Aora matcha cafe in Eindhoven.

Camera: Ricoh GR III HDF

My personal blog is now listed on Bubbles, a website that simplifies the search for other personal blogs on the smallweb. It also helps me find other interesting posts.

Bubbles is similar to Pagecord Spotlight or Bear Discovery Feed, but the main difference is that Bubbles curates websites that aren’t exclusively part of a specific platform.

Down Town Gourmet Market in Eindhoven.

Camera: Ricoh GR III HDF

The highlight of my week was visiting the newly opened Aora matcha cafe in Eindhoven, which opened just three weeks ago.

The entire place has a good vibe, with its stylish decor and soothing color palette. Even the spacing between seating areas is great, providing enough privacy. I could easily spend hours at Aora, working on my MacBook Neo, while occasionally ordering drinks. It’s the perfect place to relax and unwind.

I can’t decide yet if the drinks are as good or better than those from Good Tea Stories, also in Eindhoven. I will have to visit it more often and do more tastings. Oh, and as a surprise, they even offered me a taste of their matcha and black sesame soft ice cream; I loved the black sesame one.

Besides matcha drinks, they offer other (limited) options. The pastries were delicious, though a bit pricey.

Software

I recently discovered a couple of software apps that I’ve begun using on my MacBook Pro.

• Fastfetch
• • A basic system information tool for the terminal.
• Nothing-bar
• • A native macOS menu bar app to control Nothing headphones.

Recently, I have been trying out all kinds of browser alternatives for Safari on macOS, but I kept going back to Safari because it just works and is efficient.

Games

I have been looking around at different methods for game streaming to the MacBook Neo; GeForce Now looks interesting enough. I might give this a try in the near future.

Besides that, I started playing Nordhold very casually.

Here’s a random fact about me: I’ve been typing with just two fingers ever since I first touched a keyboard. I never learned to use all ten fingers, not even tried it.

I recently gave learning to use all ten fingers a try, but it hurts my brain, lol! However, it turns out I don’t even need all ten fingers to type fast; I’m already pretty quick with just two fingers, as shown by a 1-minute and 3-minute typing tests at typing.com.

• 1 minute: 71 wpm with 98% accuracy.
• 3 minutes: 59 wpm with 97% accuracy.

Both attempts were the first time, and both were blind-typing; the power of muscle memory gained over my life time ;)

Honestly, I find that quite fast, especially because people often say they can’t keep up with me during our text conversations :P

The only thing I notice when typing with just two fingers is that I tend to press the keys down a bit harder, which makes them sound a bit louder when compared to others who use ten fingers.

I often get asked by people close to me why I started this blog, even though I really value my privacy and think it might seem a bit hypocritical. I figured I’d share my thoughts with everyone in case more people have similar questions.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it’s because of choice and control. However, I also view this personal blog as a place to freely express myself, where I can look back at my past writings in the future. It’s like having a public diary, where I can share my thoughts, happenings and ideas with the world. Also, making it public has made it easier for me to write because it feels like an actual place rather than a hidden note that could be easily lost or even thrown away. 

I don’t write it for others, per se, but more so for myself in a couple of years. It’s like a digital mirror, to see how I’ve changed over time.

I’m planning to blog more as I get the hang of it, and I’m aiming to improve my skills along the way. This is my first time blogging, so I’m excited to see where this takes me!

Hey there! It’s time for another weekly life update. I’m finally getting consistent with my updates.

The rollercoaster weeks have been over as this week has been easy-going, whether it is physically or mentally. Although I do have some odd dreams, as if my subconscious is trying to send me a message. I’m attempting to keep a dream journal, as long as I can recall them after waking up.

So what else has been going on.

• I recently started carpooling with a colleague, but unfortunately, that arrangement will end in June because he has been forced to change his work shifts. To save on fuel costs, I’ll try to ride my electric bike more frequently during the warmer seasons.
• I’ve booked my holiday to Valencia, Spain.
• I asked my niece (12) if she’d like to join me for a visit to the Efteling in June. She hasn’t given me a definite answer yet.
• Visited my mom to help her make choices related to the renovations of her home.

Excitement

A new matcha cafe called AORA has opened in Eindhoven, and I’m excited to try it out. The interior looks cozy, making it a great spot to relax. If AORA is great, it’ll be a new favorite for my matcha drinks, besides Good Tea Stories.

Besides that, I heard that Uniqlo is opening a store in Eindhoven! It’s one of my favorite clothing stores, but unfortunately, there’s no official date yet. Somewhere this year at least, but for now, I’ll have to visit Düsseldorf or Utrecht, which will also open a new store at the end of this month. I’ve already planned a trip to Utrecht.

Applications

• TinyStart
• • A tiny launcher for macOS, fast and focused on the essentials.

Website

I’m quite pleased with the overall design of my website now. I’m considering making a few minor tweaks here and there. I’m also glad that Olly from Pagecord has increased the maximum size for custom CSS from 8KB to 16KB.

