Started I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom (Jason Keith Pargin). That beginning is so funny. Probably because it is extremely relatable as I dislike LA, airports, and I take Uber/Lyft way too often. I really like that first conversation that introduces the entire book. So funny.

De retour à Paris. J’attends ma femme à l’aéroport car elle est sur un autre vol. Depuis SFO. Et c’est dingue la différence. SFO, les gens sont tellement riches que tout le monde est global services et à la priorité sur les valises. Donc tout le monde attend des heures.

Watched Eternity. I don’t like romcoms but somehow, every time I watch one, I cry. And I cried watching it a lot. And I think it’s because I was alone in the plane and have been away from my wife for too many days and I miss her so much. The film was fun though, quite cliché, but, well, did its job.

Watched Wolfs. It’s basically yet another bromance between some old people who refuse to admit they are older than they think and are cool because they are dark and don’t speak a lot but they are quite literally the only ones who speak the entire movie. It was ok.

第一次来上海迪士尼乐园。没想到早上六点就有真么多人了。

I just learnt there is a new appellation for horror movies: « elevated horror ». I dislike it so much. As much as I dislike « graphic novel ». These are examples of how people are destroying cultures they’ve never helped to build nor have ever contributed to. It is a clear example of appropriation.

Just started James (Percival Everett). As usual, I have zero idea what it is about and bought it only because the cover looks good. Yes, I’d rather judge a book by its cover than being fed by influencers and whatever programmatic ads on social media.

Very grateful to have the opportunity to visit Almaty. I only stayed a few days so I can’t say I know much about it. But I’ve visited the old town, went up to the mountains, tasted some delicious local dishes, and even had the chance to talk to a few folks. It kinda reminds me of 90s Beijing.

Just started Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel). I thought it was something about Aliens but after the first chapter, I feel like I might be wrong. That’s the beauty of reading something without any prior knowledge of any context. The best way to discover new content.

Just watched Saltburn, I liked everything but the end. I genuinely regret how it ends. It would have been so much better if the movie stopped before that entire explanation and left it for interpretation. I’m so frustrated because I really liked everything until then.

Started Murder Bimbo (Rebecca Novack) because the cover looks cool. I never heard of this book before and only noticed it at my local bookstore recently browsing randomly around. The first few chapters are fun. I like the setting and I like how easy it reads. It’s like reading a blog.

I care about nature and sustainability. And I also like products. I’m even obsessed with products. Any product. I can spend hours browsing a cool video games, stationary, or music and disc store, just like I enjoy checking a konbini or browsing Costco. I’m fascinated by how products are made.

It feels more and more that the billionaires are aliens who just had a roadside picnic and we happened to be the ants, bees, and other insects. That thought made me want to watch Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky), which I surprisingly never watched yet. Glad I have the Criterion version of it.

Started Machines Like Me (Ian McEwan) and it took me some time to understand it happens in an alternative timeline. I was so confused initially that after the first chapter, I went to check online when Turing passed away... terrible. I enjoy it very much. First time I read a book from the author.

Watched Ballerina on the plane. I wasn’t expecting anything and, well, it has some fun scenes and cool ideas. I’m getting tired of those stuntman-led films though. Also, unsure how the main character is fighting like a girl. I wish it was more different than Nobody or John Wick.

Read Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka) in English on the plane. I first read it during literature class in middle school. I was shocked by the depiction of that bug back then. And now, I’m shocked by how his own family is treating him. Like every great piece, this book tells me about my own evolution.

Had so much time on the plane and can’t find sleep so read Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) again. Actually, it’s the first time I read it in English. And it still hits hard. Still makes me cry even though I know the plot, the ending, and I remember almost every page. What a great book.

Always had a soft spot for Alien 3. And when I learnt about its chaotic production, I liked it even more. Just realised that Alien 3: the assembly cut is available on HBO. This is probably the closest to the initial ambition its creators had.

Address Unknown (Kathrine Taylor) is a powerful novel that reminds me of Lettres persanes (Montesquieu) in the approach. Given that I haven’t read the later one in a long, long time now. It is a great idea to expose extraordinary events through ordinary people’s perspectives and lives.

Exploring electro music helps me to have a better appreciation and understanding of video games music. Especially those pieces from the 8/16bit era. And now, I’m so hooked on the soundtrack of Donkey Kong Country and its sequel. I just discovered who’s David Wise. I’m obsessed with his creations.

Very happy for Bruno. If United wasn’t that terrible, he would have been in the conversation for ballon d’or. What a player. Really hope he can win something with this club so he can become a legend.

I was telling my wife it’s weird that all my favourite shows, about video games, films, History, but also sports or painting, are all leftist. Literally on Arte or l'Humanité. That’s because only leftist folks have the time to observe, feel, and think. Jean d’Ormesson (apparently) said:

Started The Testaments (Margaret Atwood), because I liked the original book. And it was available at my local library. What a fantastic read. It is even easier to get immersed into it than the first one. The writing is still great and the pacing is even greater. I like the new structure better.

Ready or Not 2 is as fun as the original movie. It is dumb, brainless, so stupid, and it so so funny. It is full of violence, it is bloody, the actors are great, and it is all about cool girls killing evil billionaires. Literally. And that is universally satisfying to watch. Pure cinema.

Looking at the skins of a dead cow is more meaningful than talking to any tech bro. Literally. I’m so happy I get some rolls from La Tanneries du Puy. First time I purchase entire rolls myself. Can’t wait to make something. So much pressure tho.

