You have the ability to turn suffering into luck. The suffering cannot be self-inflicted and the amount of luck received correlates to the severity of the suffering. Luck is passive unless you choose to channel stored luck actively, and makes things go well.
For example, if you get shot in the leg, and that’s a big “if” if you’ve been suffering a while cuz the luck would protect you, the next bullets will kiss you even if it’s a world-class sniper attacking you. Or if your teacher’s given you a stressful amount of homework then there’s a higher chance something will give you an extension or that your friend will help you understand the material. Fall flat on your face? You get a boost to parkour for a bit. Mental health crisis? Your bestie reaches out and cheers you up perfectly.
Please leave your thoughts and how/if you would use it, and have a great day! :)

When I was younger my mom used to always say that I moved a lot, and I averaged 17k steps on a normal day doing the same activities that my brother would do and he’d get only around 7k steps. But now I have to go out of my way to walk and get near that number, how do y’all stay moving throughout the day?

Pornography has caused countless people to be turned into victims of sexual violence. I know this fact isn’t news to anyone here but, I wanted to share my own story again to shed light on how much damage it can do to a porn addict’s mind, especially at a young age.
I was 13 when I met my first boyfriend, he was 14. I wanted to marry him. A boundary I set from the beginning was that I didn’t want to have sex until we married. He pressured me. Eventually, it escalated until he took my virginity by rape. I froze. I told myself it was a good experience despite the fact that I just laid there staring out my window at a full moon, while I suffered physical pain.
By the time we’d been seeing each other for 6 months, it escalated further. I was 14 now, he was 15. He made me watch porn with him. It made me feel really awkward and uncomfortable. He started asking me for more and more, and became really rough with me. He slapped me in the face until it bruised one night during sexual activity. I stopped and asked him why he was doing it, and he said “because you’re trash, you’re garbage”. He was so aggressive he made me vomit, then forced me to eat it. I don’t know why I allowed it. It got even worse over time. He kept hitting me. He started urinating on me, as this was a new thing to get him off. One day, after he did this, he told me to get in the shower. I was glad, I thought he’d clean me up and be nice to me since I did what he wanted. Instead, he turned the water on ICE COLD and made me stand in it. He was insanely sadistic. He eventually raped me again, taking my other virginity…
I had never been in a relationship before, and had no real family, so I thought these things were normal. Now, years later, I realize that he was just a child who was deeply damaged and disturbed due to porn. He may have even been a victim himself, but I was unfortunately his victim.
People seem to think porn is harmless, but I would have never experienced the horrors that I did without it. Porn created a monster, a predator, an abuser, and he was barely even a teenager.

Greetings Adventurers!

We've just restructured and consolidated our previous Rules page to be more straightforward and cohesive. Due to the character limit in a rule's description, this post will go more in-depth regarding what these rules mean, provide examples of what is and isn't acceptable under these rules, and aims to clear any confusion or misconception regarding our rules.
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Should I be hurt that my teacher asked me if I have a disability?
Background information: I'm in 9th grade and I'm taking Earth Science. It is a very hard class and to make the class even harder, the teacher goes really fast and gives a lot of homework. Every. Single. Day. Like multiple packets with multiple pages everyday that are all due on the same day. By the due date, I usually have at least 1 or 2 packets left to complete. She doesn't like when I turn in the packets on the day they're due. She likes when they are turned in early, which I understand, but I think that she shouldn't get mad at me for turning it in on the day it's due. She has also never said that they were due at the beginning of class. She just said that they were due on that day. So, I just assume that means that they have to be turned in by the end of the school day.
Anyways, now that I gave some background information, I'll tell you about what happened today. It was the beginning of class and I went up to her and told her that I had half of 2 packets left to complete and would turn them in after lunch. I had done this probably every week since I had been taking her class. Instead of saying okay, she asked me if I had ADHD which I responded by telling her no. Then she asked me if I had a disability that prevented me from doing work without having pressure to finish it. I told her that I had never heard of it and probably didn't have it. Then, she told me that I should get that checked out. After she said that, I felt like I was a burden because I didn't turn my work in early like everyone else did. I don't think that she understands how much work she gives and how stressful it can be for someone to do. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed and I have said this to her in the past and she didn't do anything about it. I feel like I'm not being heard by her. She told me before that she would help me stay on track and get things turned in before they're due but she never did. And the fact that she is going as far as saying that I have a disability really hurts. And it honestly doesn't make any sense why she would say this because I have one of the highest grades in her class. I just felt belittled by her and no one has ever said anything like that to me before and I feel like her saying that is getting in my head and making me feel dumb. I honestly think that I'm just a procrastinator but now I'm not sure.
Am I in the wrong for feeling this way?

My husband and I have been together for 6 years. He has 2 children(teens) 14 and 16 and I have one son 14. First let me start out by saying that our children overall used to get along fairly well up until the past year. My ex husband and my husband have a great relationship, and so do we. My ex has always instilled it into my son that he has to respect his step dad and I think our close relationship has helped the relationship between my son and my husband. My son is also very easy going and very outgoing, and I know all children have different personalities. There was a time where my son would mouth off to my husband and his dad, my husband and I talked about his behavior and it never really happened again. He does the typical annoying teenager things, messy etc. My husbands ex……..That’s another story. She is a downright bad mom in every way, I was once pregnant and she told her children that my child would be nothing to them, on her weekends she lets her daughter sleep over at her friends houses. It’s just about a different friend every week. My husband has express how he doesn’t agree with this but it’s her week and he has no say basically. My husband and his son in particular have always had an up and down relationship. There are no rules when his children are with their mother, so of course when they come here, we are always the bad guy for having them do simple chores etc. When my son and my step son started high school together, my son made me aware that my step son ignores him in school. He flat out acts as if he doesn’t know him. They ride the bus together in the morning and my step son will sprint so he doesn’t have to walk with my son. This really bothers me but my son says he can care less because he says he won’t beg for anyone’s attention. He is truly something else lol the whole situation bothers me honestly. I guess what I am looking for is advice, Is this normal, what would you do? I talked to my son about the behavior and told him to ignore him. My son is aware of the hostile situation between my husband and his ex, and he says I know they probably just do it to make their mom happy??? My husband has also talked to son about his behavior and he says he just doesn’t walk with him because they are in different grades and have different friends. I expected them to have each others backs and treat each other like brothers. I understand my son not bending over backwards, I would probably do the same. I also know that they are teens and this is a hard age.
I will also add that unless his daughter is asking for material things, we do not talk. She will talk to me when Sol de Janeiro drops a new scent and she wants it lol I try to spark conversation with them but they literally will not talk to me anymore and i’ve stopped trying. His son is the same way. The week they are here, his kids are locked in their rooms and there are times they walk into the house and don’t even address me. No Hi hello or anything? For legal reasons my husband can not try to mend the relationship with his ex. She is spiteful and has tried to get him fired in the past so we just don’t interact with her at all. I feel if we all got along and were on the same page, things would be different. I have a great relationship with my sons step mom and can’t imagine not having a relationship with her. I love my husband but at times I am just ready to walk away. I just didn’t expect this to be my life.

