“Tobacco is the plant that converts thoughts into dreams.” – Victor Hugo Stoicism tells us pleasure is fine, providing it is virtuous. One of the stoic virtues is temperance. Self-control. Discipline. Buddhism tells us not to crave material pleasures. Thích Nhất Hạnh teaches that all material desires bring no pleasure, only sadness….
Gym
“it is a disgrace to grow old through sheer carelessness before seeing what manner of man you may become by developing your bodily strength and beauty to their highest limit. But you cannot see that if you are careless, for it will not come of its own accord.’ – Socrates Lifting is a thing I…
John Williams
You need to travel light when you move about as we do. The book rule ‘unless you read it more than once, you don’t buy it’. I thought Stoner was a book about weed. It sat on my Kindle for a month or so. I don’t recall how it got there. I was in no…
Caffeine
I have not had a coffee for two months. A regular coffee. Maybe two. It was a conscious decision to stop. It didn’t seem to be an issue. Perhaps I was not dependent. There is a café nearby. It is called Lot 369. It makes a good piccolo. Uni assignments are due. It is an…
Wet season
Our balcony looks South. You can see forever. There is no haze here. A view to the horizon. The days start clear and blue. In the afternoon, the clouds build. It is like this every day. Wet season. We cook dinner and watch the storms roll in. You can…
Balcony
We never had a balcony in Kuala Lumpur. It was a priority when we arrived in Phnom Penh. We spend every evening on the balcony. Cooking the BBQ, eating dinner, and watching the storms roll in. We have not used the air conditioning during the day. The breeze comes in and cools the flat. With…
Camera comebacks
I have an old Nikon D3100 with a 35mm f/1.8G lens. I like the fixed lens. Uncomplicated. The old Nikons were simple enough to use on manual without being an enthusiast. It is a great setup. I carried the camera around Melbourne and took some nice shots. I used it a bit when we…
Day 157 – Zagreb
17 May 2022 “Book a ticket, get a visa, pack a bag, and it just happens.” ― Alex Garland Our apartment has no curtains. The sun rises at 6.30 am but it is light at 5.00 am. There is no air conditioning, we are in the loft. It is hot. I wake up at 5.00…
Day 152 to 156 – Camping
12 – 16 May 2022 I apologise to my three readers. I was offline for a few days. “I’m sorry if this all seems a little rushed and desperate. It is.” ― Chuck Palahniuk 12 May 2022 We spend an extra day in Ogulin. Sat in the park and read our books. An extra day…