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Cardiff, United Kingdom Pros: It’s in the “West” Cons: It’s cold, expensive, and all the kids are vaping and drinking. There was a stabbing on the street on m

by _lvbh 3y ago

Cardiff, United Kingdom Pros: It’s in the “West” Cons: It’s cold, expensive, and all the kids are vaping and drinking. There was a stabbing on the street on my first week here just 10 minutes away from where I live. Even though GDP per capital is higher (but actually unexpectedly low), purchasing power is much lower. Context: I come from Malaysia and have always idolized the west as some sort of paradise. Even for lower pay, I’d much rather go back to Malaysia in a few years. Tips to those that were in the same situation as I was (got some money through luck and considered coming to the UK for university): You’ll probably be happier staying where education is cheap, days are warm, and skies are clear.

Accacin 3y ago
Yeah, no crime in Malaysia for sure!
munksbeer 3y ago
I'm sorry you're experiencing this. My advice is move to London. It's expensive but very multi-curtural and if you embrace it is such a fantastic city. I can't help you with the weather though.
creativenolo 3y ago
This is super insightful. It’s a shame your investment isn’t paying off. Cardiff is probably representative of much of UK. But without some prior connection to it, I don’t think it represents the best of the west that the UK has to offer.
mi_lk 3y ago
does "West" give you some status or something? what's the context
- _lvbh 3y ago
  As a child, I was always told by everyone around me, family, friends, teachers that going to the US or UK should be my dream. Those that manage to go either via scholarship or wealth are described as geniuses and assumed to be smarter than the rest of us. I ended up earning enough to either live 6-8 years without working in Malaysia during high school but I decided to blow it all for getting a degree in the UK (which costs more for international students as well). Yes, status but probably also just a lot of conditioning and propaganda.
  - zxt_tzx 3y ago
    I actually first came across you on the Internet for the cool stuff you did reverse engineering the Obsidian sync engine! (On that note, I remember the CEO's response was praised for being measured/reasonable, but if I'm not wrong they subsequently broke it.) > As a child, I was always told by everyone around me, family, friends, teachers that going to the US or UK should be my dream. Those that manage to go either via scholarship or wealth are described as geniuses and assumed to be smarter than the rest of us. On this particular point, similar phenomenon here in Singapore and I studied overseas and came to a similar realization as you. But one irony is it's not something you can credibly say/know without actually having done it. Now that you're there, my advice is to make the most of it and aggressively filter for people with similar interests as you and accept that you probably won't assimilate in with the mainstream and that's OK!
    - _lvbh 3y ago
      I’m actually surprised that there would be such a phenomenon in Singapore. Many of my classmates in Malaysia were from Singapore and wanted to escape from the strict education system so I’ve always assumed that education is better there (in some sense, I understand it’s not for everyone). I actually tried applying to some SG universities but was rejected (I have terrible grades) Re: the Obsidian Sync stuff The CEO categorized it as a “security vulnerability” during our discussion on GitHub. I’m still using it by patching the JavaScript manually but it’s too much work for general use by others.
      - zxt_tzx 3y ago
        > The CEO categorized it as a “security vulnerability” during our discussion on GitHub. Have you tried making a HN post or otherwise bring attention to this? My impression is he got a bunch of undeserved clout, especially in light of how things turned out subsequently. > Many of my classmates in Malaysia were from Singapore and wanted to escape from the strict education system so I’ve always assumed that education is better there (in some sense, I understand it’s not for everyone). Oh that's new to me, I didn't know that's a trend (Singaporeans going to Malaysia to escape the education system). > I actually tried applying to some SG universities but was rejected (I have terrible grades) Sorry to hear that. Something I have learned much later in life is that whereas schooling rewards individuals for being "all-rounded" and naturally caps the returns for being good at something (at most you can get 100 or 4.0 or wtv), in the real world, the returns for being really good at something (as you seem to be) are really uncapped.
dcminter 3y ago
I went to college in Wales a few miles north of you (up in Pontypridd). It doesn't sound like much has changed. Except the vapes; they hadn't been invented back then. However I would recommend that you at least try a few other parts of the UK before writing it off. Wales is one of the rainiest parts of the country for a start! The other major cities in the UK all have their own vibes - and if you don't like the urban centres there are some idyllic spots in the country. Don't get me wrong, I don't live in the UK any more and I don't plan to again, but it would be a shame to characterise the country entirely around a city that happens not to suit you.
- _lvbh 3y ago
  Yes, I wouldn’t say the UK is bad or anything since I haven’t really explored. I guess I’m just salty I spent so much for nothing.
  - dcminter 3y ago
    Well, I hope you get the chance to explore a bit before you make your decision on whether to stay. The British climate (at least) is hard to defend though.