I am far from the first to take a crack at debunking the video made by DeathBattle a few years back where they argued that Madara would clinch the win against the transcendental one himself. Many have called into question their reasoning and pointed out its flaws but I wanted to add a new perspective on the subject in an attempt to shut this case once and for all
I am going to break down this debunk into 3 parts to run down all things DB got wrong about Aizen and his scaling while providing counters which should make it far easier to read
For transparency, I will also be using this to debunk some arguments not made by DB directly but by fans defending the video, nobody specifically being targeted here just metas I have seen

Part 1: AP/Speed Scaling

1: In Death Battle’s analysis they used the Soul King Linchpin for their basis on scaling Aizen which is a common meta, where they booger’d this though is that they then proceeded to say that the only thing being held together by the Soul King Linchpin was the 3 main planets of the realms, rather than the dimensions themselves. This lowball interpretation of the Linchpin’s job is contradicted by 2 main things.
A: The Dangai is also stated to be affected, even in the scan they used, which would make no sense as it exists outside of the boundaries. For this to be the case the energy of the Linchpin would have to be skipping over all astral bodies in each realm, hitting the Dangai that exists between 2 of the dimensions, and then somehow only affecting the primary planets in each realm.
B: The novels clarify that the Linchpin is maintaining the “boundaries” of the realms as well, and considering we know Garganta (a massive empty void) exists outside of “the 3 worlds” that would have to mean all of the stars and galaxies we see exist within these borders as part of the dimensions, that is without even mentioning the realms being point blank referenced as universes or the newer 5D meta
2: They mention Aizen being stronger than Kenpachi and then use the feat of destroying the meteor to scale his striking power. What they fail to mention is that Gremmy (who Kenpachi also mid-diff’d) created a pocket of space containing multiple galaxies which would scale Kenpachi and therefore Aizen to at least Multi-Galaxy
3: They mentioned Yhwach and Aizen being matched in power after Yhwach absorbed the Soul King, but never mentioned Yhwach destroying or reforming the realms as a point. This was likely because they considered it equal in power to the Linchpin feat but we have statements of Yhwach also affecting the Garganta which exists outside of the realms themselves which would easily scale Aizen above the 3 dimensions
4: When scaling Aizen’s speed Death Battle used a databook statement saying that Ichigo and Byakuya fought “like lightning” to say that Aizen should only be marginally faster than light by EOS after considering multipliers.
This raises an obvious problem, well 2 actually
A: “Like Lightning” isn’t indicative of speed and is just a metaphor for “fast” meant to sound cool. If it wouldn’t work to upscale speed why would it work to downplay their speed?
B: By this point we had multiple databook statements that place other characters below SS arc Ichigo at FTL reactions at minimum, after the multipliers they mentioned this would scale Aizen EASILY into MFTL+ giving Aizen a massive speed advantage

Part 2: Hax

1: Death Battle says Aizen’s most effective spell is Hado 90, Kurohitsugi. This is one of the points that almost makes me wonder if they have more than a passing knowledge of the series because Hado aren’t numbered arbitrarily. They are numbered according to their difficulty and effectiveness, which means Aizen has 9 Hado at his disposal that are better than Kurohitsugi and he is able to cast even Hado 99 without an incantation.
2: This is going to be a hard pill to swallow for many but I will keep banging this drum until people stop saying it, ready? TRUTH SEEKING ORBS ARE NOT EXISTENCE ERASURE
Truth Seeking Orbs (TSOs) have never been shown to actually function as existence erasure and this description of them directly contradicts what we are told about them to begin with, which is that their purpose is to nullify Jutsu which would include a Ninjutsu like Edo Tensei and its regen properties. DB claims they are EE anyway and gave that as the primary win condition of Madara
Hell, we literally see Hiruzen get his entire upper body obliterated by a TSO, turning him to dust, yet later he is back and all is good. Sakura even tanks one straight to the chest. I know they are aware of these too because they used the clip of Hiruzen being destroyed by Obito in their “TSO are existence erasure” bit during the conclusion section of the video so you can’t even say they didn’t think that was a TSO that erased spirits (what is typically said when countered with this)
3: Aizen is granted Reliant Immortality from the Hogyoku and is the basis for his strongest form of immortality, this is not mentioned by DB likely because they believe he no longer has the Hogyoku, even though…
4: Aizen DOES have the Hogyoku after his defeat by Ichigo and Kisuke, it is confirmed in the novels. With this reliant immortality he survived being disintegrated at the cellular level even though Gin had stolen the Hogyoku. This means even removing the Hogyoku from Aizen doesn’t prevent him coming back to life stronger
5: As established, DB gave Madara the win condition that Aizen could be destroyed with Existence Erasure via the TSO, I already tackled the TSO themselves but for fun lets see if Aizen COULD in theory be killed with Existence Erasure.
Aizen was imprisoned in Muken after his defeat, the reason given for this is that “no executioner in Soul Society” can kill him. This is a statement coming directly from Mayuri who is likely the single most knowledgeable character in the Soul Society on their abilities. Naturally this would mean he would be aware of something like Hado 54 “Abolition Flame” which is literally an attack that “eradicates the very existence of a target”. It isn’t even a particularly hard spell, Bakudo 63 is 9 levels above Abolition flame and it is considered “mid level”. There is also the argument that Yamamoto’s Bankai could do the job as it is stated to be existence erasure.
If that isn’t enough, Aizen has also survived being disintegrated at the cellular level as already mentioned. There is absolutely no way that even the headcanon’d TSO should be able to eradicate Aizen
6: DB gave Madara the win becasue Madara’s “immense variety of abilities” should give Madara the ability to overwhelm Aizen. Madara has one hell of an arsenal but Aizen has literally Hundreds of abilities when considering both Hado and Bakudo as well as forbidden Kido and the ability to make new Kido on the fly.
7: Very importantly for their analysis they started both characters in base, having them power up during the fight and oddly… Gave Madara 6 Paths. This form is not something Madara just has at his disposal all the time, yet they had him randomly summon the ten-tails and absorb it after breaking Kurohitsugi. Aizen has the Hogyoku and can freely evolve to the form shown and beyond, meanwhile Madara doesn’t just have the ten-tails in his pocket
8: DB used an extremely biased take on Verse Equalization to say that Chakra and Reiyoku are close enough that Madara would be able to absorb Aizen’s Kido but then never considered that this would mean the constant flexing of Reiatsu done by Soul Reapers would mean Genjutsu would never be able to stick against Aizen

Part 3: Genjutsu vs Kyoka Suigetsu

1: Kyoka Suigetsu is NOT like a Genjutsu, and isn’t even close enough to be properly VE’d to be equivalent
Genjutsu: affects the brain, controlling the senses of the victim directly and can be broken by realizing you are under an illusion and disrupting your Chakra flow or having someone else disrupt the flow for you
KS: Controls the spirit to directly take control of your senses, Shinigami are constantly fluctuating their reiatsu and having their Reiyoku flow changed by borrowing from the powers of their Zanpakuto spirit yet none of this works to break Kyoka Suigetsu. Even knowing you are under an illusion doesn’t help you
They control via different methods with different ways of controlling the senses AND have different methods to break them, Verse Equalization should not allow blanketly saying that the same methods should work to break KS considering those methods are things people in Bleach actively do
2: The ultimate genjutsu Infinite Tsukuyomi doesn’t work on spirits, that is all
3: Aizen is not weak to illusions, people point out that Aizen was manipulated by Shinji and his Shikai which is an illusion and use this as an argument that Aizen has weak mental resistance to Illusions and to those people I have one response… Actually read Bleach
Aizen “fought” Shinji and was manipulated by his illusions , but we find out soon after that Aizen had all of them misinterpreting his actual location during this, even Aizen’s wound on the arm which he got during his “fight” with Shinji is gone when he reveals himself, before point blank saying “Since when were you under the impression I wasn’t using Kyoka Suigetsu?”
Aizen’s “fight” with Shinji was a ploy that culminated in them unknowingly attacking Momo and getting Ambushed by the real Aizen

Conclusion

It is no secret that the DB staff have a hate boner for Bleach, Liam is outspoken for his distaste for the series. It is clear looking at the evidence they presented and how they lowballed Aizen that they wanted to keep the stats mostly equal but the moment they started headcanoning things like Existence Erasure TSOs and Aizen being weak to illusions it became clear this was a popularity contest

