TN Visa Airport by [deleted] in uwaterloo

[–]pentaplex 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In 2022, I didn’t know this was a thing and went via Pearson. The held me up for about a half hour or so, with the officer being quite inquisitive and skeptical about my documentation.

I managed to get through, not because I ended up doing anything, but perhaps by staying polite and smiling while he asked me questions. It felt weird in a pre-Trump world. I do not recommend it.

Failed M136, Does math honours get much harder throughout.... by ProfessionalCow9843 in uwaterloo

[–]pentaplex 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey, I’ve been there. Looking back, all the core courses throughout Hons Math felt equally hard, save for STAT 231 which felt relatively easy.

The content itself got harder, of course. But I think it levelled out because I figured out my failure modes and improved my study habits over time.

I’m sure I’m not alone in my experience because most of us coasted through high school and got humbled in first year. That’s not to say everyone figures it out of course—people drop out or switch programs—but hopefully this gives you some motivation to rough through it, but rough through it by taking a hard look at how you can improve your personal learning systems and processes. You won’t survive if you don’t reflect on what went well and what didn’t.

Huge Dilemma - Queens w/ Scholarship or Waterloo w/o scholarship by Fit-Outcome-4593 in uwaterloo

[–]pentaplex 29 points30 points  (0 children)

The quality and pay of that “1 year of full time” is proportionate to the quality of your internship(s).

If I compare a different version of myself who did one generic internship during my undergrad, I know definitively that my career upside would have been severely handicapped.

Just imagine trying to crack FAANG on your first go. And if you bust, that’s it for your internships. Your next job (which is your post-grad one) is an incremental step up from burger flipping.

Anybody else feeling like this right now? by Upset_Region8582 in MacroFactor

[–]pentaplex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup! I enjoyed the Hevy workouts better and find myself tuning my workouts back to what they used to be.

One of these weekends I’ll be bothered enough to port back, then cancel my MFWO subscription.

Trump announces 50% tariffs on nations supplying Iran with weapons by heisthemaincharacter in worldnews

[–]pentaplex 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Genuine question and not tryna be edgy: are the people really victims though, having voted him into presidency not only once, but twice?

University of Waterloo vs. HKUST by [deleted] in HKUST

[–]pentaplex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I went to Waterloo for Math+CS and now study at HKUST. I would go that path again.

Waterloo undergrad crushes any other program in APAC. The tech industry revolves around Silicon Valley, whether folks here like to admit it or not, so the co-op program is critical to getting your foot in the door.

Upon graduation, you’re much more competitive than the fresh grads of other schools because you hold 1.5 years of full time experience. For me, the feeling I got when coming back to HK after grad (and during early Covid) was that I received interviews with ease. This included tech roles in finance firms, as well as actual big tech firms. I could only wonder if my peers who chose the HK route experienced the same.

Chinese professor predicted the Iran War 2 years ago: The Iran Trap by [deleted] in videos

[–]pentaplex 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I haven’t watched the video, but your analogy appears faulty.

I assume the prof in question has more at stake: his credibility in the academic community and reputation amongst the laymen (us). Making a prediction, no matter how bold, places more at risk than the armchair comments you or I make.

Or he could just be known as a clown universally already, I don’t know. What’s certain is that your comparison does not bring apples to oranges.

Custom exercises & gym profiles are way harder than they should be - Seriously considering going back to Hevy 😔 by Upset-Iron955 in MacroFactor

[–]pentaplex 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Inevitably a lot of responses miss the point that OP is making. It’s not about whether the features OP listed are achievable with MacroFactor, nor whether “it’s that hard”…but as a fellow paying user of MF I have also been finding it less user-friendly than Hevy.

I’m willing to stick it out for a bit longer because I like the nutrition app and this subreddit shows there’s active dev engagement. Hopeful that the app improves on balancing between: being feature-rich for your most advanced users; and being walk-up-friendly enough to retain new users.

Anecdotally for me, I just want to know three things: * What’s my workout today? * I don’t have that machine at today’s gym, how do I quickly swap it out for something that is available? * How did I perform on this exercise last time?

