In perpetual search for perfection
Chasing clicks 📷, caffeine ☕️, colognes 🧴, crisp sound 🎧, and constant jaunts ✈️ — while making data boringly reliable
In this world of hyper-stimulated junk food, hobbies are the nutritional meal.
A picture is worth a thousand words. I have been learning photography since 2016 and I am very fond of manual lenses. Thanks to the short flange focal distance of mirrorless cameras and in-body optical image stabilization in Sony Cameras, I can use half-a-century-old lenses on modern digital cameras effectively and create some beautiful images full of character and microcontrast.
| Category | Tools |
|---|---|
| Manual Lenses Adapted to Sony Mount | Pentacon 50mm f1.8, Helios 44-2 Zebra 58mm f2, Minolta 35-70 f3.5, Minolta MC ROKKOR PG 50mm f1.4, Vivitar 100-500, SuperTakumar 135mm f3.5, Minolta 50mm f2, Minolta 45mm f2, Pentacon 50mm f1.8 II, 200mm f3.5, Industar 50mm f3.5, Fujian 35mm f1.7, Helios 44-4 58mm f2, Yashica 50mm f2 |
| Sony Mount Manual Focus FF | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f1.2, Voigtlander 12mm f5.6 |
| Nikon Manual Focus FF | Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4 |
| Canon Mount Automatic Focus FF | Tokina 100mm f2.8, 40mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 II |
| Canon Mount Manual Focus FF | Samyang 85mm f1.4 |
| Sony Mount Automatic Focus FF | Sony 100-400 GM, 28mm f2, Tamron 28-75 f2.8 |
| Adapters/Extension Tubes | Sigma MC11, Sony 1.4TX Extender, Fotga adapters, Fotodiox Extension tubes |
| Camera | Sony A7RV, Canon 70D, Canon 5D Mark I |
As a strong proponent of consuming anything in pure form, music cannot be any different. I try to get a similar sound stage and imaging at the home of what an artist intends in a recording studio. Also, while flying or in local transit, I love the quiet offered by the noise-canceling headphones.
| Category | Equipment |
|---|---|
| Active Speaker | KEF LSX |
| In-Ear Headphones | Sony WF-1000XM4, Sony WF-1000XM5, Sony WF-1000XM6, Sennheiser IE300, Kiwi Ears x Crinacle Singolo, TANGZU Waner SG2, Klipsch X4i, Moondrop Aria 2 |
| Microphones | Saramonic VMIC, Shure MV7 |
| Over-Ear (Closed Back) | Audio Technica ATH-M50X, Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 |
| Over-Ear (Open Back) | Meze 109 Pro |
| Passive Speakers | ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 powered by Bluesound Powernode 2i |
| Portable Audio Player | Sony NW-A306 (gifted) |
| USB-C DAC | Cayin RU6 (R-2R resistor ladder), Qudelix 5K, Jcally JM6 Pro |
| Headphone | Bass | Mids | Treble | Sound Signature | FR Graph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Technica ATH-M50x | Punchy & Tight | Slightly Recessed | Bright | Slight V-shape with energetic upper mids | Link |
| IE300 | Full-bodied | Recessed | Sparkly | Warm with enhanced treble | Link |
| Kiwi Ears Singolo | Controlled | Forward | Refined | Neutral reference tuning | Link |
| Klipsch X4i | Tight & Controlled | Forward | Crisp | Mildly bright with mid-forward clarity | NA |
| Meze 109 Pro | Neutral | Natural | Smooth | Balanced and natural | Link |
| Momentum 4 Wireless | Warm & Rich | Clear | Smooth | Consumer-friendly | Link |
| Moondrop Aria 2 | Sub-bass lean, clean | Mildly forward | Smoothly extended | Harman-inspired with air & clarity | Link |
| TANGZU Waner SG2 | Present | Balanced | Extended | Slightly warm with good detail | Link |
| WF-1000XM5 | Punchy | Recessed | Smooth | V-shaped | Link |
| WF-1000XM6 | Deep & Controlled | Forward | Crisp | Balanced with sub-bass emphasis | Link |
Coffee rewards obsession.
My daily driver is a DeLonghi Magnifica S that I refuse to treat as a black box. I tweak grind, temperature, and timing until the shot matches exactly what I want that morning.
Slower days call for the V60: Timemore grinder, gooseneck kettle, precision scale. Bloom, patience, concentric circles. The quiet satisfaction of watching a bright cup come together.
I chase light roasts and naturally processed beans — the ones that actually taste like blueberry or stone fruit. The French press is saved for weekends when I want something slower and more forgiving.
Stats
90+ bags logged across 5+ years
~32 kg total
Clear shift from commercial blends (Lavazza, Starbucks) to experimental and specialty lots
Rising taste for anaerobic, honey, and mixed-processing coffees
The Log (highlights)
I log every bag. The curiosity keeps growing.
Perfume, for me, is memory made portable. A single spritz can transport you — to a rain-soaked street in Paris, a leather-lined library, a garden just after dusk. I’ve spent years chasing those moments through the work of perfumers who treat fragrance as a serious art form: the precision of Frédéric Malle, the quiet elegance of Acqua di Parma, the eccentric Britishness of Penhaligon’s, the poetic Left Bank sensibility of Diptyque, the raw urban minimalism of Le Labo, the earthy botanics of Aesop, and the bold, unapologetic glamour of YSL. My collection isn’t about owning bottles — it’s about curating experiences across moods, seasons, and stories. Some days call for something quiet and considered; others demand something that announces itself. Every fragrance earns its place by telling a story worth wearing.
| Category | Equipment |
|---|---|
| Desk | Omnidesk Pro WildWood — Pheasantwood |
| Desktop | Alienware Aurora R12 running Linux |
| Laptop | MacBook Pro M1 Pro |
| Lighting | BenQ ScreenBar |
| Monitor | Dell U2720Q on Prism+ Arc Opus |
I grew up in India and have spent the last decade calling Singapore home. In between, the world has been generous enough to let me wander — through jungle heat and alpine cold, ancient temples and modernist icons, bustling night markets and quiet Nordic streets.
East Asia runs on a different frequency. Japan has a way of stopping time — whether you're standing in a Kyoto garden or navigating the chaos of Shinjuku. Korea's got a relentless creative energy. Hong Kong remains one of the great urban spectacles on earth, and Macao is a peculiar collision of Portuguese nostalgia and casino grandeur that somehow works.
The UAE is a place of extremes done with intention — scale, ambition, and a surprising warmth beneath the gleaming surface.
The US is less a country than a collection of very distinct places that happen to share a flag. It demands more than one visit to even scratch the surface.
The Nordics rewired something. Finland and Sweden for the quiet grandeur and coffee culture taken seriously. Tallinn for being one of Europe's best-kept secrets: a medieval old town wrapped in Baltic air.
Living in Singapore makes Southeast Asia feel like an extended backyard — and it's a backyard worth exploring slowly. Weekend escapes to Malaysia, rice terraces and temple silence in Indonesia, the staggering weight of history at Angkor Wat, the chaotic energy of Vietnamese street food at 7am, and the warmth of Thailand every single time.
Europe never quite gets old. Italy for the art and food, Vatican City for the cinematic weight of it, Monaco for the theatre, France for the obvious reasons, the UK and Scotland for landscape made literary, Portugal for Lisbon's light, Switzerland for the mountains.