So this was in November 2023 and due to my wack ass immune system, I (15M) had gotten myself extremely sick to the point where I was vomiting almost every time I'd eat. And my body has a way of cascading things like this, so I it was no surprise when I started sickling.
I'm laying in bed, nauseous and in pain, just praying for the oxy to kick in so I can fall asleep and not deal with this hell anymore when this sharp pain starts stabbing me in my chest and I feel like I'm literally DYING. This pain I was feeling in that moment was worse than any sickle cell crisis I've ever had and I just assumed the jig was up and organ failure was imminent.
I couldn't get up from where I was laying (my mom's bed) because of the severe pain so I'm just crying so loudly and my mom wakes up annoyed and tells me to lay on my back and go back to bed but as i shift over a wave of nausea crashes over me and i begin vomiting all over my mom and her bed (woops).
Fully awake and freaking out by this point my mom picks up her phone and dials 911 for an ambulance to get me and I'm just crying like a little baby now in a pile of my own bile (too scared to eat anything because I didn't wanna barf) praying for the ambulance to get here. And after what only felt like 5 minutes, my mom runs to the front door to open it for the paramedics who lay me onto the stretcher and give me this drug I'm in too much pain to notice.
And then it calms me down. A lot. So much so that it feels like whenever I breathe, I'm breathing out all the air in my lungs and taking my first breath again like I've just been born. I vaguely feel the pain in my chest but my mind is so empty I cant even bother to think about it. I take a few deep blinks and then wake up in the ER with my mom sleeping in the chair beside my bed.
After this, it becomes a cycle of them giving me medicine, the pain subsides somewhat, and then the medicine wears off and my chest feels like it's getting knifed by a million UK roadmen. They start me off with morphine, and that doesn't do the job like it usually does, so then they give me Dilaudid AND morphine, and still yet I feel like the end is near. So they decide to pull out the big guns that worked on me when I was in the ambulance. Fentanyl.
Initially I was very skeptic and lowkey refusing treatment because of the stigma around it and the doctors reassured me over and over that it was safe and I had been given it before and blah blah blah even though these were the same doctors that would ask me how long I've had sickle cell for. But I was in so much pain that I just gave up and gave in and gave them the a-ok because their nagging was just too much.
They set me up with this little green button thing attached to my IV, that would allow me to press it whenever I felt severe and constant pain but would not allow me to exceed the "maximum dosage" they had put in place for my body. And to be completely honest this little button scared me at first. The entirety of my night nurses shift I didn't press the button once and just writhed there in the cold hospital bed because I'd rather die than willingly administer my own fentanyl.
But I wouldn't even be typing this story if I simply just hadn't pressed the button for the entire duration of my stay. It was now day 3 in the hospital and I hadn't got a single wink of sleep in the past 32 hours so I decided to press the button. It didn't hit me like it had in the ambulance, but when i tell you i relaxed, i RELAXED. I was finally able to shut my eyes and go to bed and stop myself from shaking my leg (self soothing thing I do when in pain). I woke back up to my nurse doing my 8 hour check up and for some reason, she was still bringing me morphine and Dilaudid despite me having the fentanyl push button thingy, but I was so out of it I just took the medicine so I could go back to sleep. It became I cycle of me pushing the button, falling asleep, being woken up to take additional opiates i did NOT need, then going back to bed, until early on day 5 in the hospital, my friends from school came to visit me. So obviously I try to be a good host and not to fall asleep despite me having pushed my button already for more fent (clearly addicted but oblivious because of this phantom pain my body is forcing me to experience) and coincidentally as my friends are still here, my nurse comes in for the 8 hour check up and gives me the Dilaudid and morphine again. I take the medicine and I look down at my green button because I'm not sure i've been awake this long in days and I see its glowing again so I press it.
bad idea.
I'm talking to my friends but something seems off, their voices seem so far away and there is black dots clouding my vision, I of course am so out of it that I somehow don't see any issue with these two things until I realized I hadn't said a word in like 2 minutes. Matter of fact, I hadn't even spoken for 2 minutes. My eyes go wide because I can feel my vision fading, but for some odd reason it was all black except a tiny pinhole in the center of my vision. I hear this faraway annoying beeping that I realize is the pulse-ox thing going kookoo bananas because I haven't breathed in so long and I see shapes moving around and my friends running to the hallway to get me help and all I can focus on is "If I'm not breathing, why doesn't it hurt?"
The nurses rush in and can clearly tell I'm overdosing so they put an oxygen mask over my head and say "Can somebody give him some Narcan?" and I'm laying here spectating what's going on to my own body from inside of my head wondering "I wonder what narcan is"
WELL I SURE KNOW NOW
The nurses push the Narcan in through my oxygen mask and I can suddenly hear everything perfectly. I say "woah" and then my entire body gets a flash of heat all over so I jolt up and say "WOAH" again and I look to the left to see like 6 nurses with 3 of them doing something with my arm that I obviously just messed up. But then the heat is gone, replaced by this freezing cold feeling all over and INSIDE my body. I can feel every one of my organs touching each other and they all feel cold and I just feel nauseous. By this point i was just in agony. It wasn't like any pain I've ever felt before I felt like not only was I gonna die, but it was gonna be painful and I'd feel each individual organ dying from inside my body because of how hypersensitive I was to everything around me. I could feel the scratchy hospital blanket and the way the grip of the hospital sock felt against the bed and it was all just too much for me and my head cocked straight up and i began vomiting so much liquid it was scary to watch. Feeling each chunk of food run down my throat was a sensory nightmare and it caused me to KEEP VOMITING and every time I'd move one of my limbs, it would completely jerk itself all the way to a full extended position which would shake my body and all my senses would be on fire and I'd cock my head back and continue vomiting. This was a pediatric hospital so the nurses had never dealt with anything this severe before so they were all just freaking out because I was actually tweaking so hard and I had knocked over everything they had put on my bed to help me. In addition to all this mess, I'd torn out my IV and started bleeding all over the sheets and the smell of barf mixed with blood was just such a strong smell I had continued barfing onto myself. My entire being felt cold inside and out so I was trying profusely to wrap myself in a cocoon but the nurses were so fixated on my blanket being covered in vomit and me like "contaminating myself" but I did not give a single fuck bro I was in so much pain and was so cold the only thought on my mind was the fetal position, and a cocoon. two nurses jammed those tubes that they have at the dentists office to suck your saliva down my throat so I didn't continue choking on my vomit, while the other 4 removed the fitted sheet from the bed trying their best not to interfere with my tweakage.
After they removed the sheet I had laid down and then I felt my organs shift in my body so I began vomiting again because anytime I sensed a new sensation, the big kahuna of nausea would hit me. I threw up onto the plasticky cover that goes over the mattress of the hospital bed but at this point there was only like so much left to throw up so a nurse wiped it away with an alcohol wipe. And the SMELL of that wipe gave me such sensory overload that I began crying to the point of basically screaming. As I shut my eyes really hard praying I'd fall asleep and escape the pain and coldness of my insides.
And the weird thing about all this is, I was there the whole time, y'know? Like I felt perfectly conscious throughout the entire process of being Narc'ed. I had no control over my body and anything I did, it just felt instinctual and had no thought behind it, but I was still actively thinking throughout all of it. I felt shame, embarresement, surprise, all like I was watching a movie. Except it was one of those 4D movie theaters where you can feel whatever is happening on screen, but not control it.
Eventually sleep overcame me and I woke up in the ICU with like 40 million wires attached to me a heating pack over my belly, and these bags around my legs that would inflate and deflate over and over. And all I could think in my head, was thank GOD it was over.
I had ended up getting myself a bone eating staph infection because some of my vomit got into the IV hole I'd torn out (I see why there were trying to take the blanket off) and ended up having to stay in the hospital for 10 more days so they could give me heavy antibiotics,, and had to do an additional 5 days at home self administering the medicine through a PIC line that went all the way from my wrist into my heart (it was so gross because they kept me awake while they removed it and it felt so weird).
A few weeks later the hospital called us back and apologized but they were using so much avoidant language and deflecting blame off of themselves so hard that it was pathetic to watch. Like you gave a 15 year old kid fentanyl through a SELF REGULATED SYSTEM and didn't expect the worst? Especially since I was being given Dilaudid and morphine on top of the fent? Get out my face with that smh.