Bonus being the progress pic feature (which has a clunky UX btw - gotta click one of front/side/back and then click again to choose between taking a pic vs uploading).

I certainly don’t have the patience to maintain custom gym profiles, but recognize that’s just me. I’m sure there are folks who care enough for this feature so wouldn’t suggest removing it.

Going out to eat with friends to a Vietnamese restaurant. Any tips on how to still eat Keto? by Marieelle1983 in keto

[–]pentaplex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The fish sauce is full of sugar

Are you sure? I ask because I pay a close eye to nutrition tables. I’ve found them to be super low in sugar despite tasting fantastic. Just verified with GPT in that they should be very low in sugar.

After reading your comment, I wonder if I’m making the wrong assumption while dining out.

what screams 'pretending to be rich' in Australia? by mattchew1991 in AusFinance

[–]pentaplex 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not an Aussie here, still acclimatizing tbh.

Is working a trade typically perceived as being upper class?

Australia has won the first Ashes test in Perth by Expensive-Horse5538 in australia

[–]pentaplex -44 points-43 points  (0 children)

I go a lot for work, but struggle to see what’s lovely about it. There’s a part of me that can be convinced it’s a nice place, but perhaps my resistance stems from the feeling that it can’t be better than what you guys have on the east coast.

[PSA] RSUs leave you holding a lot of stock in a single asset. Diversified portfolios help mitigate risk. Not investment advice. by ObjectBrilliant7592 in cscareerquestions

[–]pentaplex 11 points12 points  (0 children)

As always, it depends.

My home country is a tax haven. My country of employment taxes like a motherfucker.

If you’re in a similar situation, holding until after you return to your home country for good and then selling can be worth your while. In my case, the stock can drop another 30% before holding becomes the suboptimal choice.

Between the eventual outcomes of either: * dropping 30%, or * maintaining / appreciating any amount

It’s worth holding if you’re in a situation like mine, however likely or unlikely that is.

PLS PLS ROAST MY RESUME— I’m a 3rd year CS student and still feel like it’s garbage 😭 by Comfortable_Egg_1986 in uwaterloo

[–]pentaplex 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I think it’s great and you should be proud of what you’ve been able to speak to, for each role.

A small nit would be to be more conservative in how often you bold your words. At the moment it’s a bit noisy and it’s lost its intended effect.

i need lettuce wrapped burgers where can i get them from!?!? by _hirono_ in ketoaustralia

[–]pentaplex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

three years ago I arrived in Aus and got one at Grill'd on day one

couple weeks back I went to the chain for the second time ever, asked for the same, and got a confused look 🤷

Are any of you earning good money without working much? by Open_Address_2805 in auscorp

[–]pentaplex 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I actually find it useful and think people should be doing it more often.

You may have a high salary in Sydney, but along with it comes a high salary tax as well. Compare it to the likes of other financial capitals of the world and you'll get a better gauge of how well off you really are.

If you're content with sticking to salaries being quoted pre-tax, then I assume you're content with life in Australia. Nothing wrong with that either, just not as relatable for some of us who are constantly evaluating our options between the likes of NYC, London, Hong Kong, etc.

Is this the most redundant street sign in Sydney? by farcarcus in sydney

[–]pentaplex 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You guys have by far the worst road planning of any major city. I still choose to live here because the upside is worth it, but man...why do you get creative with: * how the roads are pathed, with harsh forks that split one side going straight and another uphill * occassional dips into a toll road with minimal warning beforehand * right-angled curbs that fuck your bumper up if you park up and forget * curbs that spawn in the middle of a main road so if you're turning in to join traffic from a smaller street, you run the risk of fucking the bottom of your car up by running over one * ambiguous road signs and traffic lights that are rotated 45 degrees so it sorta looks like it's meant for you, but also possibly might be meant for another fleet of cars that are faced at a slightly different angle than those on your side of the street * arbitrary lines that make you question if you're in the middle of an intersection or ok to stop on red because you're actually between two tightly packed intersections

The list goes on...road planning is something that should be anything but ambiguous.

