Inventory

Yay, I have an iPad again! 😊

For years, I didn’t have a laptop and used an iPad for everything. These days, they are definitely capable enough, and I strongly disagree with those who say tablets are only for consuming, not creating.

What eventually made me replace the iPad with a laptop, though, was something rather counterintuitive: I wanted something easier to carry around. With the iPad, once you add a keyboard, a stand and a trackpad, you have a great setup for tasks like hobby coding, but it ends up being a lot to carry in your backpack for a session in a cafe.

So, a couple of years ago, I replaced it with a MacBook Air.

I love the MacBook, but there have still been situations where I have missed the iPad. Reading the newspaper or a book on a laptop just doesn’t feel right. And undeniably, a laptop is much less convenient when you want to watch an episode of a K-drama on the plane. And using a laptop in bed just isn’t very ergonomic or relaxing at all. And lastly, and ironically: the portability. For the times when I don’t need a keyboard and trackpad, it feels silly wearing a backpack just to carry a backpack just to fit the laptop

So, I’ve been thinking lately: why not both?

I waited for Apple’s launch event on Wednesday, just to make sure they didn’t release anything interesting right after I bought the iPad.

With this being a secondary device, I settled for the iPad A16, a.k.a. the standard iPad. I’m very happy with it so far. It’s definitely quick enough, the screen is perfectly fine, and unless Apple get their act together, the lack of Apple AI is almost a good thing.

It seems the idea of getting a camera is still stuck in my mind.

I obviously know that my photos are limited more by a lack of skill than by the camera, but I feel strongly that the iPhone relies too much on processing. Take a picture of the mist, and the phone boosts the colours to make it look like a clear day.

There is also something satisfying about using an actual camera. Holding it up to your eye, using a proper viewfinder, to take a picture makes it a more conscious action, different from, let’s say, scrolling Pinterest.

That said, when I say camera, I still mean a compact one, not an SLR. The best camera is the one you have with you, as they say.

When I couldn’t sleep last night, I did some further research. The result is that I’ve moved on from the idea of the Ricoh IV. I don’t think a fixed focal length, and one that requires me to get up close, is for me. Right now, I’m leaning toward the Panasonic Lumix L10 instead.

The important thing now is to make sure my desire for a camera is a real thing and will last, so I don’t end up with an expensive paperweight.

For that reason, I’ll wait until October at least before I take any action.

Once I bought my first JNCO jeans, I guess it was just a matter of time before I bought another pair, and my birthday was the perfect excuse to treat myself.

This time I went for the 34” Rhinos. I thought the Twin Cannons were big, but these are MASSIVE!

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A while back, I started thinking about rebooting my wardrobe, and as autumn is getting closer, I’m back at it.

I’ve changed course slightly. Instead of trying to create the perfect system for every situation, I’m focusing on what I wear every day, 99% of the time.

I’m calling this my 14-day uniform.

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I would love to just have a good old Casio watch, but there are two reasons why I have a smartwatch instead:

1. I need a silent alarm to wake me up in the morning without waking my husband.
2. I want a step counter that counts every step instead of just those when I carry my phone so that the number looks higher.

For many years, I had a Fitbit. It did these two things very well, and I was happy.

But then four events roughly coincided in time. Firstly, Google bought Fitbit and demanded to get all my data. Secondly, I bought an iPhone Pro Max, thinking the bigger screen would make reading more pleasant than a normal-sized phone. Thirdly, London became the phone theft capital of the world and I started worrying about having my phone snatched when taking it out to skip the ads in the podcast I was listening to, or whatever. And lastly, I went to Korea and was able to buy an Apple Watch on the cheep.

That was why I decided to get an Apple Watch. I wanted a non-Google, phone-snatching-preventing iPhone remote at a discount.

I have now had my Apple Watch Series 11 for 10 months and feel there are a few things I want to get off my chest, so here’s a very honest review.

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My wish list is a list of the things I crave, but I put off buying. Maybe they are a bit on the expensive side, or I’m not sure whether the desire will blow over. Or I’m just savouring the anticipation.

Here’s the current list:

• TOYO Cantilever Toolbox ST-350 MG (Moss Green)
  One of the things I want to do when I move next is to put together a well-thought-through toolbox, instead of the random bits and bobs I’ve accumulated over the years. The first step is, of course, the toolbox itself, and TOYO make the best one, imho.

• Apple AirPods Max 2 (Midnight)
  My noise-cancelling over-ear Bose headphones have ended up in the office, and the in-ear AirPods replacing them at home and out and about are not isolating enough when I travel or when the husband is taking work meetings at home.

• Lego The Endurance
  I was a massive Lego fan as a kid, and I still am, even if I’m a rather infrequent builder these days. The last time was a bonsai tree for my desk at work, but now I have my eyes set on a nice-looking ship model for my desk at home, once I move.

• Carhartt WIP dungarees (black rinsed)
  I’ve always had a thing for dungarees. I really like the look of them on top of a hoodie or a white tee. Right now, though, the pair I have aren’t getting much wear, so I think it would be a good move to get a pair of my favourite black Carhartt WIP dungarees instead.

• The future model of iPad Mini
  For many years, I didn’t have a laptop and just used an iPad for everything. I do love the MacBook Air that eventually replaced it, but there are times when I miss the iPad’s simplicity. Not least in my EDC, so I don’t have to wear my backpack. I’m therefore quite tempted to get an iPad Mini, but the current model feels a bit old, so I’m waiting to see what happens.

Too often, I get my phone out to make a quick note, and then I get distracted by something on the screen and forget the thing I was going to write down in the first place. That’s why I try to reduce the distractions on my phone as much as I can. I allow notifications from only the bare minimum of applications, and have reduced the number of visible apps and widgets to remove the clutter.

Here’s what my setup looks like.

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I’ve always had a thing for baggy jeans. It makes me tremendously happy that they are back in fashion at the moment, and I enjoy seeing them everywhere around me.

Back in the day, the last time we were wearing baggy jeans, JNCOs weren’t a thing where I’m from, but I came across them online and from the first moment I saw them, I wanted a pair. However, the lack of supply and, I guess, my lack of courage meant I never bought any.

Until now, that is. A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing the web, and I can’t remember quite how, but I ended up on JNCO’s homepage, and there they were. I kept coming back, browsing the product list for a couple of days, and then I suddenly hit the “add to basket” button, satisfying a lifelong ambition in just a click.

Yesterday, they arrived, and I love them!

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It’s been 6 months since I last bought clothes and while I’m able to ride out the summer, it will be time for a wardrobe reboot this autumn.

As always with these kinds of things, I will spend an impressive amount of time overthinking everything.

Requirements

These are my initial requirements:

1. Capsule wardrobe with everything I need, nothing more, nothing less
2. Every single item must get frequent wear (or address a special, recurring need, such as swimming shorts)
3. Enough items to do laundry every 14 days
4. Equipped for all 4 seasons in London
5. Low-effort, where everything can be combined without thinking
6. Relaxed-casual-as-default, with a minimum quantity of slightly smarter pieces as required
7. A bit more variation in terms of colours (my current wardrobe is very black), without going crazy

Draft numbers

After some initial thinking, I think the required numbers look a bit as follows.

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