Pennyland School

I have been thinking a lot lately about how entirely overwhelming it is to even consider buying property in another country. It is a massive step. I mean, you sit there at your desk, looking at these gorgeous, sun-drenched pictures of the Mediterranean coast, and it just looks absolutely perfect. But then the reality of the logistics sets in, and it usually kills the dream right there. At least, it does for me. The Turkish Riviera, for instance. It is stunning. Antalya is practically the crown jewel of that entire coastline, with this strange but beautiful mix of ancient history and very modern, resort-style living. It is hard to beat.…

I was looking at a storefront window the other day, or maybe it was just a really targeted ad online, I don't entirely remember. But it struck me how completely disconnected the luxury watch market has become from, well, actual reality. You see these incredible timepieces, and the craftsmanship is undeniable, but then you look at the price tag and it’s just… it’s the price of a small house in some places. I think a lot of people just sort of sigh and accept that they'll never own one, which is a bit depressing really. But then, on the other hand, there’s this entirely different side of the industry that…

Ik zat laatst te denken aan hoe ontzettend vermoeiend het eigenlijk is om een auto te verkopen. Tenminste, dat was mijn ervaring een paar jaar geleden. Of misschien is het al wat langer geleden, de tijd gaat soms zo merkwaardig snel. Je denkt van tevoren dat het een simpele kwestie is van een paar vlotte foto's online zetten en wachten tot de reacties binnenstromen, maar de realiteit is… nou ja, het is meestal gewoon een behoop gedoe. Mensen die afspraken maken en dan simpelweg niet komen opdagen, of die vreemde, ietwat ongemakkelijke onderhandelingen aan je eigen voordeur. Het voelt op een gegeven moment bijna als een soort ongewenste deeltijdbaan waar…

There is this very specific, almost universal moment of dread that I think most of us have experienced at least once. I know I have. You walk into your kitchen late at night, maybe just to get a glass of water, and you flip the light switch… and you see it. A shadow darts under the refrigerator. Or maybe it’s just a trail of tiny black dots moving methodically across the counter. It completely ruins the evening. Actually, it sort of ruins the whole week, because once you see one, you can't help but wonder how many you aren't seeing. It's funny, in a somewhat grim way, how something so…

I've been thinking a lot lately about how we interact with our digital canvases. It is strange, actually, how deeply attached you can get to a specific piece of hardware. When you spend hours every day staring at a screen, holding a plastic pen, the tool basically becomes an extension of your hand. So, when that tool starts to fail, or when you simply outgrow it, the process of replacing it is incredibly stressful. I remember the last time I had to upgrade my setup. I probably spent three weeks just reading specifications that, if I am being entirely honest, I only half understood. The market moves so fast. Now…

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how the internet has just… changed. It feels vastly different now than it did a decade ago. It’s noisier, I suppose. And there is this constant, underlying feeling that you are always being watched. Not necessarily in a dramatic, spy-movie kind of way, but just by algorithms. Your internet service provider, advertisers, random third-party trackers you’ve never even heard of. It’s exhausting to think about, really, so most of us just sort of ignore it and hope for the best. But occasionally, you get that creeping realization that maybe you shouldn't be checking your bank account on an open coffee shop Wi-Fi network…

It’s a funny thing about modern life—we have more access to products than any other generation in history, but finding something that actually feels right has somehow become more difficult. I was thinking about this while scrolling through a massive, well-known marketplace the other day. You search for something simple, like a kitchen gadget or a pair of headphones, and you are immediately hit with ten thousand identical results from brands with names that look like someone fell asleep on a keyboard. It’s overwhelming. It’s noisy. And frankly, it’s a bit exhausting. I think that’s why the concept of a curated shop is making such a comeback. We’re tired of…

It is a funny thing about empty space. The moment you have it, you fill it. I think it is practically a law of physics at this point. You buy a house with a two-car garage, and within three years, you are parking your cars in the driveway because the garage is full of holiday decorations, old exercise equipment you swear you'll use again, and boxes of things you can't quite bring yourself to throw away. It just creeps up on you. Or, if you run a business, it is even worse. You start a retail store, and suddenly seasonal inventory is taking up the breakroom. You are managing a…

It is actually a bit of a paradox when you really stop and think about it. We live in this incredibly fast-paced, constantly connected world, and we absorb all this stress into our shoulders and our lower backs. So, logically, we decide we need to unwind. We book a spa appointment. But if you live in or visit Los Angeles, the very act of trying to relax is, in itself, an intensely stressful endeavor. I was thinking about this the other day. You schedule an hour of deep tissue work to get rid of a tension headache. But to get to the clinic or the day spa, you have to…

Het is eigenlijk een heel merkwaardig fenomeen, als je er echt even goed over nadenkt. Iemand wordt vijftig jaar. Dat is op zichzelf natuurlijk al een behoorlijke mijlpaal, een moment waarop mensen vaak toch even de balans opmaken, denk ik. En wat doen we in Nederland en Vlaanderen om dit toch ietwat confronterende moment te vieren? We zetten in het holst van de nacht een gigantische, met lucht gevulde pop in de voortuin van het slachtoffer. Zodat niet alleen de familie, maar ook de buren, de postbode en toevallige voorbijgangers precies weten dat deze persoon een halve eeuw oud is geworden. Ik herinner me nog goed dat een oom van…