If you're tired of the traditional job hunting process, I have something that might interest you: reverse recruiting. Instead of chasing employers, imagine if they were coming to you! This post will walk you through the steps to position yourself in a way that attracts recruiters and employers to your profile. Let's dive in!
1. Build a Standout Personal Brand
Your personal brand is your professional identity online. Here’s how to build a compelling one:

• LinkedIn Profile: Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up-to-date. Use a professional photo, write a compelling headline, and craft a summary that highlights your strengths and achievements.
• Portfolio Website: Create a personal website to showcase your work, especially if you’re in a field like design, writing, or software development.
• Social Media Presence: Be active on platforms relevant to your industry. Share insightful content, engage with industry leaders, and participate in discussions.

2. Optimize Your Resume and Cover Letter
Even though you want employers to come to you, having a polished resume and cover letter ready is crucial:

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight skills and experiences that are in demand in your industry. Use keywords that recruiters search for.
• Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a generic cover letter that can be easily customized for different employers, emphasizing your achievements and what you bring to the table.

3. Network Effectively
Networking is key in reverse recruiting. Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Attend Industry Events: Participate in conferences, webinars, and meetups. Make connections and follow up with them.
• Engage on LinkedIn: Connect with recruiters, join relevant groups, and contribute to discussions.
• Informational Interviews: Reach out to professionals in your field for informational interviews. This can often lead to job opportunities.

4. Leverage Job Boards and Professional Communities
Use platforms that can put you directly in front of recruiters:

• LinkedIn Jobs: Set your profile to “Open to Work” and fill out the preferences to attract the right recruiters.
• Industry-Specific Job Boards: Join platforms and forums specific to your field where employers actively search for candidates.
• Freelance Platforms: Websites like Upwork or Fiverr can also attract employers looking for long-term hires.

5. Showcase Your Expertise
Demonstrating your skills and knowledge can draw employers to you:

• Blog or Vlog: Start a blog or YouTube channel where you share insights about your industry.
• Public Speaking: Give talks at industry events or webinars.
• Publish Articles: Write articles for industry publications or platforms like Medium.

6. Get Recommendations and Endorsements
Social proof can significantly boost your attractiveness to employers:

• LinkedIn Recommendations: Ask colleagues, managers, or clients to write recommendations for you on LinkedIn.
• Endorsements: Request endorsements for your skills from your network.

7. Stay Updated and Keep Learning
Continuous learning and staying current in your field is crucial:

• Certifications: Obtain certifications relevant to your industry.
• Online Courses: Take courses to upskill and stay competitive.
• Read Industry News: Stay informed about trends and changes in your field.

Conclusion
Reverse recruiting can significantly streamline your job search by making you a magnet for employers. By building a strong personal brand, networking effectively, and showcasing your expertise, you can attract the right opportunities to you. Good luck, and may the best job find you!
Feel free to ask any questions or share your own tips in the comments!

I’ve (27f) been talking to this guy (31m) for awhile now. We had a date to meetup and he became more responsive (we were texting about once a day for 2 weeks or so), but then when I asked what time, he didn’t answer, but instead said he had a question. Anyways, he said that he feels I’ve been more active in the conversation than he is and he feels guilty because he can’t be “present at the moment” (due to job searching and job interviews). Including that he isn’t as present as he’d like to be.
I gave him the gist of what I’m looking for and what I want. I’m interested in getting to know him and meeting in person to see where things go from there. I’m not interested in being just penpals and something more than communication online. If his inability is because of work or obligations, we can work something out. But if it’s because he lost interest, then we should end things now.
His response to me was that he believes he does owe me more transparency and he feels like we have a good connection and would like to get to know me better. But how it’s also common for him to be pretty distant in most of his relationships just cause he has things he wants to accomplish. But he also doesn’t want me to feel as if he’s being distant?? I asked if he’s more nonchalant and he says that he can also get chalant as well.
I mean, he’s been much more responsive. But is this breadcrumbing?

M(21) Started watching porn and masturbation when i was 13 year old . Worst decision of my life. I got addicted and watched porn and do masturbation on regular basis (mostly daily, 4 - 5 times fap a day ). From, Age 13 to Age 20, I have watched porn and fapped without care but soon I started feeling pain in my legs, knees, no concentration, struggling in daily activities . So, when i turned 21, I learned about No fap and it's benefits. I have been trying no fap for months but had multiple relapses in between . Nearly 40 times Approx in 5 months. I have stopped watching porn and fap regularly, but I do fap and watch porn sometimes. Just had a relapse few minutes, and in these 5 months, I have realised that porn has made a cuckold guy. I have started masturbating to girls around me or girls I know in my cuckold fantasy, me watching getting them fucked by some other strong men, even if I like them physically or emotionally. I never had this type of fantasy but in these 5 months, I have developed this . I don't what to do please help me..... i want to be strong man.... i don't want to watch porn, or mastrubate ever again in my life and how should stop being a cuckold or stop having cuck fantasies . Help!!

So I have a cornsnake, don’t know her age as my brother got her from a friend at work who couldn’t care for her but she’s similar in size to the one we already have who is 10yrs old, she often is sat at the very front of her vivarium and pushing her head to the glass as if she wants to go up or slithering upside it to the top, I’m worried if this is a sign of something bad or just normal?
Her heating and humidity set up and levels are all good, she has multiple hides she likes to use and some other things like leaves and vines she likes to hide under or climb, she’s away from busy or loud areas as well; our other cornsnake doesn’t do this behaviour, she will sometimes come to the front but then goes back and doesn’t try to climb against the glass doors at all so I don’t get it, thought it could be mating season causing it but she does it before spring time and into the summer too, she’s done it during winter too albeit far less often, and other snake doesn’t do it (although we think she might be a he).
I can’t see any signs of damage on her body or infections, she’s not ‘stargazing’ or any other weird behaviours, it shouldn’t be a hunger thing because she’s fed fine and regularly, we get her out in case she just wants to go out and explore which sometimes she’ll do and other times she just doesn’t want to at all and I find it odd how sometimes she’ll be pushing her nose right into and against the glass, I’m worried she’s gonna hurt herself
Is this weird and concerning behaviour? What could be causing it? Or is she just active and I’m stressing too much?
Also if it is purely a mating season thing, is there a difference between how males and females act since our other snake we think might be a boy and doesn’t do the same behaviour