Valencia, Spain, is all set for my holiday! It’s my first time visiting, and I’m so excited! It was a bit of a last-minute decision. I’ve already sorted out the plane tickets and Airbnb. I’ve been noting down some fun things I’m looking forward to be doing once I arrive.

Let me know if you have any specific tips or advice.  🤗

People around me in real life often express their confusion about me having a personal blog, given my strong interests in privacy. Besides wondering why I would even have a personal blog since they never seen one before (they obviously don’t know better), they question why I would choose to share my personal life or thoughts, online with the public, without the need for (social media) friendship. Asking me “why would anyone you don’t know be interested in your posts?”.

However, they fail to understand that I have the choice to decide what to share and with whom. Having the power of choice, allows me to control the content I share with the world.

The Choice & Control

When I post on my personal blog, I have complete control over what I share and how it is presented. Unlike on those large tech social platforms, they track my location, my contacts, the frequency and timing of my interactions, and my usage habits, such as through trackers, to profit from my data. This is one of the reasons I stopped using big tech social media, besides that it can also be addictive.

Posting on my personal blog is like choosing to host a dinner party. I choose who to invite and what’s on the menu (unless we decide together). Being on big tech social media is like having a hidden microphone under the table at the dinner party, recording everything, including a silent whisper or fart, for a marketing company. I’m good with the dinner party but not fine with the microphone.

I value my privacy and data, and I don’t want them to be misused or exploited for someone else’s gain. Especially these days when it is one data breach after another.

Privacy isn’t about keeping secrets or being anonymous; it’s about having control and having a choice.

You shouldn't confuse privacy with secrecy. We know what happens in the bathroom, but you still close the door. That's because you want privacy, not secrecy. Everyone has something to protect. Privacy is something that makes us human. — Privacy Guides

I haven't been feeling very energized lately, my main focus will be getting some high-value rest.

​Since becoming single again, I can focus more on my small group of friends and perhaps get to know new people. Due to work and limited free time, most of my energy went into the relationship before. I’m also hoping to get into reading again and am attempting some garden maintenance. In the meantime, I’m continuing to watch my favorite new anime shows.

It’s been the same old routine; meaning not much has changed.

So, I’ve noticed that I’m feeling somewhat burnt out; I’m trying to take plenty of rest whenever I can.  Also, I feel like I’m on the brink of getting sick. So, these days, I’m just going to work and then come home and stay in my peaceful comfort zone. As a result, I have also been ordering in food more than I would have liked, but it's not particularly junk food because I always consider my personal health.

One thing that brightened me up was my mom’s unexpected invitation to join her on a holiday to Valencia, Spain. It’s been a while since I’ve had a break from the daily grind, and this trip might just be what I need. We’re planning to go on a last-minute trip in mid-May. She generously offered to cover the entire cost of the trip, knowing that I’m currently on a tight budget. My 75-year-old mother is still quite mobile. I feel like she wants to experience more of the world with me before it’s no longer possible. So, I am going to look into that. She asked me to look up places to stay and the other logistical things.

Besides all that, I have found a couple interesting websites and applications.

Websites

• The Mindless Scrolling Calculator
• • Find out how much of your life you’ve already spent scrolling.
• 2of3 by Ente
• • Turn one important secret into 3 recovery cards you can keep in different places. Any 2 cards bring it back.

Applications

• Little Snitch
• • Protects your privacy and prevents your private data from being sent out to the Internet without your knowledge.
• Wispr Flow
• • Makes writing quick and clear with seamless voice dictation.
• Setapp
• • Large collection of powerful Mac apps available by subscription.

I’m thinking about signing up for Setapp, and I’m really enjoying Wispr Flow so far! But I’m a bit worried about the 12-15 Euro monthly fee, as it feels a bit steep compared to other monthly subscriptions. If I remain on the free tier, I’m limited to dictating a maximum of 2000 words per week.

In the meantime I've tried various browsers, but I keep returning to Safari on macOS. It appears to offer robust privacy controls and anti-fingerprinting features while being efficient with memory usage. The latter is particularly crucial for the MacBook Neo, given its limited 8GB of memory. It has yet to cause me any problems, although.

Speaking about the MacBook Neo, it replaced my main custom build computer for daily use for now. I connect it to my LG 34-inch ultra-wide screen, and voila!

Media

Starting in April, I have been enjoying watching new anime series on Crunchyroll. Such as the start of season 4 of "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime".

Yuna, is always sleeping with me untill it becomes to warm.

Camera: Google Pixel 9 Pro

After doing some research, I eventually came across the "official" website about Otroverts. And according to the questionnaire, I’ve been identified as an Otrovert!

To my surprise, the Eurasian Magpie has returned to my garden for yet another season. I believe it started like two years ago, or I never noticed it earlier than that. Only spotted one of them this time.

I will never forget that it guards my garden against crows.

Guess what? I just found out I’m on the Kagi Small Web! I was thinking about adding myself, but it looks like someone already did. Thanks a bunch to whoever added me!