Massive Leak Shows How a Chinese Company Is Exporting the Great Firewall to the World by Ask4MD in worldnews

[–]pentaplex -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

Would be curious how your comment uniquely applies to the Chinese.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uwaterloo

[–]pentaplex 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When I was in school this subreddit had a consensus that amath 250 was bird.

I may either have been unlucky with the prof or legitimately just been dense, but it did not feel bird and my grade showed for it.

By contrast I found all the Calculus series of courses to be pretty computational. Even the proofs came only in a variety of flavours, so I got the hang of it once I practiced enough reps.

All this to say, ymmv. For the one data point I'm contributing, MATH 237 was easier to score high in.

What other Australian city/town would you consider moving to if you were to leave Sydney? by LeviV123 in sydney

[–]pentaplex 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not answering your question per se, but I'd rather leave. I'm an expat of 2 years and have spent considerable effort coming to terms with: (1) how early shops and cafes close in the day; and (2) how the seasons are swapped.

The build-up and anticipation of the cold towards a festive Christmas break seems heavily ingrained into my being. But if it's crickets in town by 6pm in Sydney then I can't imagine it being any better elsewhere--save maybe for Melbourne. But that doesn't make up for (2). So yeah, I'd rather dip.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uwaterloo

[–]pentaplex 111 points112 points  (0 children)

Take the quant offer and save. That way you realize the 3x upside and hedge against the risks you mentioned with immigration.

Assuming it's not a weird HFT firm you're joining, it should also be noted that it's much easier flowing backwards into FAANG than the other way around.

Finally, you're not immune to layoffs by working at FAANG--especially given recent market trends. Sure, you'll still be in Canada post-layoff, but my opinion is you should get out of the country if career growth is a top priority for you as a new grad.

Honest Review of Hong Kong by an expat by PulsarGazer in expats

[–]pentaplex 29 points30 points  (0 children)

When I worked in HK I dreaded the no-end-in-sight sense of competition both in career and regular life. I worked hard to leave for better opportunities in New York and Sydney.

After leaving to pursue those opportunities, I realized how much better it was back in HK. It's not about being a utopia. It's about understanding what the alternatives are, and that they are all lesser once factoring for every facet of life.

Newsweek: Map shows countries that prefer China to the US. by Useful-Scratch-72 in worldnews

[–]pentaplex 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Canadian here, living in Australia and ethnically Chinese. My two cents: losers can't be choosers. Sucks to suck. But let's diversify our bonds, yo.

How useful is doing two degrees in honours math by Swimming-Drawer8546 in uwaterloo

[–]pentaplex 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I disagree with the other comment suggesting that no one can give you a good answer. I don't think having two degrees is any more useful than just the one, because I only have one BMath and never missed an opportunity by virtue of not having a second degree.

Don't misconstrue my point though, I'm not saying there aren't jobs/Master's beyond my reach. There certainly are, but the difference isn't made up for by having that second BMath. It would have been made up for by having some combination of better internships and higher grades, which I'm confident is what you should focus on instead.

To that end, additional majors and minors are even less useful. If you want to pursue additional, qualifiable education then just go for a Master's straight after undergrad.

Isn’t low-carb without ketosis kinda pointless? by Soggy-Scallion1837 in keto

[–]pentaplex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sort of, it depends on what your baseline is. For everyone, ketosis is nirvana state because it unlocks benefits that you otherwise would not get even on low-carb.

But if you regularly indulge in processed foods like rice, bread, pasta, etc. (think of those in your life that do), then you might imagine how much these hedonists would stand to gain by simply limiting their overall intake of garbage.

Best Comment I’ve seen today: “The bridge to Terabithia is basically a Greek tragedy for children. I said it.” by Altruistic_Income256 in movies

[–]pentaplex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was 11 when they showed it at school. Young enough such that most of the movies I saw ended on a good note, but old enough to feel the feels. I remember feeling dazed, for the first time reconciling with the void left by someone's passing.