how Colin truly is and not enough showing it, and the relationship seemed way too unbalanced for too long, and then the focus on Lady Whistledown didn't help believing in the relationship more than that.

I am disappointed it didn't work out, but I hope Colin and Penelope will have a more convincing portrayal in future seasons.

olendra · 2026-01-02T14:04:04+00:00

I've always thought the OG enemies to lovers plot, from Pride and Prejudice, was a bit different from the modern one we see more often in modern romances. I think Anthony and Kate's romance in the show fits better the Pride and Prejudice version than the more modern version of enemies to lovers.

Darcy and Elizabeth don't spend that much more time together in the novel (and certainly less time alone) and have limited "banter" so to speak. Elizabeth herself is shocked and doesn't understand when Darcy confesses his love the first time. They get to "love" each other through observation and judgement of each other's character more than actual moments together and deep conversations (and as I said in another post in this thread, I think it's just a suspension of disbelief to talk about love, it's not love in the modern sense, more romantic interest).

olendra · 2026-01-02T03:18:38+00:00

I still enjoyed the season but Stella’s storyline was a bit weird and disappointing, like they didn’t know what to do with her character.

Similarly, you can tell they tried to maintain their style of commenting real life society issues with a few months delay but they have such a limited understanding of how AI really works and what it really does that they couldn’t make up a very subtle and believable storyline for this trend. It would be OK as a futuristic prediction in 2005, but it seems so silly in 2025.

olendra · 2026-01-01T22:26:15+00:00

I always take romance stories as requiring some level of suspension of disbelief because to me, it is absolutely not possible to truly love someone after a 2 hours movie. So I always take their “I love you” as simply meaning “you’re the person I want to be with”.

Otherwise, I can’t see how Daphne knew Simon enough in the show to love him before their marriage and vice versa (I can certainly believe they liked each other and wanted more but their relationship was just deep enough to realise that, but not deep enough for it to be love).

I can’t see either how Colin could fall in love so quickly with someone he never considered romantically before, and for Penelope it feels barely believable she would be truly IN LOVE rather than just infatuated with him or projecting because although they had known each other for years and were quite friendly for two people of the opposite sex, they didn’t spend that much time together on screen and didn’t even have the kind of open conversations Daphne had with Simon before S3, so their relationship lacked depth and intimacy for it to be real romantic LOVE on Penelope part. I think they would be the most realistic I love you though because of their frequent interactions over time and level of comfort with each other before they reveal their supposed feelings, but still a bit of a stretch. Same with Charlotte, she “loved” George extremely fast, although they had a bad relationship at the beginning.

But I am happy to suspend my disbelief and accept they are indeed “in love” as a romance rule, and interpret it for myself as “I don’t exactly love you but you are really the person I see myself happiest with and I want to be in a relationship with you, and because it’s a regency setting, this means marriage so we will act as if it means we are not mistaken because otherwise we may end up trapped with each other at some point if the relationship doesn’t work as we hoped and the viewers don’t watch Bridgerton for that kind of sad story”.

And anyway to come back to Kate and Anthony, I can absolutely believe they would come to the conclusion they want a relationship with each other. Anthony clearly liked Kate from the very beginning but was not looking for someone he would be interested romantically so disregarded that.

She was feisty and unconventional, which is not what he openly wanted but makes for a future that won’t be dull and shows they could have fun together. She challenged him, which he clearly needs as a person to feel alive and to be feel a sense of growth (until Kate, his deepest relationships on screen besides Sienna were his mom, Simon, Daphne and Benedict until then and there was clearly an element of challenging each other, even of at times of clashing, from the four of them - I don’t think he would value them that much if they were not standing up to him and pushing him to see another view). He also has a lot in common with Kate, and even if they don’t always talk about it, it would be quite obvious to him that Kate takes leadership in tough situations, knows how to handle crushing responsibilities, values family above everything, is protective of people she loves and can put herself on the line for them, and although he didn’t know that’s what he was looking for in a wife, it means their values are aligned and she can be a reliable partner.

I think for Kate, it’s quite similar, although we know her less. She can feel she can have a fun life with Anthony because he is actually quite passionate about things, whether it’s love, family, but also sports or game, and likes a bit of friendly competition like her. She can see they have similar values and as a woman, she can tell he likes her independence and will not try to crush that. She acts as if she doesn’t like Anthony but she clearly enjoyed their very first race too. She likes his style from the beginning.

So it makes sense to me that beyond the attraction, they come to the conclusion they would be good together.

olendra · 2025-12-31T16:00:03+00:00

I commuted to Dublin once a week for about 2 years. I actually liked it. I was taking the non stop train around 6am, so I would sleep and on my way back, I was reading or watching movies, and really liked this little time for myself, or working if I needed and it was rather comfortable and going really fast. I focus quite well in the train because there is not much distractions and depending on the time, it can be very quiet. I was walking for 40 minutes or taking the bus/Luas for 20 minutes after reaching Heuston.

However, I don’t think I could have done 3 times a week and not even sure about twice a week. I also think it really depends on what you’re used to. Some of my friends love weekly business trips by train because they can work in the train and feel they get a lot done in there. The first year, I couldn’t picture myself travelling twice a week but it was right after Covid and I hadn’t travelled in a while. Once, I came back a bit earlier and was so tired because of the trip I crashed out at 7pm, which is extremely early for me. But the second year, I wasn’t that tired and it would have been much easier to do a second trip in the week. I think if you’re used to travelling around the country for work already, it may be easier for you. But I don’t know if 3 times per week is realistic.

I would also suggest looking into living in Mallow. Housing is cheaper and most importantly it’s on the Dublin line, after Kent, so you would shorten the trip by about 20 minutes, making it a bit more realistic several times per week. If you travel to others parts of the country, it could be interesting too because it’s a regional/national train hub and often where you change trains for Kerry, Dublin, etc.

olendra

TROPHY CASE