by _lvbh 3y ago

Accacin 3y ago

Yeah, no crime in Malaysia for sure!

munksbeer 3y ago

I'm sorry you're experiencing this. My advice is move to London. It's expensive but very multi-curtural and if you embrace it is such a fantastic city. I can't help you with the weather though.

creativenolo 3y ago

This is super insightful. It’s a shame your investment isn’t paying off. Cardiff is probably representative of much of UK. But without some prior connection to it, I don’t think it represents the best of the west that the UK has to offer.

mi_lk 3y ago

does "West" give you some status or something? what's the context

_lvbh 3y ago
As a child, I was always told by everyone around me, family, friends, teachers that going to the US or UK should be my dream. Those that manage to go either via scholarship or wealth are described as geniuses and assumed to be smarter than the rest of us. I ended up earning enough to either live 6-8 years without working in Malaysia during high school but I decided to blow it all for getting a degree in the UK (which costs more for international students as well). Yes, status but probably also just a lot of conditioning and propaganda.
- zxt_tzx 3y ago
  I actually first came across you on the Internet for the cool stuff you did reverse engineering the Obsidian sync engine! (On that note, I remember the CEO's response was praised for being measured/reasonable, but if I'm not wrong they subsequently broke it.) > As a child, I was always told by everyone around me, family, friends, teachers that going to the US or UK should be my dream. Those that manage to go either via scholarship or wealth are described as geniuses and assumed to be smarter than the rest of us. On this particular point, similar phenomenon here in Singapore and I studied overseas and came to a similar realization as you. But one irony is it's not something you can credibly say/know without actually having done it. Now that you're there, my advice is to make the most of it and aggressively filter for people with similar interests as you and accept that you probably won't assimilate in with the mainstream and that's OK!
  - _lvbh 3y ago
    I’m actually surprised that there would be such a phenomenon in Singapore. Many of my classmates in Malaysia were from Singapore and wanted to escape from the strict education system so I’ve always assumed that education is better there (in some sense, I understand it’s not for everyone). I actually tried applying to some SG universities but was rejected (I have terrible grades) Re: the Obsidian Sync stuff The CEO categorized it as a “security vulnerability” during our discussion on GitHub. I’m still using it by patching the JavaScript manually but it’s too much work for general use by others.
    - zxt_tzx 3y ago
      > The CEO categorized it as a “security vulnerability” during our discussion on GitHub. Have you tried making a HN post or otherwise bring attention to this? My impression is he got a bunch of undeserved clout, especially in light of how things turned out subsequently. > Many of my classmates in Malaysia were from Singapore and wanted to escape from the strict education system so I’ve always assumed that education is better there (in some sense, I understand it’s not for everyone). Oh that's new to me, I didn't know that's a trend (Singaporeans going to Malaysia to escape the education system). > I actually tried applying to some SG universities but was rejected (I have terrible grades) Sorry to hear that. Something I have learned much later in life is that whereas schooling rewards individuals for being "all-rounded" and naturally caps the returns for being good at something (at most you can get 100 or 4.0 or wtv), in the real world, the returns for being really good at something (as you seem to be) are really uncapped.

dcminter 3y ago

I went to college in Wales a few miles north of you (up in Pontypridd). It doesn't sound like much has changed. Except the vapes; they hadn't been invented back then. However I would recommend that you at least try a few other parts of the UK before writing it off. Wales is one of the rainiest parts of the country for a start! The other major cities in the UK all have their own vibes - and if you don't like the urban centres there are some idyllic spots in the country. Don't get me wrong, I don't live in the UK any more and I don't plan to again, but it would be a shame to characterise the country entirely around a city that happens not to suit you.

_lvbh 3y ago
Yes, I wouldn’t say the UK is bad or anything since I haven’t really explored. I guess I’m just salty I spent so much for nothing.
- dcminter 3y ago
  Well, I hope you get the chance to explore a bit before you make your decision on whether to stay. The British climate (at least) is hard to defend though.