Meanwhile in Paradise

For most people, the new year starts in January. For me, it starts in May. This month fills me with energy and a strong sense of new beginning. I’m cleaning every little corner of my home, replacing / getting rid of old things, and actively working towards my goals (with a smile on my face).

Right now, we’re experiencing a wonderful heatwave, and I’ve been power walking and sunbathing every day. This week’s goal of losing 1 kg is already accomplished. 🥳

Yesterday, the new iPad lineup finally hit the stores, and I didn’t waste a second putting in an order for my beautiful new Pro. It will be delivered in June. In the meantime, I got the Magic Keyboard… and a little bonus. Here’s the honest truth: just a few hours earlier, I asked ChatGPT to convince me that I need an Apple Pencil. So far, I’ve been putting off buying one because I thought I wouldn’t use it enough. But deep down, I’ve always wanted one anyway.

ChatGPT, being the master manipulator, talked me into buying one in less than 30 seconds. Yes, I’m tired of underlining text in e-books with my finger. Yes, I’d love to have more precision when I edit photos. Yes, it would be nice to draw something unique and then have it vectorized by AI. Yes, I want to sign PDF documents with my real signature. SOLD!

Btw, Apple Pencil Pro is available in five unique box designs, each with the word “Pro” written in different styles. You don’t get to choose which box you receive, and there are collectors who have bought five (!) pencils just to have all the boxes. I’m not one of those… I got the prettiest one right away.

While waiting for the new toys, I continue enjoying my desktop computer. Although I’m geeking out less this time of year, I still find some time for it during the dark hours when I’m resting my legs. Last night, I decided to play around with Lightroom to brush up on my editing skills.

I tried to rescue this photo taken during a late walk downtown. As you can see, the top is overexposed, and the bottom is much too dark. Since it wasn’t shot in RAW, there are less hidden details to restore. The result could be better, but it’s a good start. The training continues.

Another fun May event is the Ice Hockey World Championship. I’m cheering for Finland and watching their every match. They have won the championship several times now, so winning it this year is a real possibility. What would be even better is playing Sweden in the final — and winning, hehe.

Just stumbled upon this oldie but goodie on YouTube. This is how it’s done. 😁

Oh, I just love, LOOOVE this time of year! And now we’re finally having some running water. They’ve turned on the city’s main fountain and others are soon to follow.

I’ve been doing a lot of power walking, as planned, and there’s an abundance of beautiful flowers everywhere I go. Btw, did you know there’s an official Cherry Blossom Day in Sweden? That’s right, you don’t need to travel to Japan to immerse yourself in a sea of pink blooms. Here’s my local cherry tree up close and personal:

Those pics were taken earlier this week. Today… is not like that. I’m temporarily back to wearing a winter jacket and the longest power walk was inside a mall where the Apple Store is. The new iPad Pro was announced yesterday, and even though it hasn’t arrived in the store yet, I wanted to ask a few questions before ordering. Omg, in just a few weeks I’ll be carrying a super thin OLED screen with a monster M4 chip in my bag. Can’t wait!