Here is a curated list of historical classics inspired by: Leonie von Ungern-Sternberg’s recommendations — essential reading for anyone seeking to understand history, power, and culture through an elevated and aristocratic lens. 1. A Little History of the World – Ernst Gombrich ✨ A poetic sweep of civilization told with charm and clarity — from cave paintings to modern times. 2. Postwar – Tony Judt ✨ A masterful chronicle of Europe’s rebirth after WWII and how modern identity was rebuilt. 3. Why Nations Fail – Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson ✨ Explores why some nations thrive while others collapse — the blueprint of power and prosperity. 4. Guns, Germs & Steel – Jared Diamond ✨ How geography, biology, and innovation shaped human destiny long before politics did. 5. The Sleepwalkers – Christopher Clark ✨ A gripping account of how Europe drifted into WWI — showing how power, pride, and blindness ignite catastrophe. 6. The Prisoners of Geography – Tim Marshall ✨ Reveals how mountains, rivers, and borders still dictate world affairs more than ideology ever could. 7. The Grand Chessboard – Zbigniew Brzezinski ✨ A strategist’s manual on global dominance — the geopolitics behind modern empire. ✨ Bonus: Anything by Geert Hofstede — the go-to for understanding cultural dimensions and national psychology.

Off the Coast of Koh Samui in the depths of the big blue sea lies an island, sun reflections, ~ and ~ a lone fisherman. But loneliness doesn’t mean being alone. It means sitting in silence, inside solitude — swaying with waves, passing time ~ with ~ Thailand knowing that everything is evolving as it should. 🇹🇭

Each day I rise I awaken to see an array of colours looking at me - the process of life lives on. 🇹🇭 October 2025 - Suan Mokkh 🇹🇭

When you first sit down to eat in Thailand, you might notice something unusual: the eggs aren’t white or yellow like back home… they’re brown. But here’s the twist → they’re not “naturally brown.” They’ve been transformed. This dish is called Khai Palo (ไข่พะโล้), sometimes translated as Five-Spice Braised Egg with Rice. The egg is boiled first, then simmered slowly in a broth of: ✨ Dark soy sauce (which gives the egg its brown color) ✨ Palm sugar (for a gentle sweetness) ✨ Garlic, coriander root, and white pepper ✨ Chinese five-spice powder (star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and more) The longer it simmers, the deeper the flavor — and the darker the shell and yolk become. What looks like a “brown egg” is actually a story of patience, transformation, and culture all in one bite. Khai Palo is more than food — it’s a comfort dish with Chinese roots that has been lovingly adopted into Thai cuisine. It teaches us something powerful: when we let experiences simmer — with spice, patience, and openness — they can transform us into something entirely new. So the next time you see a brown egg in Thailand, you’ll know it’s not strange at all… it’s a little lesson in transformation. Until next time ⚡️ Sheena & Guru x PS: oh yeah - the very best eggs I’ve ever had in my whole entire life 😳

So there I was, rolling into the airport like an absolute travel pro. Bags packed, smile ready, vibe set to “let’s do this.” And then—bam!—bureaucracy tried to snatch my wings before I even hit the runway. Apparently, my 90-day return flight to the Netherlands was “too far away” for my shiny little 60-day visa. Never mind that people extend visas on the ground every single day. Never mind that I knew my natural rights and wasn’t breaking a single law - legally, or lawfully. The system just blinked at me and, in full Little Britain style, basically said: “Computer says no…” 💻✋😆 And oh, not just “no.” The machine wanted me to cough up €800 euros to change the flight—twice. Once to shorten it to fly back earlier, and then once again to extend it back to my original flight back. That’s right: double the nonsense, double the bill…and so much time wasted! 🙄 Here’s where the plot twist gets juicy. Just when it looked like I was about to get fleeced by a checkbox, a kind airline staffer stepped in. She actually listened to my pleas, She saw that I wasn’t breaking any rules, She knew the work around was as expensive as hell …and like magic; found the magic override button. ⚡️ Suddenly, the computer’s cold-hearted “no” turned into a human’s warm-hearted “yes.” - you can proceed and take your flight to your final destination - Bangkok. It was like watching Neo dodge bullets in the Matrix—except the bullets were bureaucratic fees, and my savior was a woman with empathy and a keyboard shortcut. The Bigger Picture 🕶️ This wasn’t just about one flight. It was a perfect little taste of the matrix in action—rigid systems, soulless algorithms, and rules designed to keep you paying, stressing, and second-guessing yourself. And here’s the dangerous part: without human intervention, my my little human, @Sheena Alexandra - the system would have happily drained my wallet, stamped “denied” on my boarding pass, and shrugged its metaphorical shoulders. Because to the machine, context doesn’t matter. Nuance doesn’t matter. Humanity doesn’t matter.