Here are 100 Tips to Advance Spiritually on Your Recovery Journey

1. Start your day with prayer, asking God for strength and guidance.
2. Read the Bible daily, focusing on verses about healing and recovery.
3. Join a Christian recovery group where you can share your journey with others.
4. Memorize Scripture that speaks to overcoming temptation and maintaining faith.
5. Keep a journal of prayers, insights, and daily progress.
6. Attend church regularly to worship and connect with a faith community.
7. Practice gratitude by thanking God for three things every morning.
8. Offer your struggles to God in prayer, asking for His help to overcome them.
9. Serve others through volunteer work, which can shift focus from self to service.
10. Share your testimony with others to encourage them and strengthen your own faith.
11. Find a mentor or spiritual director who exemplifies Christian living.
12. Participate in Bible studies to deepen your understanding of the Scriptures.
13. Practice forgiveness, letting go of old grudges and asking for forgiveness from those you’ve hurt.
14. Avoid triggers and situations where you’re tempted to relapse.
15. Maintain healthy boundaries in personal and professional relationships.
16. Stay active to help manage stress and improve mental health.
17. Eat a balanced diet to help stabilize mood swings and improve overall health.
18. Get adequate sleep to ensure your mind and body are well-rested.
19. Practice humility by acknowledging your weaknesses and asking for help when needed.
20. Celebrate small victories in your recovery journey, recognizing God’s hand in each.
21. Seek professional counseling if you struggle with underlying issues contributing to addiction.
22. Pray for others facing similar struggles, which can deepen your empathy and connection.
23. Participate in retreats focused on spiritual growth and recovery.
24. Practice patience, recognizing that recovery is a journey, not a destination.
25. Engage in regular self-reflection to assess your growth and areas needing improvement.
26. Stay connected with supportive friends and family who encourage your recovery.
27. Use your experiences to advocate for recovery support in your community.
28. Develop a personal creed or statement of faith that you can turn to in times of temptation.
29. Learn to recognize God’s presence in everyday life and lean on Him during tough times.
30. Set realistic goals for your personal and spiritual growth.
31. Practice mindful meditation focused on biblical truths and God’s love.
32. Join a service project at church or a local charity.
33. Educate yourself about the physiological aspects of addiction to better understand your body’s reactions.
34. Encourage someone daily with a phone call, text, or email.
35. Make amends where possible, as part of your healing process.
36. Limit exposure to digital distractions to enhance your focus on recovery and spiritual growth.
37. Read Christian literature that supports recovery and spiritual well-being.
38. Create a peaceful home environment that supports your recovery.
39. Attend workshops or seminars on Christian living and addiction recovery.
40. Practice the art of listening to God and others, enhancing your empathy and understanding.
41. Engage in creative activities like writing, painting, or music that express your journey.
42. Develop a routine that includes time for work, rest, and spiritual practices.
43. Seek opportunities to share your skills and talents with your church or community.
44. Maintain a spirit of joy, finding reasons to smile and laugh each day.
45. Dress modestly and respectfully, reflecting your dignity as a child of God.
46. Be honest with yourself and others about your struggles and successes.
47. Respect your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit by avoiding substances that harm it.
48. Cultivate gentleness in your interactions with others.
49. Take responsibility for your actions and their impact on others.
50. Participate in community prayer groups or start one if none exists.
51. Commit to lifelong learning about your faith and how it relates to recovery.
52. Use technology for good, such as subscribing to Christian podcasts or recovery channels.
53. Support others in their recovery, offering your time and presence as a mentor.
54. Engage with nature, appreciating God’s creation as a source of peace.
55. Maintain a clean and orderly living space, which can improve your mental clarity and peace.
56. Honor your commitments to others, showing reliability and respect.
57. Seek silence regularly, allowing God to speak to your heart without interruption.
58. Pray before meals, thanking God for His provision.
59. Participate in fasting as a form of spiritual discipline and focus.
60. Practice saying “no” to non-essential demands that may lead to stress or temptation.
61. Develop financial discipline, using resources wisely and avoiding debt.
62. Attend a different community’s church service to experience the broader body of Christ.
63. Watch or listen to testimonies of other Christians who have overcome addiction.
64. Plan for challenging situations by having a strategy to maintain your sobriety.
65. Participate in communal worship, such as singing hymns or contemporary Christian music.
66. Adopt a spirit of perseverance, knowing that every day with God is a step toward recovery.
67. Educate others about addiction, breaking down stigma and spreading hope.
68. Take time off when needed to maintain your mental and spiritual health.
69. Pray with and for your family, strengthening bonds and spiritual connections.
70. Celebrate religious holidays with true spiritual fervor, focusing on their Christian significance.
71. Visit historical Christian sites or take pilgrimages to deepen your faith.
72. Incorporate Christian symbols in your home to remind you of your faith.
73. Give anonymously to those in need, practicing the gift of giving without recognition.
74. Join or form a support group specifically for Christian addicts in recovery.
75. Use Christian apps that provide daily scriptures and prayers.
76. Hold regular family devotions, integrating faith into your household’s routine.
77. Teach a Sunday school class or small group, sharing your knowledge and faith.
78. Partake in communion regularly, remembering Christ’s sacrifice and promise.
79. Invite friends to church or spiritual events, sharing your journey and community.
80. Maintain a prayer list, regularly updating and praying for the needs of others.
81. Reflect on the lives of saints and other Christian figures, drawing inspiration from their faith and perseverance.
82. Practice hospitality, opening your home to fellowship and community building.
83. Engage in spiritual warfare prayers, recognizing and combating the spiritual roots of addiction.
84. Forgive yourself and others, releasing bitterness and focusing on God’s mercy.
85. Decorate your living space with verses and Christian art, creating an environment of faith.
86. Observe a Sabbath rest, dedicating time each week to rest and spiritual renewal.
87. Speak words of affirmation and faith to yourself and others.
88. Consult with your pastor or spiritual leader regularly to stay on track.
89. Embrace modesty in thoughts, words, and actions, focusing on purity.
90. Conduct a weekly review of your spiritual and recovery progress.
91. Be proactive in your church community, taking part in its activities and outreach.
92. Learn to manage stress through faith-based practices like meditation and prayer.
93. Teach about addiction and recovery in your church, spreading awareness and support.
94. Maintain a balance between work, rest, and play to support your overall well-being.
95. Create a vision board that includes your spiritual goals and inspirations.
96. Participate in ecumenical gatherings, recognizing the unity of the broader Christian community.
97. Implement a “media fast” periodically to focus more on your spiritual life.
98. Pray for global issues and missions, broadening your spiritual concern beyond personal needs.
99. Set up a prayer corner or altar in your home, dedicating a space for spiritual reflection.
100. Routinely update your mentor or accountability partner about your progress and struggles.

I started this year completely lost and in the worst spiral of my life, not knowing what was wrong with me and actively destroying myself and every relationship I had, not sure how much longer I was going to last. The one good thing to come out of it was that it finally gave me the push I needed to get serious about treatment. I was lucky to get a psych that made me feel so understood, I'm now on 100mg lamictal and 350mg lithium and I can finally say I'm starting to feel like a real person again. I turn 24 tomorrow and I'm in the healthiest relationship of my life :) I never thought I would make it this far truly. Please don't give up no matter how stupid it seems, I went through horrible healthcare for years, felt like shit on SSRIs, and was never able to fully put a name on what was controlling me until a few months ago. This condition is worse than hell and has taken away so many years of my life, but don't give into it. The real you is still in there somewhere :)

Hey Entrepreneur!
I wanted to share the story of the past year and a half of my life - a tale of challenges, tech innovation, and a whole lot of snacks. This isn’t just about launching a product; it’s about solving a big problem that inspired an entire platform.
TL;DR: My buddy and I sold our previous snack subscription box company and made a cool thing

The Seeds of Discontent

At our previous company, my buddy Mike and I saw how powerful influencer marketing could be. Our business, delivering international snacks to doorsteps, was perfect for social media. But managing these influencer partnerships was a huge headache.
Each new campaign started with excitement but quickly became overwhelming. We dealt with many social media platforms, each with its own rules and metrics. Keeping track of everything felt like trying to solve a puzzle with pieces that kept changing. The tools we used were basic. They helped us send products and payments but didn’t offer much for managing or understanding the big picture.
Tracking our campaign performance was a real pain. With just a small team running our marketing, we were juggling hundreds of influencers at the same time. It was hard to keep an eye on everyone and make quick decisions. Plus, the data we got was often late and messy, making things even more frustrating.
This constant struggle showed us a big gap in our toolkit. We needed a solution that could make managing influencers easier and give us useful insights, something as dynamic and global as our product. This ongoing frustration planted the seeds for what would eventually become our new company.

