Contrary to what you might think, I’m much more of a gadget person than JB. It’s often me who buys things if I think the new technology is cool, and if it can save us work time. However, I’m far from being an early adopter. I often wait for the 2nd, 3rd versions… before making up my mind. Recently, I discovered reMarkable 2, the tablet that lets you take notes, but with a feel similar to paper. It’s very popular among engineers and managers. It took me a day to think it over. I bought it for JB. JB loves taking notes. He tried doing it on a regular tablet…

A very long time ago, I saw on the Hermès website that they sold sheaths (leather cases) for their own lipsticks. I thought the idea was really smart and fun. However, the price is too high, so I kept it as a DIY idea. I have a small stock of leathers with me, but I opted for goatskin on the outside, and swift calf leather for the lining. The softness and smooth feel of the swift will help the lipstick slide out of its case. This project is so simple that you don’t even need a pattern. You just cut two rectangles and make sure they wrap the lipstick well…

Autobiography of a Yogi (Amazon link) is a book written by Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian spiritual master, who recounts his own life journey and his path toward spiritual enlightenment. Written over more than 10 years and first published in 1946, the book quickly became a bestseller and inspired many people around the world. I first heard about this book in the biography of Steve Jobs written by Walter Isaacson : “[Steve Jobs] literally read it as a teenager, then reread it in India and reread it once a year ever since.” Those who attended Steve Jobs’ funeral were given a copy of this book. That piqued my curiosity: why was…

Far from its occult connotations, the word esotericism comes from the Greek εισωθεω (eisôthéô, I bring in, to be turned inward). Esotericism allows, above all, self-discovery. It’s a logical progression for someone interested in astrology like me, to eventually take an interest in other esoteric movements. Les Initiés by Jean-Jacques Bedu I’m not actively seeking out esoteric books; they come to me. First with watching a very interesting interview with Jean-Jacques Bedu. I immediately bought his book “Les Initiés”, which portrays about a hundred initiates from the year 1000 to the present day. These men and women come from movements as diverse as they are spread over time: alchemists, hermeticists,…

When I bought mint seeds, the packaging clearly indicated the best time to sow them. I didn’t heed that advice, put the seeds in a pot indoors, and watered them, hoping I’d still get mint out of season, thinking that heat alone would be enough to make them grow. Sure enough, the seeds sprouted, but the plants were too small to eat. I gave up and stopped watering them. Then, just as the instructions said, right before summer, the plants suddenly shot up and gave me more leaves than I needed. By the time I got organized and set a date with friends for a “homemade mojito” night, the leaves…