A boat that simply sails with full sails along with the wind can never be faster than the wind. A boat that sails across the wind can go faster than the wind speed and thus reach higher speeds. The same applies when you want to achieve something. If you just go along...
The secret to getting up early is not waking up early but going to bed on time. Any alarm clock can make you get up early. But what's the point of crawling out of bed early with an alarm if you're not refreshed and have no energy? The purpose of getting up early is to...
The opening of “Do Epic Shit” by Ankur Warikoo could be the perfect “About page” for this blog site, IndianSpiceTrail. Here the original version. Page 3 This book may very well turn out to be the most useless book you will ever buy. Because nothing in this book is...
I got to know Derek Sivers through Ali Abdaal's podcasts, in the early years when I started following podcasts myself. Back then, I was a big fan of Ali, now a bit less so, but Derek has only grown in my eyes. His works are small, simple, and impactful. One of those...
Dear sweet Elodie, You stayed over at Grandma's last night for the first time in a long while. How fun was that! Both for you and for Grandma. You together with Grandma in that big bed and no Gaston (your little brother) in sight. Grandma took you along, and Gaston...
Reflection with Nuance I listened to The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. Or at least most of it. For some reason, the English audio version was nowhere to be found. No idea why. There was a German, a Spanish, and a Dutch version. In the end, I listened to the...
In 1996, a match is played between Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue. Kasparov, the world champion, faces off against IBM's special chess software. In a particular game, the computer suddenly makes a completely unexpected move. So strange, so unpredictable, that Kasparov...
I've started it. A bit critically. I had already read that the book might be too detailed. That after the first hour of listening, you pretty much get it. And yes, that's true: you quickly understand the core. But still: by continuing to listen, something happens.You...
A New Goal, a New Attempt. Once again, I weigh 90 kilograms. It's June 2025, and this is yet another time I've reached that weight. Not funny. My excuse this time? Well, I had surgery last year. The surgery itself was successful, but afterward, I wasn't allowed to...
Boyhood Dream Long ago, when animals still talked and I was young, I, like every young man, admired beautiful car “s. In the '70s and '80s, those were the icons for me: the Jaguar E-Type, the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari” s... but also more accessible sports cars...
From Time to Calories One of the insights that was reiterated to me in the book How Not to Die is how limited the effect of exercise is on weight loss. Simply because you burn relatively few calories through exercise, especially compared to how many calories you...
My heroes It's impossible not to write a piece about who my heroes are. This comes from several examples here and there. But without a doubt: my parents are at the top of the list. Not for the classic, grand reasons, but simply... it's incredible how hard my parents...
My dearest Hazel We are now in mid-July 2025. Just two more weeks, and then you will literally be ten months old. You've been able to crawl for a week now. And we are already looking forward to you taking your first steps soon. Uncertain, with ups and downs, and...
The Climb In one of my previous lives, I was with a partner who was quite into cycling. Fast bikes. Racing bikes. And well, as a man, at least, me anyway, you do your best to please your partner. We already had some experience traveling with a travel agency called “G...
Dearest Hazel Almost every day, your mom sends a photo or video via WhatsApp to me, Miranda, and Barbara. And every time, my eyes light up. My heart leaps as soon as I see you. Always cheerful. Always smiling. Fearless, unaware, so sweet and innocent. It's always a...