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40 things I’ve come to think are true

On the night before turning 40, I wrote down 40 things I’ve come to think are true: about time, family, work, travel, taste, rooms, coffee, memory, and why a perfectly reasonable life can still be the wrong one.

The problem with my perfectly reasonable life

My kids still think I’m one of the coolest people. For now. A personal essay on family timing, work, enough, and why a perfectly reasonable life can start to feel too small.

Taiwan & Taipei — Everything I Wish I'd Known Before Going

In February 2026, Sina and I spent 9 days in Taiwan — six days in Taipei, a rental car to the east coast, Hualien, Jiufen, and back again. Here's everything we wish we'd known before going: 10 things that surprised us, our rough itinerary, and the full list of hotels, night markets, bars, coffee shops, and ceramics worth your time.

How to Read a City (Without a Map)

Most of us navigate cities by following a blue dot on a screen, rarely looking up at the world we’re moving through. But every city has its own internal logic—a language of architecture, street widths, and human flow that tells you exactly where you are.

Babylonstoren — the most impressive farm-stay ever

We booked two nights at Babylonstoren and barely left. It’s a working farm you can actually wander and taste—orderly gardens, a buffalo dairy that shows up again as mozzarella and yoghurt, a breakfast that bends the table. Our room had a real fire; housekeeping slipped a bookmark into the book I left out. Jonathan and Warren turned moments into stories (yes, I caught a bass). It wasn’t all…

Ten Days in South Africa — a route with room for surprise

We flew south with only flights booked and let luck fill the gaps. Kommetjie sunsets, Stellenbosch coffee and labels, Kogelberg cabins, Hermanus whales, Kloof Street markets—plus an easy, clustered list of everywhere we went.

Stay on the f*cking Bus

Photographer Arno Rafael Minkkinen’s “Helsinki Bus Station Theory” has aged beautifully over two decades. Here’s how his advice — stay on the bus — resonates with me as a generalist in architecture, interiors, marketing, and writing, and why I believe taste is the route worth riding.

I almost bought an old cinema last week

I almost bought a century-old cinema in Merano. For four days I dreamed up stationery shops, knitting hubs, even design markets. And then I said no. Here’s why sometimes leaving negative space — and parking dreams for the future — is the best decision.

The Hide-And-Seek-Test for Great Design

What makes a space memorable isn’t the furniture—it’s the feeling of discovery. The Hide-and-Seek-Test is a simple way to design places people actually remember.

The Year I Stopped Playing Small

A year of fewer shoulds, more clarity, and quiet recalibration. This birthday reflection isn’t about reinvention — it’s about noticing what energizes you, trusting your taste, and starting to shape a life that fits better. From long family travel to slow shifts in work and identity, here are eight lessons I’m taking with me into the next chapter.

Why We Left Berlin for the Mountains (and What Beauty Has to Do with It)

From Berlin techno to alpine silence: How one hike reminded me why we moved to South Tyrol — and why beauty might be more essential than we think.

Spring in June: Why Life Works Better in Seasons

This July feels like spring. Here’s why that’s not a problem — and how thinking in seasons (not schedules) can make your work and life feel a lot more natural, productive, and sane.

Postcards from Aotearoa (or: how we flew 30 hours to watch a penguin take a nap)

Some places feel oddly familiar even before you get there. Like you’ve dreamt them, or maybe just seen too many tourism ads. For me, New Zealand was that place. I’d seen the mountains in National Geographic , the rivers in slow-motion drone shots, and the landscapes doubling as Middle-earth on screen. I assumed the real thing would be a slight letdown — like most things that get hyped to oblivion.…

Why Some Changes Need Drama, Not Discipline

I’m testing life without unnecessary spending for 90 days. Here’s why I think extreme, time-bound change can beat slow habits—at least sometimes.

10 Places & Brands Worth Checking Out in New Zealand

If you’ve been following my newsletter, From Europe with Love , you know I’m all about uncovering hidden gems — usually in Europe. But after two months exploring Aotearoa, I’ve got to say: New Zealand knows how to do good coffee, great design, and ridiculously fresh oysters. So, here’s a roundup of my favorite spots — whether you’re road-tripping through or just looking for some Kiwi inspiration.…

How to Move Forward When Nothing Feels Certain

We treat uncertainty like a bug in the system. But it’s the starting point. A reflection on making bold moves—even when you don’t feel ready.

Forget Ladders. Build a Playground.

Tired of choosing one path? Try a portfolio career: a mix of projects, income streams, and creative experiments that actually fit your life.

OKAYBETA #9 | Friends News: AI wrote this newsletter

🆕 Whats New “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late.” is one of the mantras of product management. This is also the concept behind Minimum Viable Products (MVP) and a solid piece of advice for anyone tending to over-conceptualizing things before actually making progress (and I like the short form of it even better: fuck it, ship it! ). It's a…

OKAYBETA #8 | Friends News: October 2022

Hope you had a fantastic month! Last Friday I took a little break to enjoy a nice hike. Fall foliage is in full bloom, and there were beautiful colors everywhere. Here is my best attempt to capture and keep a little piece of what I saw. Whatever you are doing this week, I hope you take the time to enjoy outside! And without much ado, let's dive into this month's issue. 🆕 Whats New October was…

Why the crypto crash saved me hours each week

The crash "rebalancing" of the crypto market was not all bad. Unpopular opinion, I know. But here's why: I spent a large amount of time on crypto and web3 topics in the past year and consumed all kinds of blogs, podcasts, tweets, discord channels and memes. Staying on top of everything in crypto is extremely hard (and hardly possible). Over the past year I have constantly been replacing my sources…