The Eternal Outsider

Sometimes, it's not always easy when you're not white, and you're living in a white environment. Sometimes, you're the eternal outsider, no matter how much effort you put in integrating.

Fourteen Years in Berlin

A few weeks ago, my 14th-year anniversary of my move to Berlin quietly passed. But even though I didn't do a big celebration, this milestone is still important. In fact, I have been anticipating about this event since last year. And now, it finally happened.

Testing Myself on Social Media

I do not have much social media consumption. I actually left Facebook more than a decade ago, and I do not have Tiktok nor Instagram. I am not glued to my smartphone. So one day, I wanted to test this decision of mine, whether my feelings have changed. It turns out it hasn't.

A Holiday Without a Guidebook

At some point, it was bound to happen. I went on a holiday that was of a significant duration, without a guidebook. I suppose I have gone to other destinations in the past for long weekends without a guidebook, but I figured, those were just long weekends. I could easily find information online. But this time, I went for an entire week! And I had no guidebook!

Keeping With The Times

Every now and then, I observe little events in my surroundings, are realise that sometimes the times have changed so much that for some people, it has become unrecognisable. I was eavesdropping on the conversation between two elderly individuals one day, and it made me realise that so many things have changed, mostly within the technological space.

Did the Travel Itch Go Away?

I ask myself the above question, since I don't have any flights booked for the time being. And this is actually a rare occurrence, at least for me.

No Flights Booked

Somehow I am in a rare period. Most of the time, I have a flight booked for sometime in the future. But somehow, nowadays I have been planning trips that use the train instead, and so I actually have no future flights booked for the time being. This is a weird feeling, I have to say.

Year 22

Wow, I am starting my 22nd year of blogging!

The Joys of Sitting Down When Urinating

I've been in Germany long enough to see stickers directing the user to sit down when urinating, as opposed to standing up. These would be found in private households, and I would see them every now and then when I am invited over for dinner by friends. So at some point, I got curious, how common is the habit of men sitting down in order to urinate? After all, personally, for the longest time, I pee standing up. So I did some research.

When Different Occasions Call for Different Classical Music Periods

I have lately realised that as much as I want to claim that I have a strong preference for contemporary classical music, I actually have a wider interest than that. It's just that I devote different types of attention to different musical periods.

Differences in Concert Cultures

I recently had the chance to attend a classical music concert in a different country, in Greece, to be precise. And somehow, I experienced a little bit of a culture shock, as there were certain behaviours of the audience that I didn't really expect.

Another Dose of Culture Shock

I have lived for a total of 11 years in the USA. So I should know how the USA works, as a country. Yet every time I visit, I still feel like I get culture shock.

On Dealing with Death

There has been a death in the family recently. It was my first, to be honest.

The Opera Fanboy

In classical music, most of the time, composers are already dead. So one doesn't get to see a living composer too often, let alone a living composer of music that one likes. However, that changed a bit for me recently. I had my very first opera fanboy moment.

Understanding My Musical Preferences

I wanted to get to know more of my musical tastes, given that consuming classical music is actually a hobby of mine, and a large part of who I am. So given that I now use artificial intelligence in this topic, I wanted to know more about my preferences.

When Reading Slows Down

I used to read quite often. After all, this is the thing I used to always do while commuting to and from work. However, recently this habit has diminished, for various reasons.

Looking Back: Year 2025

The year 2025 has just finished, Happy New Year! And guess what, this blog is still here! This blog is still going strong, so let me review what has happened during the past year by giving this overview post. This is the sixteenth time I am doing this: I have been doing this since 2010, and I think it's a good way to wrap up the year.

When the Work Devices Stay Home

It used to be the case that I brought two phones with me whenever I went on holiday. I have of course my personal phone, and additionally I would bring my work phone. Not that I was expected to read emails or be reachable during my holidays, but it was more intended to be a back up, when perhaps my private phone would be compromised somehow, and having an additional device would perhaps be helpful. But earlier this year, I had a holiday in China, and I didn't take my work phone with me, because China is one of those countries where my organisation thinks it is not wise to bring one's work phone. So I was forced to go on holiday with only one phone. And it was actually fantastic!

Noise-Cancelling Earphones and Musical Change

I mentioned several times that I am a late adopter when it comes to technology. This is true as well when it comes to using wireless noise-cancelling ear-fitting headphones. I only recently started using Google Pixel Buds, and oh boy, this basically changed the way I interact with music.

AI and the Pursuit of Musical Pleasure

I mentioned earlier this year that I am a late adopter when it comes to artificial intelligence. I suppose I am a late adopter when it comes to everything, whether it's smart phones, or any other technology. But once I adopt it, sometimes the adoption is quick. And this is also true when it comes to artificial intelligence. Nowadays, I've been using it to augment my pursuit of musical pleasure. And I have to say, I am pleased with the results!