We are in 2026 and I still have issues with simple audio using Windows. Every time I use windows, my audio is either not playing, my mic is cracking, or I hear some massive reverb. And then, it takes me hours to figure out how to reconfig everything… and it breaks again after a few months.

Playing Saros and I feel like I’ll be hooked on it for a while. Returnal is still my favourite PS5 game and I was looking forward to playing the newest game from that team. Saros has the same brutal, over the top, bullet hell, with great shooting and snappy movements that I like.

I find the Star Fox characters goofy. What I can’t stand tho is this seems to be yet another rebook/remake/re-told… come on… .

The more I learn and practice my leather craft, the more I realise how practical and incredibly well executed is that Birkin bag. I still don’t like how it looks, an old lady bag, but I gotta admit, it is versatile. I’m still working on my top handle bag and Birkin has done a lot right.

I just realised that the World Cup is coming soon and for the first time since I’ve started watching football, I don’t care about it at all. I have zero hype. There is nothing I want to watch. And I absolutely don’t want to go to any stadium irl. It’s incredible how they managed to kill that too.

Started listening to The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood). I finally found a way to listen to audiobooks without falling in sleep instantly. I do it while doing leatherwork. Especially when hand sewing a bag. I still often pause and go back from time to time because I have random ideas popping up.

Just watched Babygirl and even though it feels too artificial, I still enjoyed it overall. The performance is good. I like those actors and they are all very hot. There is a clear sexual tension going on all the time. The way they look at each other, the way silence. It works.

I like Motorslice because whatever you think, whether you agree or disagree with the decisions, everything in this game is intentional. And the folks at @regularstudio.bsky.social didn't make those decisions to perform or to act in any way. They made them because they had a clear vision.

That skiving took a few seconds but I’ve been replaying that entire sequence in my mind over and… by @ZLMKF medium.com/p/that-skivi...

Just listened to Tom Cain talking about the changes in video game design according to the evolution of the internet. What I found particularly worrisome is how players have been constantly outsourcing their intelligence and giving away their agency.

My favourite clip in years and one of my all time favourite pieces of music ever. Everything is great. The music, the punch, the concept, the acting, the dance, and ofc, that execution. An instant classic. A masterpiece.

Romeo Is a Dead Man is Suda 51's best game so far. This is the epitome of his art and it is also the best showcase of everything he is about and who he is as a creator. The game is a love letter to American pop culture from the Japanese perspective. I absolutely adore the game.

Started listening to Mina's Matchbox (ミーナの行進, 小川 洋子) because the book cover looks good. I just realised that it is from the same author who wrote The memory police. I really like the style, even though I don't read the original Japanese version.

I just discovered Libby. Somehow, I downloaded the all a while ago and I never used it. I don’t even recall what it was. Maybe I downloaded before I decided to drop everything digital. Anyway, I was frustrated with my local library’s website and I’ve been recommend this app. Formidable experience.

Just started reading Hooked (柚木 麻子). Only a few pages in and I can already feel the same ingredients that made her previous book, Butter, so successful. Or maybe it’s the translation. Probably both. I like the simplicity, how light it feels. It also creates a proximity with the readers.

I still don’t know whether I’m doing something wrong with my shoes because the tongue keeps… by @ZLMKF medium.com/p/i-still-do...

Started watching IT: Welcome to Derry on the plane coming back home. Couldn’t sleep because I was so engaged. I wasn’t expecting such a good show. The bestiary is insane and truly expands the initial story. And that cast is absolutely amazing. Everyone is top, everyone plays so well.

2026年だけど空港のラウンジに何人かはピーエスピーをやってる。凄い。

Je regarde la nouvelle saison de Top Chef et Louise est tellement insupportable. Bien entendu, M6 y vont à donf sur les archetypes et exagèrent tout. Et ils ont bien fait leur coup car elle est absolument detestable.

Tellement belle cette reprise. J’avais complètement oublié à quel point elle chante bien. Je suis content que cette chanson passait dans la cabine d’Air France. J’adore sa voix.

Je me souviens d’une époque où on se plaignait des touristes chinois. Désormais, ce sont les touristes américains qui posent problème. Ils sont nombreux, bruyants, mal-élevés, irrespectueux… ah non, je vis en Californie, moi.

Je viens de découvrir l’application Arte et c’est la meilleure plate-forme de vidéo. Je me désintéresse de plus en plus de la toile et je fréquente de moins en moins YouTube et consorts. L’application Arte me permet alors de retrouver cette joie de la découverte à travers de tres bonnes émissions.

Stockholm is one of my favourite places in the summer. And I just realised this much it feels like visiting an Edward Hopper’s painting. That harsh light on those flat textured colourful walls, the contrast, the solitude, it’s something quite special.

Quick passage in Denmark where I stayed 3 days in Copenhagen. Haven’t been here for more than a decade. Things changed a lot. The most spectacular one is the food scene. Pretty clear that Noma influenced the entire region. Iike Smørrebrød. I like how simple it looks yet also beautiful and tasty.

Je viens de terminer Silent Jenny (Mathieu Bablet). Une bonne BD avec un bon coup de crayon, l’auteur nous emmène dans les profondeurs d’un monde bien construit. Ce que j’apprécie c’est que le récit se vit à travers le dessin et tout en couleur. Une très belle réussite, un bon moment de lecture.