Opposites

Virtue signaling is just as offensive as what it calls out,
empathy is often narcissism in disguise,
and nostalgia isn’t different than fear of future.

Freedom means you can be hateful as well as happy,
and positive thinking can be just as dangerous as negative thinking.

Humility is no different than arrogance,
for the man who drives a cheap car to show his modesty
is really no different than the one who parades his wealth.

If you think that inside you’re a lazy/mean/ selfish / cynical / arrogant / inconsiderate person,
just realize that the self-control you impose on that is just as much part of your personality.

Latest

Travel plugs

Travel plugs

In our new house, many appliances still get their power through a travel adapter. Eight years in China was long enough to not only put down roots and settle in, but also for everything we owned to end in a Chinese plug: my MacBook, the coffee machine, the rice cooker, the baby monitor. The appliances […]
September 21, 2026
Twenty-three years

Twenty-three years

In June we moved back to the Netherlands, six suitcases across 8000 kilometres, and after a brief spell at my parents’ place, we moved into our own home. This second move also involved putting down carpet, curtains, buying appliances and furniture — so that our new garage quickly filled with cardboard boxes and other packaging […]
August 29, 2026
Searching for meadows

Searching for meadows

Our new home in the Netherlands sits in a mundane residential area full of young families like ours. The street name comes from made (‘meadow’), still referring to a field that once lay here and now survives only in the name (just how the name Shanghai refers to a river that no longer exists). And […]
August 5, 2026
How to get a job in China (Update 2026)
find_a_job_in_china

How to get a job in China (Update 2026)

There are a ton of application sites out there, but I think they’re all horrible. I searched for jobs three times: 2014 (before graduation), 2016 (desire to change jobs in the Netherlands), and 2018 (desire to move to China) — and from those three runs I do not doubt that I’ve sent well over 100 […]
July 20, 2026