I’m not sure which is worse, seeing a female cockroach with an egg sac in my house or any cockroach on my face. I react to cockroaches like some people react to spiders: Overreact. I’m also glad that you moved out the following month.

Oh, that’s so gross. The building manager should get that looked at because that’s a public health concern to have sewage exposed like that. When it rains, the water will take up the space in the tank, and when there’s no space for the sewage to go, it’ll spill out in to the open and go everywhere.

As for the cockroach on your face, I personally would just leave and never come back (from a professional view, put down all the baits and get pest control if it’s too far gone). Cockroaches do bite, so be careful. If you could tell it was a mother cockroach (do you mean it was big, or it had an egg sac attached to it?), then there’s a bigger problem than just one egg sac. You’re either already or about to be a co-parent to millions of babies.

Just an FYI for anyone else who is currently living in a situation similar. 🪳 ☠️

Good question. I’m not sure about the smell of ants because in public health, we don’t consider them to be a concern because the ones that we find in restaurants and such don’t carry diseases that concern us. (AFAIK, anyway.) They act as indicators that they’ve found unprotected (spilled, spoiled, etc.) food. I haven’t encountered such a huge population of ants that I can smell them, so refer to the other person’s comment.

Cockroach smell: It’s really hard to explain well because it’s so unique. I liken them to the smell of a grease trap (old oil mixed with detergents, spoiled food, sewage-y kind of smell. This does not bother me whatsoever), except with a distinct meaty, animal kind of smell that makes it horrible. It doesn’t smell like spoiled chicken, beef, pork that’s been in the fridge for too long, kind of meat.

The words that come to mind are: Heaving, warmth, animal and spoiled… I can usually sense them when I walk in, but when I can smell them, the place is infested = massive heebie jeebies.

This, and cockroaches are associated with allergies and respiratory issues. I can 100% confirm this because whenever I go in to a restaurant, if I start sneezing, I know they’re there. Then I go looking, and I will find them because I can also smell them. 🤢

Also, I was reading this a few weeks ago: The Cockroach and Allergic Diseases.

Living in Australia, they are unavoidable, so yes, they do come inside the house sometimes. The American and German ones are the ones that reproduce very fast and can take over very quickly.

I don’t drink at all. Might have a taste (which is quite literally a taste) of my partner’s drink if it’s something new, but that’s it. Otherwise, I have what looks and feels like an allergic reaction if I even have a mouthful.

My view on it is that as long as you’re responsible about it and aren’t causing anyone else discomfort or putting them at risk (being creepy, violent, making a mess, driving, etc.), then I’m okay with it. What you put in your body isn’t my decision and you shouldn’t let your alcohol-fueled self decide the fate of others.

As for me getting around people asking me if I want a drink, they’ve all been pretty respectful when I decline. If they pushed, they wouldn’t likely be people I surround myself with. I’m also always happy to be designated driver, so I get offered mocktails instead. 😎

Oh gods. Really, can SA have an even worse reputation than it already does. 😂😭

I don’t have a computer - I just use my phone for Samsung Dex and my tablet (which I think might actually be Linux-based or something. I’m a tech noob).

Otherwise, Windows for work.

Always results in an eyeroll and a laugh/snort/grumble about it being the stupidest joke, but I love it.

I know. What I don’t know is where that came from. I can’t read much of Reddit after they now try to force you to download their app, but an basic internet search came up with things like Atomic Bomb, AfterBirth, ABortion. ☠️

I have asked my partner to share one with me in case I don’t like it, but he doesn’t want one unless he’s been drinking. Apparently it is a late night sort of food, which might be the equivalent to KFC and Macca’s at 3AM.

Had to look that up. It actually just looks like kebab meat.

Which triggers another food item memory: the HSP. It’s called this in Victoria, but other things in other states. I’ve not had one of these yet either.

What do you call a hen that counts her own eggs? A mathemachicken.

Not a recipe, but durian. I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago fresh in Malaysia, and though the smell was enticing, the taste was not.

Haggis. Really wasn’t keen on it when I first heard about it. Went to Scotland and tried it, and enjoyed it. Would not eat more than one portion, it is incredibly rich.

Balut. Haven’t not gone to the Philippines yet, but this is something I’m not sure I’m game to try.

Sauerkraut. I never liked anything pickled when I was younger, and when I tried it, I didn’t like it. I think it was probably because it was from a jar. I really like it now.

Edit: How could I forget this one. So I worked in the West Wimmera region for a while, and then I was told about this: The florrie. It is uniquely Horsham, Victoria. My colleague is not good as describing things so it sounded worse than it is.

I have an “anxiety first aid kit” in my bag for exactly this when I can’t get out to greenspace. I have:

• menthol cough lollies (smell, taste, feel)

• headphones (hear), and earplugs (hear, for when I’m overwhelmed and need some quiet)

• hand warmers (feel, one of my first signs is cold/numb fingers)

• a nostalgic menthol rubbing oil that my mum used to use on my neck and chest whenever I was sick as a kid (smell)

• peppermint oil for when I’m nauseous (smell)

• I wear a ring (feel).

If I resort to headphones, I also use the Balance app and pick one for dealing with anxiety. It gives me something to focus on when someone is telling me what to do.

I have a Garmin Fenix 5 Plus. I track my activities whether it’s a long walk, a hike, or paddle. It helps when hiking because if I get a bit lost, I can look at the map to see the trails I’ve walked, or how fast I’ve paddled/hiked/etc. It also has an emergency function so if my heart rate suddenly spikes or if I quickly drop in height (like a cliff, though it has been triggered once when I climbed down a water fall), it’ll send an emergency message to my emergency contacts with coordinates.

I have it set to remind me to move every hour if I haven’t moved from my desk. This in addition to step counts.

Sleep tracking, though Garmin is/was notorious for poor sleep tracking, so I don’t really count on it too much.

Date and time. I also have a little clock on the bottom to tell me what time it is back home so I know when to not call.

I like seeing my fitness go up on the dial. Not so much the other way around.

I also use it for my morning wake up alarm. It vibrates on my wrist instead of an audible alarm to wake up the +1. He doesn’t have a smart watch, so I wake up every morning at stupid o’clock.

Badges. I love collecting the badges.

Interesting! I have heard almost similar with eye-byoo-proh-fen instead. Wonder if it’s a regional thing or an individual thing.

That’s a good one! Maybe not quite on top, but still a good answer. I think it’d be like how they teach us directions as kids: Never Eat Shredded Wheat, Never Eat Soggy Weiners,… Just looked up how others remember this, and some of them are NSFW. 😂

Hmm… Might be a roundabout way, but occurrence could be that good things occur in threes… So 3 C’s. I don’t know what to do about the double R’s though.

Oh, good one. I forgot that I used to say this as a kid!

There are so many words that are squiggles under words when my documents are set to “English (Australia)”… Program vs programme, feces vs faeces (I swear I don’t just talk about bodily functions all the time - it’s part of my job).

I did write “candy” on one of my first Food Act Orders that I wrote here in AUS, and my boss wanted to look over them before I sent them out. She circled it in red and wrote “What is this”. Granted, she was a very peculiar individual and I don’t think she ever left her city to explore what was out there.