Market Research: Finding the Pain Points

After selling our previous business, Mike and I took a six-month break. We explored different ideas, from unique apps to a Castle Crashers style game. But our experience working with creators kept pulling us back to marketing. We knew the challenges of influencer marketing needed to be addressed.
We talked to our network in the e-commerce space to see if they had similar problems. The feedback was eye-opening. Many businesses struggled with existing tools, which mostly acted as simple marketplaces, where interactions were brief and not very deep.
Even worse, the few ambassador tools available were expensive and limited. When I searched for an ambassador software tool that worked across all social networks, the options I found required scheduling demos days in advance. They often lacked direct API connections and supported only a few major social media networks. The starting prices were high, often around $5k per month, with costs going up as the program expanded.
This research not only validated our experiences but also showed us a strategic need for our own tool. We realized we needed a solution not just to fill the current gap but also as a key part of our marketing stack for future businesses. We were determined to build something that wouldn’t force us—or anyone else—to pay a crazy amount for effective influencer marketing.

Designing the Dream: Our New Business’ Blueprint

With a clear vision from our frustrations and market research, we set out to create our new business. Our goal was to build a comprehensive tool that would change influencer marketing. Here’s what we focused on:

• Comprehensive Integration: We made sure the tool we created works with the top 10 social networks in the US. This unified approach helps marketers manage campaigns across different platforms easily, without juggling multiple tools.
• Dynamic Engagement Tools: Engagement is key, so we developed real-time interaction capabilities. We built user-friendly native apps for ambassadors on the App Store and Google Play, allowing influencers to stay engaged and responsive. Brands manage their campaigns through a web-based company portal.
• Robust Analytics Engine: While our analytics engine gives deep insights, we know it needs continuous improvement. We designed it to evolve, offering ongoing updates to refine its capabilities and deliver actionable intelligence.
• Flexible and Fun Engagement: The points and rewards system was the most important and fun feature to develop. This gamification of the influencer experience encourages participation and loyalty, making marketing campaigns more engaging.
• Advanced Group Segmentation: We included the ability to segment ambassadors into groups. This allows brands to target certain activities and rewards to specific groups, enhancing the effectiveness of marketing efforts.

Each feature of our tool we were creating was designed to address specific pain points we identified. Our goal was to offer a tool that was powerful, efficient, adaptable, and enjoyable for both brands and their ambassador partners.

Launching Our New Business: Embracing User Feedback

After about 18 months of design and development, we started the soft launch of our new business on May 1st. Opting for a soft launch allowed us to focus on real-time feedback and fine-tuning over making a big initial splash. This approach is crucial - not just for introducing our product but for understanding how it fits into the real world, where actual users rely on it.

Initial Rollout and Testing

Our launch a couple of weeks ago marked the start of our public journey. We released our new tool we created with ambassador apps on the App Store and Google Play, and opened our web-based company portal for business use. This phase is not about mass marketing but about engaging with our professional network and early adopters testing everything in real-world conditions. This includes real companies and creators, ensuring our platform is robust and responsive.

Iterative Feedback Integration

Feedback from these early stages is invaluable. We have set up multiple channels to communicate with our initial users to ensure they feel supported and heard. This ongoing dialogue is critical as it helps us identify and implement necessary adjustments quickly. Each piece of feedback is a step towards improving functionality and user experience.

Continued Development Based on Early Insights

Since we are still in the soft launch phase, our focus remains on refining the platform. A recent development was adding the Creator Hub and Company Center about a month ago—enhancements from recognizing limitations in our initial setup.
Creator Hub: The Creator Hub allows businesses to manage their ambassador relationships dynamically. Companies can discover and invite creators who match their interests and campaign goals, ensuring more personalized and effective collaborations.
Company Center: This feature allows creators to independently discover and apply to various ambassador programs, giving them the freedom to engage with brands that align with their interests.
These features aim to make the connection between companies and creators as seamless and beneficial as possible, accommodating a wide range of marketing strategies and campaign sizes.

How The Tool We Created Works: Streamlining Influencer Marketing

Our tool is designed to simplify and enhance the influencer marketing process for both companies and creators. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how our platform works:

1. Signup and Integration

- Companies can quickly create customizable signup forms. They can also invite new ambassadors directly from the Creator Hub that match their interests. This flexibility helps integrate Social Strudel into existing marketing workflows.
2. Ambassador Onboarding
- Creators apply to become ambassadors, download the Social Strudel app, and connect their social media accounts. This ensures that once approved, creators can start engaging with brand campaigns promptly.
3. Application Review
- Companies get notifications of new applicants and can approve or decline them based on their fit and relevance to marketing goals. This step ensures only the best ambassadors represent the brand.
4. Targeted Segmentation
- Companies can segment ambassadors into groups, allowing them to tailor activities and communications. This supports targeted marketing strategies and more personalized engagement.
5. Activity Management
- Companies set up new activities on various social platforms for ambassadors. Examples include:

• Instagram: Create a photo post featuring the brand’s latest snack box and use specific hashtags.
  
• TikTok: Develop a short video showing a fun unboxing of the product, encouraging engagement through likes and comments.
  
• Twitch: Host a live stream where the ambassador tries snacks from the box during a gaming session, discussing favorites with viewers.
  

- These are just examples, and activities can be tailored to fit different platforms and goals.
6. Real-Time Notifications
- Creators get notifications about new activities through push notifications and email. They can browse the app for available activities, ensuring they never miss an opportunity.
7. Submission and Verification
- Creators submit proof of activity completion directly through the app. This makes managing submissions easy and organized for companies.
8. Activity Approval
- Companies review submitted activities, approving or declining them based on quality and alignment with campaign objectives. This maintains high standards and ensures effectiveness.
9. Rewards and Motivation
- Upon approval, creators earn points, which can be redeemed for various rewards. This system motivates creators to produce high-quality content and stay engaged.
10. Custom Rewards Creation

• Companies create custom rewards, ranging from products, discounts, to unique experiences, or even cash. This flexibility allows brands to align rewards with their strategies and ambassador preferences.

11. Reward Notifications and Redemption

• Creators are notified of available rewards and can redeem their points. This keeps creators motivated and engaged.

12. Reward Distribution Management

• Companies are notified about reward redemptions and distribute rewards accordingly. This final step ensures creators are compensated for their efforts, and companies can manage reward distribution easily.

Looking Forward: The Road Ahead for Us

As we continue with our new business, we are committed to not just meeting but exceeding the evolving needs of digital marketing. We’ve only just begun to tap into our platform’s potential, and our roadmap is geared towards enhancing our service and expanding our reach.

Enhanced Integration Capabilities

We aim to expand our platform’s integration capabilities, adding support for social networks like WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram, and Quora, and adapting to new emerging platforms like the anticipated Vine 2. By covering more platforms, we provide our users with tools to engage with audiences everywhere online.

Advanced Analytics and AI Implementation

Understanding the crucial role of data, we plan to enhance our analytics engine with advanced metrics and predictive analytics. By integrating AI, we aim to give users insights that reflect current trends and anticipate future behaviors.

Continued Focus on User Experience

User feedback is key and remains a cornerstone of our development. We are committed to refining the user experience based on real usage and feedback. This includes enhancing our mobile apps and ensuring the Creator Hub and Company Center are intuitive and robust. Both are still in early stages, and we are actively working to improve these features.

