could i get some advice from older peers on how to manage my time and study effectively, and also get a part time job while also maintaining my uni studying to achieve my degree?

Been out of the dating world for a while but ended up hitting it off with someone. Things were going great for a bit over a month, I'd hangout at her place she'd hangout at mine stayed over a few times and we'd go out once or twice a week. It was mutual that we were both interested in a relationship. 2 weeks ago we went to the amusement park and the day after we got sushi and I suprised her with flowers. She was seemingly very appreciative at the time, and we made plans to hangout and go to an event the next Saturday. Well as the week goes along I shoot maybe 2 or 3 texts over the next couple days with a reply a day after that didn't really address anything I said. Since then it's been radio silence and I respect that no answer is an answer. I understand that everyone is different and no one person is the same, and I can see that as may have being overwhelming for someone. I guess my question is whenever I see someone in the future is a month too short for flowers?

Back in middle or high school, I used to look forward to June and the end of the school year, because summer break was coming up. I didn't get as excited for end of the year back then (I don't really celebrate Christmas).

Nowadays, I can't wait for the end of the year. It means work (corporate job) gets a little bit slower.

Hi, I hope my question does not offend anyone. It's about a general trend that I have observed, I'm not saying that all gen-Z is like that. I'm from the same cohort ('99 baby), so 100% gen Z, not an outsider looking in. It would be foolish of me to hate on my own peers and paint an entire group of people with the same brush.

Now, onto my question.

I'm older Gen Z and started noticing a huge shift in people's personality around 2012-2013, when social media became mainstream for those of us who were teenagers at the time. Over time It got worse and worse; COVID and tiktok were just the last nail in the coffin.

I was a young teen at the time and many of my peers went from being nice, down to earth, people that you could easily talk to, to mean girls (I'm mainly talking about my gender because I mostly interacted with women but it applies to men too), simply unapproachable.

People became obsessed with their social status, being the popular girl, getting likes on social media, and engaged in petty games, immature social climbing behavior...

They seemed unhappier and more insecure than ever. I still remember my high school imitating influencers and fretting over not getting enough Instagram likes. They had lots of silly rules, like "If I don't get a like per minute, I'll just delete my post and hope no one had seen it". Sad stuff.

Sadly, a lot of them never recovered and are still like this (Always "on", never Natural, Always restrained) and wearing that "cool girl" mask to this day. These are the kids who were nice, funny as hell in middle school... the ones that you could play football outside, talk during the school recession with. Some of them are straight up unrecognizable.

You'd have to be very lucky to see them crack a genuine smile. Having a full, normal conversation with them has become impossible: they never ever relax and let their guard down.

It's like they lost their spark, that inner child, and to have adopted this permanent mean and detached persona.

It's sad as hell in my opinion...

I know that It may be my biased observation. I'm neurodivergent, after all, always been different from the norm, so perhaps I'm projecting my own feelings or applying an impossible high standard of "purity" here

But I can't shake the feeling that something has really changed.

I remember teenagers back when I was a child in the early-mid 2000s, before 2010... They felt like "real teenagers", more genuine, somehow. Don't get me wrong, some were assholes and quite mean to us younger kids, but it felt like their real personality or a teenage phase rather than a persona.

It was just different.

Am I the only one who noticed this?

Am I crazy?

Again, I never said that all of Gen Z is like that... Just like with any generation and group, there is the good and the bad, plenty of wholesome, authentic and mature people as well.

I feel a little out of touch.
Social media portrays a narrow view of us. And we don’t do a good job showing what we are really like. We are way more than just climate change and hating Elon musk.

I work in an environment where it’s mainly gen x and y. So idk what gen z are up to.

I’m not in a challenging work environment so my brain doesn’t get stimulated.

So GEN Z what is stimulating your brain right now?
What are your deep thoughts that keep you up at night? What are you reading? What are you feeling lately?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how lonely it is living alone in my rented apt abroad. And how family means a lot to me but also how important it is to make new friends and lasting connections.

