TDM
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My Current Favorites – [January 2026]: Books, Memory Foam, Sales
The Sales The sales are back, and I took advantage to replace some household items. My memory foam pillow had flattened over time, so I decided to treat myself to a new one. I took advantage of the sales at Marriott to buy a 3-compartment pillow with duck down & feathers, 233-thread-count cotton, 625g (for 76.3€ + 24€ shipping). It’s not as high-end as JB’s, which is goose down and weighs 700g—but since I don’t need a too-tall pillow, this one works for me. For an extra 14€, you can add 2 cotton pillowcases (140g/m²), and I highly recommend it. For pillowcases, I use the hand-woven silk ones from Lua…
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[review] Maison & Objet Show Jan. 15-19, 2026
By sheer chance, we’re in the Paris region right when the Maison & Objet showis happening. It’s a very renowned show I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. And by pure coincidence, Carole M. gave me some entrance tickets (thanks!). It’s a trade-only show, but there are still a few private individuals who go. The entrance ticket is quite expensive, so private individuals must be very motivated or get tickets gifted like we did. We park in the car park (3.6€/hour) and take the shuttle that drops us off in front of the entrance to 5A. It’s perfect because that’s the section with fine craft (métiers d’art). On the…
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[review] Custom weekly vegetable baskets – Les Vergers Dupré Vieux-Lille
If, like me, you’re not a fan of vegetables and feel lost in the supermarket produce aisle, you’re not alone. I’ve found that the best way to encourage myself to eat more is to leave my grocery shopping to a professional: my greengrocer. For residents of Vieux-Lille, there’s an excellent option available: Les Vergers Dupré offer personalized fruit and vegetable baskets. This article is not sponsored; I just wanted to give a shout-out to my greengrocer – the shop is new to the neighborhood and many people walk past without realizing it could change their health and life. The concept is simple: you set a weekly budget based on your…
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[review] Eye Appointment for Prescription & Glasses at Alain Afflelou Vieux-Lille
Every now and then, I’m going to write an article about glasses. I wear them less and less because I spend much less time on the computer and it’s rarely sunny in Lille. But since my old sunglasses gave out, I’ve decided to update my prescription glasses and my sunglasses. The main issue is: how to get a prescription without waiting 3 months? If you’re in Lille, I highly recommend my optician Alain Afflelou Vieux-Lille (this article is NOT sponsored, as usual, I pay for everything out of my pocket). I often go there to pick up my Vinted parcels and Charles, the optician, is always smiling and kind. I…
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[review] Book “Marcel Proust: The Making of the Work”
This book is a synthesis of the BnF exhibition held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Marcel Proust’s death in 2022. The book is structured as an alphabetically ordered exploration of the “making” of the novel In Search of Lost Time with photos taken from the Proust collection. Proust’s handwriting is difficult to decipher, so when necessary, the book deciphers the text and the crossings-out in the photos presented. I really like this book because the chapters are independent; you can browse a few pages each day. You learn a great deal about how Proust created and organized his work. I think we believe we know this from…
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SOC Analyst Job Interview Questions: Examples & Tips
A year ago, I successfully transitioned into cybersecurity , and and I made a video about it. Someone then reached out for tips to ace their job interview; my advice partly helped them land their SOC Analyst role. I’ve decided to publicly share these valuable tips, enriched with examples of questions from my own interviews for a level 1 SOC Analyst position. Feel free to add your own interview questions to this list! Sharing is caring.
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[review] “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley – a dystopian novel
It took me a long time to read this novel because the style is far from great literature. But I plucked up my courage by first reading the graphic novel version (Amazon link, Fnac link), then the text version (Amazon link, Fnac link) and I found a lot of insight in it. Brave New World (“Brave New World”) describes a future society completely controlled by a world state from birth. The main goal of society is stability: suffering, conflict, and strong emotions are avoided through psychological conditioning, constant consumption, and an euphoric drug called soma. Between 1984 , and Brave New World (“Brave New World”), I find that Brave New…
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Porto (Portugal): Travel Diary
With JB out of paid leave but still wanting a change of scenery, we had to pick a destination that wasn’t too far for December. That’s how we ended up spending a weekend in Porto right after Christmas. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Day 1 There’s a direct flight from Lille with Ryanair, which saves us a lot of time (plus Lille airport is just a 20-minute drive from the city center, handy!). Unfortunately, during peak holidays, prices are sky-high for both flights and hotels. Ryanair is already not great, but the plane we were supposed to take had an issue. They bumped us…
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[Reflection] #30: Democracy, Autocracy, and the “Three Principles”
Here’s a translation of a text written on January 1, 2026, by my favorite contemporary Vietnamese philosopher, Dang Than. This text echoes what I wrote about the novel Brave new world. You’ll find the text original in Vietnamese & the English text here. [Best wishes for 2026] Democracy, Autocracy, and the “Three Principles” Democracy, in theory, grants rights to everyone. In practice, it’s often hijacked by a small elite that deceives subtly oppresses the masses through the art of “soft governance.” Autocracy is “hard governance.” A handful of rulers need only a few managerial tricks and an iron fist. The people may suffer more, but they see the brutal reality…
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2025 Review: First Year of Career Change
2025 marks our return to a settled life. In 10 days, we went from “feet in the water” under the Jordanian heat to “snow in the North.” After 8 and a half years of wandering, we decided to come back to France so JB could start his new career in cybersecurity (I talked about JB’s career change here). A job search was launched across the country, but it was finally in Lille that we chose to settle down. Fortunately, the conditions are still favorable because JB has unlimited remote work. Braving the cold and wind to go to work every day would have been hard for a former nomad. In…
