~/likes

A short catalogue of obsessions.

Not a list — a map. The films I rewatch, the music I think in, the cars I'd own if I were unreasonable, the food I'd order anywhere. Updated whenever something earns its place.

01 Philosophy & quiet obsessions

Mind.

I keep returning to writers who refuse to make existence comfortable — the absurdists, the postmodernists, the ones who treat meaning like a question rather than a possession.

01
Absurdist philosophy
Camus, the Myth of Sisyphus crowd
02
Postmodern anthologies
essays that dissect modern existence
03
Nihilism & meaning
symposiums, not slogans
02 Directors I rewatch on principle

Cinema.

Films where the frame does half the talking. I want texture, silence, dread, and a slow camera. The medium is wasted on plot.

01
Stanley Kubrick
2001 · A Clockwork Orange
02
David Lynch
Mulholland Drive · Twin Peaks · the music too
03
Alfred Hitchcock
Vertigo · Rear Window
04
Studio Ghibli
Spirited Away · Princess Mononoke
05
Blade Runner 2049
futuristic noir as religion
06
Antonioni
alienation, framed
07
Fellini
Italian dreams
03 Photography I stop scrolling for

Lens.

Anything with chiaroscuro, weight, and a sense that no one is watching. Portraits that catch a thought, places that feel paused.

Close-up portraitureChiaroscuro landscapesLiminal spacesUrban decay (HDR)Abandoned-space street scenes
04 Listening rooms in my head

Sound.

Music that holds a room — modular synths breathing, a horn section thinking out loud, a piano alone in a hall.

01
Ambient electronic
live modular synth sets
02
Neo-bop jazz
horn arrangements, sophisticated and unhurried
03
Piano & violin chamber
intimate, solo, no rush
04
Improv ensembles
jazz × classical counterpoint
05
Melancholy ambient
for staring out of trains
05 A dark, tailored world

Style.

A small, repeating wardrobe in dark grey, dark leather, and silk. The goal is to look like you took it seriously without looking like you tried.

01
Savile Row tailoring
bespoke or nothing
02
Linen pants & dress shirts
modern cuts
03
Hermès silk scarves
04
Midnight velvet couture
Pixel-perfect suitsFedora hatsBig black umbrellasDark grey, alwaysSilk — clothes, sheets, everythingSoft dark leather
06 How a room should feel

Space.

Clean lines, low light, big glass, real trees inside. Scandinavian restraint dropped into an industrial shell, fully automated, quietly alive.

01
Scandinavian × industrial loft
02
Floor-to-ceiling glass walls
with integrated trees
03
Full home automation
state-of-the-art, invisible
04
Living green walls
Minimalist decorAmbient lightingEco-friendly systemsCurated home projects
07 What I order without reading the menu

Plate.

Iraqi food at home, Michelin tasting menus when I travel, a glass of something amber afterwards.

01
Quzi
the answer to most questions
02
Wrapped grape leaves (dolma)
03
Steak — properly rested
04
Risotto, done right
05
Truffle-infused foie gras
06
Decanter-aged single-malt scotch
Michelin tasting menusMolecular fusionSeasonal chef menusCaesar saladBroccoli (yes, broccoli)Brandy whiskeyJägermeister
08 Engines worth the silence after

Road.

Sports cars with restraint, luxury cars with engineering. And the cabin at full-blast AC, regardless of season.

01
Porsche 911 Turbo S
02
Aston Martin DB11
03
Ferrari 488 Pista
04
Toyota Crown
the dark horse
Sport carsLuxury carsAC at full blastCabin as cathedral
09 Travel, weather, slight danger

Wild.

Thunderstorms, foreign alleys at 2am, forests with no service. I like trips that are not quite safe and not quite planned.

01
Rain & thunderstorms
the louder the better
02
Solo travel in big cities
03
Nocturnal urban exploration
04
Secret European alleys
05
Arboreal retreats
hidden, off-map
Liminal-space travelPermaculture gardensArboreal biodiversity
10 Discipline as a form of love

Body.

Shredded, mobile, calm. High-intensity work for the body, slow work for the nervous system. Both required.

Olympian-grade functional trainingStrength · agility · enduranceYogaMeditationRecovery protocols
11 The software taste behind the day job

Craft.

Open, owned, and obsessive about the details. Pixel-perfect interfaces sitting on top of small, fast services in Rust and Go.

01
Open source
as default
02
Self-hosted everything
03
Rust & Go microservices
small, sharp, boring
04
Scandinavian-minimal UI frameworks
Pixel-perfect designResponsive, user-centricSimplicity as a feature
I'm worthy because I'm curious, not because I'm smart.
— a note to self