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My Current Favorites – [January 2025]: Dressing in the World’s Best Natural Fibers
After 8 and a half years of traveling the world at a frantic pace, here we are, settled in Lille. It’s very cold, and I need to dress us from head to toe. We used to dress like onions with layers, but now that we’re settled, we’re trying for a more urban look, especially for JB who has to go to the office every day. To do this, I read the excellent book Fabric for Fashion: The Complete Guide Second Edition (English Edition) (p. 179). Quercus. Kindle Edition by Hallett, Clive; Johnston, Amanda. I still want to stay minimalist and buy things of excellent quality, first because I love quality…
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10 Things to Know Before Buying a Kindle on Amazon
I’ve been asked some questions about Kindle following my other article and I realized that I knew a lot about Kindle. It’s been almost 5 years since I’ve been reading exclusively ebooks. I’ve bought 3-4 paper books just for the pleasure of flipping through them, but having to part with them even though I bought them pushes me more to buy ebooks, so I can keep them and reread them as many times as I want, wherever I am. This article is about the Kindle e-reader (Amazon link) but also Amazon’s Kindle service in general. 1. You can use Kindle without buying the Kindle e-reader There’s Kindle and Kindle. For…
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Egypt – Saudi Arabia – Jordan Itinerary
Here’s the itinerary for our air-trip at the end of the year. Our schedule is a bit light for Egypt because we’ve already visited the country. The stop in Cairo is a surprise because we have a layover to go to Saudi Arabia anyway, so we might as well take advantage of it and stay a few days in Cairo. Egypt Day 1 Day 2 Check out the corresponding travel diary here Day 3 Check out the corresponding travel diary here , and and there Day 4 Check out the corresponding travel diary here Day 5 Check out the corresponding travel diary here Saudi Arabia Day 6 Day 7 Check…
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Swimming in the Dead Sea in Jordan
The desert tires us out so much that we always quickly escape to the edge of a nearby sea. We’re spoiled for choice: the Red Sea or the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has always been a dream for me—there aren’t many countries with access to it (Israel, the West Bank, Jordan)—so this is our very first time discovering it. JB uses our miles to treat us to 6 nights at the Marriott Dead Sea Resort & Spa. We even took advantage of a deal: 3 nights booked, 1 free, with buffet breakfast + spa access (sauna, hammam, pools) thanks to JB’s Gold status at Marriott. In Spain, I had…
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Aqaba, Red Sea, Madaba (Jordan)
We feel revived after leaving Wadi Rum. At the camp, we met a Korean tourist and, to save him the taxi fare, we give him a ride to the Israeli border at Aqaba. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Aqaba If the Wadi-Aqaba drive is smooth, things get complicated upon arriving in Aqaba. JB asks me to test my phone because his GPS (on his phone) stops working while we’re on the highway. He says he read news that Israel is jamming GPS near its border. The Korean and I have the same issue, proof that it’s indeed jamming. So it’s the old-fashioned way, following…
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Jadia Skin Review: False Advertising – Turmeric Cosmetics
A follower sent me a screenshot of a Jadia ad for their turmeric mask, and surprise! They illegally used my photo before/after published here even though I’ve never used their product in my life!! They obviously never asked for my opinion or consent. Using my photo to illustrate an article, why not, but using it to prove the effectiveness of their product, which I’ve never used, in an advertisement, I’m speechless!!! It says a lot about how serious this company is. Plus, my before/after photo shows progress over 6 months. Getting that result in 7 days is simply impossible because skin has a minimum 28-day cycle. The ad is false…
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[Reflection] #18 What Craftsmanship Taught Me: Life Lessons on Discipline, Quality, and the Value of Time
After 20 years of working alongside French and Vietnamese artisans in a variety of trades (jewelry, sewing, leatherworking…), here are some reflections and lessons I’ve learned. Craftsmanship teaches discipline I’m someone who likes to use my time and money wisely, so when I choose a teacher, I want THE best, the most meticulous, the most demanding, to learn as much as possible, but I also suffer a lot from it. Before meeting them, I thought I was a perfectionist, but after getting to know them, I realize I’m still light-years away from perfectionism. What’s funny is that when you walk into their workshop, you don’t necessarily think they are, because…
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How to Find a Rare Book or an Out-of-Stock Book?
People read so little nowadays that print runs are shrinking. It’s becoming more and more common for books to go out of stock despite demand. So what can you do? Where can you buy them without paying a fortune? Here are my tips. I’m not sponsored; all the sites mentioned are ones I use myself. I know many people just check a few retailer sites and quickly conclude ‘it’s out of stock.’ But even with their massive warehouses, Amazon and Fnac don’t have every book in the world. An out-of-stock notice on those sites doesn’t mean much. The simplest solution is to check out https://www.chasse-aux-livres.fr/, a book price comparison site…
