In With The New
Changing Times
Posted on September 18, 2020
With 2020 being a year that has seen almost everything normal being turned upside down, including our lives, I thought it might be high time for me to make good use of the free time I find myself with and get around to some spring-cleaning on the site. So hopefully I can give a brief update on how things have been for me so far in 2020 and how I’m hoping the site evolves in the foreseeable future.
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A Year in Turmoil
Nothing Goes as Planned
Posted on April 9, 2020
One of the few posts I get around to writing regularly, other than my countless Hobonichi planner posts, is my yearly recap and outlook for the year that passed and the year to come. This year though, things have been rather… interesting to put it lightly.
First things first though. Let’s talk about 2019.
Last year was a year of change for me, with my workplace moving to a different school and while in the past I’ve always been nervous or concerned about finding work I surprised myself by being nonchalant in a way that I have never been before.
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My 2020 Hobonichi Planners
Go With Your Feeling
Posted on September 11, 2019
This year I’m trying to buck the trend and get my annual Hobonichi post out way ahead of the new year! So if you’re keen to see what I’ve opted for this year and how I plan to use my journals then grab a cup of coffee and read on.
Makino Collection / Navy x Brown I’ve always had a fondness for Japanese fabrics and materials so when I stumbled on the fact that Makino was collaborating with Hobonichi once again after several years I jumped at the chance.
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Moving Back to Linux
Say Hello to Tux
Posted on August 24, 2019
Twelve years ago on this very day I took a leap of faith into the wonderful world of Linux.
I was still living in South Africa and I was but a poor employee rattling off spreadsheets for mere peanuts. That meant that I was always hard-pressed for cash when it came to my computing hardware and software, especially as those were the days when Microsoft still charged a pretty penny for the right to upgrade to their new and shiny versions of Windows.
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Back in the Books
Turning the Page
Posted on July 1, 2019
One of my childhood passions was reading. I would take part in my local library’s reading contest every year and read as much as possible. And I could find no joy greater than opening a book and losing myself in a world of the author’s creation until I turned the final page.
As I’ve grown older I’ve found it much harder to keep up with the voracious appetite for books I once used to have.
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My 2019 Hobonichi Planners
It's Doraemon!
Posted on January 21, 2019
2019 is a few weeks old now so it’s a good time for me to post about my latest batch of Hobonichi purchases and give a run-down of how I’m planning to use them this year in both my daily life and at work. This year sees me entering my fifth year of using a Hobonichi of some sort as my planner. I would scarcely have though all the way back in 2015 that I’d be this deep down the rabbit hole of scheduling and planners.
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Hello 2019, Goodbye 2018!
Gotta Get Serious
Posted on January 3, 2019
I’ve taken some time in the past to try to reflect on how my year is been and what the upcoming year holds in store. So with New Year just having passed us by I think it’s time to take stock of how things were in 2018 and how I hope they’ll be in 2019.
The Year That Was I’ve taken some time in the past to try to reflect on how my year is been and what the upcoming year holds in store.
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Long Time No Write
A Dull Pencil
Posted on November 15, 2018
After what seems like an eternity I’m finally getting around to posting again. It’s been a whole year that’s passed since I’ve updated this site. I’ve been far from inactive outside of this site though, so let me finally get around to telling you what I’ve been up to.
Firstly, and most importantly, I’ve changed countries and instead of Japan I am now in the far-flung exotic country of China. Shanghai to be more specific.
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Insert Grumpy Winter Comment
Frozen to the Bone
Posted on November 16, 2017
The coldness of winter is now a reality and my mornings see me desperately clinging to my blanket and wishing that I never have to leave from its warm embrace. Having recently visited my friend Bill down in Kagoshima where I spent a glorious three years teaching, I was shocked at just how disparate the temperature was between there and Nagano.
Kagoshima of course also gets far colder than Cape Town but it has minimal snowfall and fewer days where you wake up to find yourself frozen solid.
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My 2018 Hobonichi
Life Book 2018
Posted on October 11, 2017
2018 will see me opening up my new Hobonichi Techo for a third year after falling in love with it a few years ago. The brand has always provided excellent quality and a wonderful selection of goods and covers that see me refreshing their page every year at the start of September to place my order as soon as possible.
For 2018 I’ve decided to stick to a simple and versatile cover by going for the Basic TS cover, with the TS standing for Taku Satoh, the graphic designer who designed the cover.
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