Expanding Educational Resources

To help users fully leverage the tool we created, we plan to expand our educational resources. This includes tutorials, best practice guides, and case studies for new users, and advanced content for experienced marketers to refine their strategies.

Final Reflections

If you've stuck with me this long through our story, thank you! Reflecting on this journey, it’s clear that every challenge and setback helped shape our vision and refine our approach. From the initial frustrations to the detailed market research, every step has been a learning experience. We're excited about the future and committed to improving our platform constantly to meet the evolving needs of our users and potential users. If you have any questions or feedback at all, I’d love to hear it! Your insights and support mean a lot as my partner and I continue to grow and innovate.
EDIT: Formatting

First off, congrats to everyone for the past application cycle! No matter what your outcome was, it's a big accomplishment to have gone through the whole process. I'm a non-trad who was accepted to Queen's this year, on my 2nd application cycle. I will be 27 when I start this Fall. It feels surreal and I always told myself I'd write a post about my journey if this day ever came - and here we are.
I didn't decide to apply to med school until after I finished undergrad, and while doing my research, I always wished I could read/hear perspectives from others with my background. Even though everybody's path will be different, I hope that my story can provide some insight (or even hope) for other non-trad applicants out there.
Before we start, here are my stats because that's important:

• cGPA, OMSAS: 3.53
• wGPA, UBC: ~85%
• MCAT: 515 (127/129/130/129)
• Casper: 4th
• IP: BC and ON

I'll go in chronological order, briefly describing some of the major events that led me to today, starting from high school. Please ask me any questions in the comments - (almost) nothing is off limits :)
TLDR: I was a software engineer who quit after a year to go to grad school and pursue medicine. It took me 4 years from when I decided to pursue this to getting accepted at a Canadian school. I did a Masters in stats and applied 2 times. My biggest takeaway is to do a lot of what you are passionate about, do it well, and take it far (for me, that was teaching and research).
Some demographics:

• My parents and I immigrated to Canada from Asia when I was 3
• I grew up in the GTA and did undergrad in Ontario
• I'm the first person in my family to pursue med school. My immediate family and I are the only people in our whole family who live outside of Asia, and nobody in my parents' network of family friends is in healthcare either.

High school, 2011-2015: I was always interested in medicine as a kid, but math was always my favourite subject. I applied to several science and math programs, and was choosing between Western Med Sci and Waterloo Math. I did not apply to Mac Health Sci and looking back, I'm not sure why (perhaps a sign that I didn't believe in myself). I ended up choosing Waterloo Math and giving up on the medical school route in grade 12, for a few reasons: the math program had 6 co-op terms, meaning I'd graduate with 2 full-time years of job experience, and I wasn't particularly good at biology and didn't have strong reasons for pursuing medicine back then. Med school also seemed like an impossible goal, especially since I didn't have any mentors in the field.
Undergrad, 2015-2020: This was honestly a fun time for me. I double-majored in stats and CS and I did 6 co-ops, 5 of which were in software engineering roles. I had originally planned to do actuarial science, but quickly saw the earning potential in the tech industry and made it my goal to get a job at a big tech company. A lot of personal stuff happened during this time as well that affirmed my decision pursue a software engineering career. One part of it was that I didn't want my parents to worry about me, and being able to show them that I was able to do well for myself in tech felt really good.
Halfway through my co-ops, I realized that I wasn't feeling the most fulfilled in software roles, but management roles also didn't appeal to me. I didn't really take the time to fully explore this feeling, and it was easy to put it away in light of the high income and getting to live in big cities for internships. Still, I did well in my co-ops and built up my software skills. After realizing that "grades don't matter for getting tech jobs", I let my grades slip. It wasn't until 4th year that I decided I wanted to keep the door open for grad school, and starting taking classes I liked and getting better grades. I graduated with an 82% average, with my grades all over the place (which I'd later learn was bad for calculating my OMSAS gpa lol).
Throughout undergrad, I still wanted to be involved in clubs and stuff, so here's a list of all my undergrad ECs. All these were only 4-8 months long.

• 1st year: I was a member and president of my first year residence council
• 2nd year: I was in a leadership position at the statistics club
• 3rd year: I was an event coordinator for co-op students in a city away from home
• also 3rd year: I was part of a club that builds software for non-profits

Another activity from undergrad that made it onto my application was a research project I did at one of my co-ops. It was in NLP and I worked on it even after finishing that coop term. It ended up taking 4 years to get published.
Full-time software engineering, 2020-2021: I signed a return offer from one of my co-ops, and had planned to move to Seattle in the summer after graduating to start working. But Covid changed all that. I moved back home with my parents in the GTA and worked at my software job remotely for the full year.
It was during this year that I was really feeling unfulfilled in my job, and did a lot of thinking about how I wanted my career to look. I started to remember that med school was something that I once wanted to do, and I also started reading/watching a lot of content from people in medicine with non-traditional backgrounds. My partner, who is also from Ontario, was accepted to an international med school, and many of our friends were also getting into schools in Canada around the same time, so this reaffirmed to me that it was actually possible. While working for the year, I made a plan to apply to grad school (academia would be my back-up) and take the MCAT. Here's what my 2020-2021 looked like:

• July: started full-time work
• December-January: wrote personal statements and applied to 5 Masters programs in biostatistics
• February-April: acceptances to Masters programs came in, and I was studying for the MCAT
• June: took the MCAT, scored 508, and told my manager that I'd be leaving by August to start grad school

During this year, I also wrote out a 3-year plan that included my masters and 2 application cycles. I wrote out what courses I would take to fulfill prereqs, which schools I would apply to each year, and what my back-up plan would be. I think this was important to do rigorously since it gave me a clear idea of which schools I was eligible for, and how much work it would take me to become eligible for the rest of them.
I will also add that this is a rather objective recount of my process that year. In reality, I completely recognized how insane it was to quit my job to go to grad school, and I'm super lucky that I was able to.
Grad school, 2021-2023: I moved to BC to start my Masters in statistics in August. This choice was partly to gain IP status in BC, but mostly, this was really the best program for me out of the schools I applied to. Even looking back now, I would have chosen this program even without the IP consideration.
Here's a breakdown of everything I did during the first year of my Masters:

• Started a new volunteering role (tutoring) right away. Still doing this today, almost 3 years later.
• Took a first year English class to fulfill the UBC requirement. Side note: it felt very odd being a 25-year-old in a class of 18-year-olds, but I did well in both classes probably because of being older. At first, I dreaded taking these classes since English was never my strong suit. But being older meant that I allowed myself to be truly curious about the topics being taught, and I treated it more as an experience to learn more about the world than to just check off some boxes.
• Took the MCAT again, at the end of my first year of MSc. I had already confirmed a supervisor by then, and thankfully she is/was incredibly supportive of my goals. I took it in June 2022 and got 515.
• TA'd stats courses throughout the year
• Started working on my thesis research with my supervisor

First application, 2022: I applied only to UBC for my first application cycle. In retrospect, I should have just applied broadly right away, but I didn't feel like I had enough references built up by then. And UBC doesn't require references unless you get an interview. I honestly had very high hopes of getting an interview this year, and was crushed to receive a rejection in December with an NAQ of 50-75. I thought that my application was unique, but upon reflection, I realized that the lack of volunteering and community service was a big gap in my application.
So here's a breakdown of everything I did in my second year of my Masters and beyond:

• TA'd stats courses throughout the year, and was the head TA for one of them (I think this showed leadership and commitment to teaching)
• Started another volunteering role at the food bank
• Took another first-year English course
• Continued my research with my supervisor
• Got offered (and started) a lecturer role for an undergrad course at the university, which was such an amazing opportunity. My supervisor helped me a lot with getting this position, since I TA'd for her one semester and she recommended me to the department. This was a class of 150, and I was also in charge of a few TAs. I ended up teaching this class 2 more times after this!
• Finished my Masters in August 2023
• Started working full-time as a biostatistician in September 2023
• A first-author paper I started working on during undergrad was accepted in Fall 2023. I had been working on this on-and-off for the past 4 years so it was incredible for the work to finally pay off!

