Everyone is on Their Phones

Back in April 2025, I went to China for the first time. My husband and I visited Shanghai, and one of the thoughts that I remember having was the observation I made while riding the Shanghai Metro. Everyone was looking at their phones. I thought that it was giving me such a dystopian feeling. I also remembering back then that people at home, in Germany, were not like this. I didn't realise that one year later, it would also be like this.

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.

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.

The Review Economy

Nowadays, everything and their grandmother seem to be relying on reviews. And sometimes it is to the point that they even chase you to provide reviews.

How to Sell an Electric Shaver

For a while now, I have been seeing these billboard advertisements on Berlin's public transportation advertising handheld electric head shavers. I've always ignored them, but at some point, it got me thinking, why does the manufacturer think that it is a good idea to advertise their product on such an offline medium?

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias, which refers to the tendency for people with low ability in a specific area to overestimate their abilities in that area. It featured in the work context recently, as I used to have a co-worker who thought that they were very brilliant, when in fact, the opposite was true.

Greek Masks

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to visit Athens temporarily. I spent a week in the city, and noticed something peculiar. People in public transportation (e.g. in subways and in buses) tend to use masks more diligently than in Germany. This somehow surprised me, given that it's already 2026, and it's been a few years since COVID was considered a big thing.

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.

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.

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.

The Amazonian Clutter

I don't always shop in Amazon. The only time I do so is when there are things that I really need, yet I know that it would be hard to find them in an offline retail store. So these are the times when I go online and see what is available. In the past, Amazon has been a great place to find items. However, nowadays, it feels like it is a very cluttered marketplace.

Good Beds and Showers

This year sees me in several trips near and far. And while I do not feel that I am picky regarding my accommodation, there are a few things that needs to be right, else the trip leaves a bad taste in the mouth. These include a good bed and a functioning shower.

Loving Mainz

I recently spent a week in Mainz. I planned a trip combining some hiking, sight-seeing, and remote work. I didn't realise I would love this corner of Germany, that I can imagine myself living here.

Humans vs. Machines: Connection vs. Accuracy

I definitely remember awhile ago that I was thinking how much I loved living in my neighbourhood, where there are shops that are set up where I am essentially forced to interact with fellow humans. Like whenever I am buying meat at the butcher, I have to talk to the butcher to explain what meat cuts I am looking for. This is great. But recently, I also realised that machines are sometimes better, like whenever I am ordering something from a restaurant, and instead of a human I just interact with a computer where I place my order, and my order is processed quickly and efficiently, with no room for misunderstanding. Which one is more important, the human connection, or accuracy?

Corporate Culture Across Borders

It is not too often that I visit a different location of my employer. Yes, there are several locations, even within the same city. And once I did visit another location in a different part of the country. But this time, I went to a different country altogether to meet with colleagues, and that was more or less a culture shock. It was absolutely positive, but it was a shock nonetheless.

A Collection of Small Problems

Sometimes, life is complicated. Sometimes, life throws you lemons. Most of the time, these lemons are small. But sometimes, these small lemons get thrown at you all at the same time, and sometimes you wonder, whether life is playing a joke at you. I mean, it could have been nice if these lemons are thrown at a predictable pace, but every now and then, after a long lemon-less period, then there's a period where all the accumulated lemons get thrown at you.

On Travelling Without a Camera

I suppose readers of this blog know that I have a habit of taking photos whenever I travel. And then I blog about it, mostly by dumping my photos as a blog article. It's after all my way of remembering things. But I also wondered how travel would be like if I didn't take photos. I tried this once, during a short trip we did recently. And it was an interesting experience.

Decision Making in the Context of Artistic Consumption

Nowadays I consume more culture than I used to. I attend performances of operas, classical music (contemporary or otherwise), theatre productions, and even movies. Except for the movies I watch, I create a digital memory of this by writing an article here in my blog. So at one point, I wondered, how do I decide to watch what I watch?