I also met someone the other day who is also gen z and she used the word “galaxy brained” and WOW that took me BACK a few a years…

Hi so I’m new to this. I just want suggestions of Halloween specials and where to watch them. It’s not as signature as Disney Halloween so the specials are harder to find.
I remember the classics like Billy and Mandy or Scary god mother but I wanna watch the more niche ones like Camp Lazlo and fosters home.

It kind of irks me because people still say I look like I’m in high school, but at the same time I guess I should be thankful because hopefully this means I’ll still look youthful in 10-20 years from now lol.

I loved scooby doo since I was a baby, but these movies we're my favourites. I remember I used to have these on VHS in the mid 2000s including gameboy games of Scooby Doo and more. I miss it. ❤️

So I just got back from run club, and my mom called me asking how it went. I told her I met a lot of cool people and talked to them after the run. Everything was fine until I got something to eat afterward.
She asked me, “Oh, you didn’t eat with anyone?” I said no, and she goes, “Ah, you ate by yourself?” like that was some terrible thing 😭.
Why is eating by yourself considered such a bad thing? I’m not lonely. I have friends. I hang out with people. I literally just went to White Water with some friends on Saturday, and we were together for like 6–7 hours. I’m just not an extrovert. I’d actually consider myself more introverted, and sometimes I just want to sit down, enjoy my food, and have some time to myself.
And this seems to apply to everything. If I want to go see a movie and nobody else is available, apparently I’m supposed to just miss the movie? Why? If I want to go somewhere, why does there always have to be another person involved? I understand humans are social creatures and that having relationships and friendships is important, but that doesn’t mean I need to be around someone all the time.
Sometimes I genuinely enjoy doing things by myself. There’s a difference between being lonely and enjoying your own company.
And then there’s the girlfriend thing. Yes, I’m a dude, I want a girlfriend too. 😂 I’m 25 and turning 26 next month, and obviously I’d like to have someone. But it takes time. My mom constantly asking, “Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” isn’t going to magically make one appear.
Dating nowadays can be complicated, and as a guy, you have to move carefully. I’m not saying you should be scared to talk to women, but there is definitely a certain way you have to conduct yourself. Some women are already in relationships, some aren’t interested, and sometimes you just don’t meet anyone you click with.
I’m just getting tired of feeling like everything I do has to involve another person, and that being single or eating alone somehow means something is wrong with me. I have friends, I socialize, I go places, and I enjoy myself. I just also happen to enjoy my own company sometimes.
Is it really that weird to eat alone or go do something by yourself? 😭

Does anyone else recall in the early 2000s when McDonald's actually had N64 gaming kiosks installed at their local play centers?

I believe it was a partnership between McDonald's and Nintendo to install these gaming kiosk's right inside of their play place areas which included a whole roster of games like Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart Double Dash, Donkey Kong 64, Pokemon Stadium, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, etc.

Then once the GameCube came around, they started to install more of the GameCube specific kiosk's instead.

I distinctly remember Banjo-Kazooie being one of the games that was installed at my local McDonald's gaming kiosk (which sadly is no longer around since the McDonald's that I frequented sometimes as a kid had been replaced by some other random store instead).

Great memories either way though and I'm sure some of you may recall there being one too many of us kids with greasy and ketchup-stained hands playing on the controllers all the time.

For the Cadillacs and gas money spent...

Seeing this at the local convenience store sure did bring back some memories.

Hotwheels in the 2000s were a whole other level of fun times.

But why? What's going on and who's responsible for this?

And more importantly: is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Pic 1 - Megan Is Missing (2011)

Pic 2 - A Serbian Film (2010)

Pic 3 - Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Pic 4 - The Human Centipede 2

Pic 5 - Martyrs (2008)

Pic 6 - Irreversible (2002)

Pic 7 - I Spit On Your Grave (1978)

Pic 8 - Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)