Second application, 2023: This time, I applied to UBC and every school in Ontario that I was eligible for: Queen's and Mac. I was rejected by UBC pre-interview again. Same NAQ, and my total score didn't change. I was totally crushed and thought it was over for this year. I was very honest with myself about the Ontario applications - Mac was a total throwaway application and Queen's felt like a complete gamble. I was rejected from Mac pre-interview but one fateful day in January, I received an email from Queen's. It had a very generic "Application Status" subject line and I opened it fully expecting a rejection. I was totally shocked when it said I was invited for the MMI! And a few months later, I was also invited to the Panel.
Some of my thoughts and preparation for the interviews:
MMI - Aside from the usual resources that are posted here, I also took advantage of the following:

• Support system: I had a lot of support from my partner, who had gone through MMIs from non-Canadian schools, and many of my friends who were already in med school.
• Resources: I paid for a prep session on AcceptedTogether and had a positive experience there. I also used the BrightStudent question bank and although the questions were good, the explanations and overall experience were mid. But their YouTube video was extremely useful.
• Mindset: Throughout my whole MMI prep, I was honestly very interested in exploring each prompt, and I think this mindset was extremely beneficial for making my answers both unique and genuine. During my Masters, I also took a class that covered topics in social determinants of health, and I semi-regularly enjoy reading about current events in this area, so both of those pieces of background were super helpful for me.

Panel - I was so happy to receive a panel interview, and knew that I could not mess this up. I prepped with a few different friends of mine who were in med school, and another friend who was going through Ontario interviews too. Going in, I felt very prepared, and in the days leading up to it, I even felt like my answers were on autopilot and a bit over-prepared. So I really tried to relax and "be myself"/answer genuinely during the panel. The real panel felt quite cold - I didn't get any feedback from my interviewers, and was a bit thrown off by some of the questions. I was also cut off by the Kira Talent timer at the end, and didn't get to say goodbye or thank you. For the rest of the day, I ruminated on all my answers. The content of my answers felt somewhere between "why would I say that" and "just fine" and "great", but I was definitely feeling a bit bad about the whole experience.
Decision Week, 2024: That brings us to this week! In the week leading up to the decision, I flip flopped between "My panel hated me, there's no way I passed the vibe check" and "My answers were good, my MMI felt good, why wouldn't they accept me". I opened the email at 6am (Pacific time) with zero expectations - I truly had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side. The first word was "Congratulations!" and I didn't read much farther than that before I started celebrating :)
So that's it. I told a lot of people I work with, my Masters supervisor, my parents, and my friends, and it felt amazing to deliver this good news. My closing thoughts about my whole journey are that even though I do think my application was great, I still got incredibly lucky. At any point in the process, I could have gotten an undesirable outcome, and there was nothing I could do to control that (other than my efforts prior). I also relied a lot on my support system, and was so lucky to have had + made friends who are in med school or were practising already.
I just feel so grateful to be starting this Fall, and I'm happy to say that my high school self would be in absolute disbelief if she could see where I am today. That statement is a sign to me that I'm on the right path, and I'm just so excited to be starting this long, hard career that is medicine.
If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading!! If you can relate to any part of my journey and have questions, please send me a comment or DM - my inbox is always open.

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Hi! I'm an organizer at one of the Barnes & Noble locations, and I wanted to reach out on reddit.

What are we doing?

Right now, we have 7 unionized Barnes & Noble stores, from the East Coast to the West Coast, and we are looking to make this a full-out national movement! This is our best chance at getting the pay and rights we deserve!

Why unionize?

Unionizing will help secure better pay, job security, and more sick time and PTO. It will also force management to schedule consistently and fairly, recognize break times, and be held accountable for any unfair or illegal treatment.
Management might make promises to improve a store in an attempt to stop unionization, but there is nothing that holds them accountable for these promises. Unionizing is what secures a contract that guarantees change and improves working conditions and pay.

Reach out!

RWDSU (already working with East Coast): https://www.barnesandnobleunion.org/contact
UFCW (already working with West Coast): https://www.ufcw.org/actions/campaign/barnes-noble-union/
Or if you aren't an employee and want to help, share the union movement’s Instagram () and this recent article from The Guardian!

What info goes on the form?

Describe the issues you have in the store, and how they affect your day-to-day job. Are there scheduling issues? Unaddressed safety issues? Low pay? Non-existent or insufficient training? List every issue you can think of!
Also list ideas and goals that you believe would improve the workplace and morale! If one store has problems, there is a solid chance many other stores have the same issues.

Illegal Anti-Union Tactics

It is illegal for the company to do the following:

• Tell you that you will be punished of fired for discussing unions or partaking in union activities
• Pull you into meetings to interrogate you about union activity
• Promise benefits and promotions to oppose unions
• Claim the store or company will close if you form a unio
• Follow you and spy on you

Remember, it is your right to a union!

UNITED WE BARGAIN, DIVIDED WE BEG

(Not replacing any current partners! ♥️)
Hello! I’m Mono, and I’m 21M. I’m currently looking for another partner to play out my favorite plot of Hazbin Hotel! Before I get into the details, I want to get past the requirements you must meet.
You must:

• Be at least 20. 18+ is also fine and an exception but I would feel twice more comfortable if it was someone in their 20’s.
• Be literate, this means typing multiple paragraphs and details.
• Have discord. I only roleplay on discord, not Reddit or elsewhere.
• Have good English and punctuation, I want to understand what I’m reading.
• Be active, I don’t mind at all if you don’t respond for a day or two, because we all get busy. But I don’t want the rp to die either, and I like a flow going on! Just vocalize to me and I’ll understand ya. :)
• Be okay with very intimate scenes if you get me. We can discuss limits and whatnot in private.
• Be okay with playing Eve briefly in the beginning and young Charlie in the future. I can play other side characters (and Adam briefly in the beginning) that may show up but the main focus is our lovely couple, don’t worry.

Story:
It’s very simple rather. The roleplay will begin with the story of Lucifer and Lilith first meeting and falling in love in Eden. I got inspired by some fan videos by how they first met and would like to play them out since they’re so darn good! Once we meet on discord I can show you what we can play out on those ideas. Back to the story, we spend some time in Eden and then play out their story. This means the fall to Hell, when Lilith thrived, and then normal but cute, spicy married couple things. Eventually Lilith falls pregnant with Charlie, and Lucifer takes care of her, and they both take a break from being rulers to focus on her health and make sure their heir is born safely. Then from then on we focus on the Morningstar family dynamic!
Anyways I think that’s it! Please meet the requirements and don’t be afraid to reach out!

This is a 18+ discord server set in a superpowered academy with some dark secrets. The colorful cast of characters leaves a lot of room for whatever ideas you might have for your own, student or teacher! Be it a war vet nurse, or a bunny boi thief student, or even a former rock star trying to find new insperation as a teacher! all characters of all backgrounds are welcome to Magna!
Although primarily a modern day slice of life, the server does encourage individual plotlines based on your background leading to a web of interconnected stories through character interactions and backgrounds. There is no main character so no matter what your character will get their time to shine! Smut is allowed and encouraged as well! It's a college after all and college students are young and horny.
There’s no level of experience for your writing required either! Just on a personal note, this server is what got me into rp myself. It's been slowly raising in how active it is and at this point we have a happy little community that's always looking for and happy to accept new people into our group. I looks forward to seeing you there!