Minimalism and being a Minimalist

At first when I heard the word minimalist I associated it with living from the bare necessities in life. Researching the term it gave me a slight different view, even though I know now where the term came from and how it is related to someone’s life in society.

min·i·mal·ist  (mn-m-lst)

n.

1. One who advocates a moderate or conservative approach, action, or policy, as in a political or governmental organization.

2. A practitioner of minimalism.

adj.

1. Of, relating to, characteristic of, or in the style of minimalism.

2. Being or providing a bare minimum of what is necessary.

min·i·mal·ism  (mn-m-lzm)

1. A school of abstract painting and sculpture that emphasizes extreme simplification of form, as by the use of basic shapes and monochromatic palettes of primary colors, objectivity, and anonymity of style. Also called ABC art, minimal art, reductivism, rejective art.

2. Use of the fewest and barest essentials or elements, as in the arts, literature, or design.

3. Music A school or mode of contemporary music marked by extreme simplification of rhythms, patterns, and harmonies, prolonged chordal or melodic repetitions, and often a trancelike effect.

Ever since I started moving around I realised that I have way too much baggage in my life. I have not spoken to many people about being a minimalist and what comes with it. Or if you even could call yourself a minimalist as long as you live of more than you actually require.

I believe there needs to be a balance. I still enjoy having certain materialistic components in my life and I wouldn’t want to give them up just to be a complete minimalist. I rather understand the concept of being a minimalist to ensure you unclutter your life on a regular basis and focus on the important things in your life which is family and friends (and travels!).

Of course traveling light is important to me and with each trip I am getting to the next level in mastering it and knowing what is important and what can I leave behind.

I found the following list an interesting read

http://mnmlist.com/minimalist-faqs/

Here is an example of a day in my life which showed me how far away I am actually of being a minimalist:

I got up in the morning and took the bus to work (I could walk) and bought myself a coffee (I could just stick with water) and went up to the office. Of course during work times I require certain components to do my job hence I leaving this part out. During lunch time I bought lunch (could have cooked it myself). After work was done I went home again by bus and enjoyed a quick dinner in front of the TV (part of entertainment which we could do without) before starting to make a cake (not required). This was followed by a quick chat with a friend via my phone (could have talked face to face) and some writing on my netbook.

Here is the outcome of the cake taken with a camera that belongs to my sister (not my own, but does that still count?)

So where do people draw the line on what is necessary and what is not required. In today’s society there are certain components you require to make sure you can hold up in this world, such a phone to make sure you can call your friends and family.

What would you be willing to give up to become a minimalist?

The Hype of the iPhone 5

Since I belong to the target group of smartphone owners it seems that the marketing strategy of certain companies are failing as they don’t reach the customers of the competition.

The news of course reaches everyone so I was made aware of the fact that Apple is releasing a new version of the iPhone. The hype was once again exceptional huge for a little and simple item in your life.

The thousands of reviews listed online debate about the new features and its usefulness which comes in handy if you are actually planning to buy one.

For example

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/iphone-5-1096004/review

This post as usual is not about the item itself, some like it, some don’t and some don’t care, that’s fact. What I found fascinating is the fact that a phone can cause such tantrum. Maybe some of you still remember the days where you only had a house phone, if even, and had to leave notes on the kitchen table when you went out to make sure everyone knows where you are. You had to be one time as people would leave if you don’t show up; you had no chance of letting them know that you got stuck in the train because someone decided to jump in front of it.

Today’s technology makes it of course easier and everything has its advantage and disadvantage and compared to a few years back a lot of things have improved because of the technology available. I am all for new ways of improving our life.

What I just don’t understand is why people would queue for hours, maybe even days just to get a new phone which barely can do more than the old versions. You still can text, call and access the internet, people barely use much more than that. The apps and features are sad board game and book replacements.

The queue in front of the Apple store in Covent Garden - London. That is a picture take at the middle of the queue, it went far further behind me and the store is at the end of he building

The Gadget obsession for certain people and of course the geeks never quiet grasps me. The impatience to have the latest gadget is for me just unbelievable. Having an iPhone these days is not even anymore a status object, showing off with it becomes difficult and yet people seem to think it is more important than ever. Or simply maybe that’s just me and a few other people in this world.

Has my life improved since I have a smartphone? Not really, it sure made certain things easier such as finding your way directly from a phone instead of printing or having a map, but that’s about it. Am I getting too old to understand the importance of new inventions? Or is it really that there is no reason whatsoever for this hype? I would be curious to hear some stories from people that actually got the phone on its release day. Care to share? 

London – A Ticket around the world

I wouldn’t have expected to be here again 5 years ago, but here I am. Now back nearly 6 months and the city is as fascinating as ever. This entry is an addition to my entry Home sweet home which has a few other views of London: http://yearsoffreedom.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/home-sweet-home.html

Just before I left for my big trip I was convinced that I had enough of the UK and everything that goes with it, now I think differently and gave London a second chance, without regret.

You can find everything in London, from all over the world; you don’t even need a ticket to fly somewhere else to experience a different culture, food and entertainment. Even though I prefer to make the experience firsthand, it is nice for the time being as I can’t leave for a long time quiet yet.

Whether you want to go for Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, Mongolian, Ethiopian, Russian and a hundred other cultures, you all can find it in London. There are so many areas there is something for everyone, you just need to put in the energy and actually go there, go out and explore the city you are living in.

There are a fair amount of blogs about cuisine in London already so I won’t even bother to go into that right now, maybe at a later stage I start documenting the places I had been to and what I think of them and if I would recommend them.

I just enjoy living here, as there are so many different places you wouldn’t see when you are a tourists and only have a few days. From time to time I become blind to the main attractions such as the Big Ben or the London Eye, simply because I am passing them every day. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself to walk with open eyes through the world because sometimes you find something hidden between the known.

I don’t even know where to start and where to finish, what do people want to hear? What do they want to see? Would be great if some people that read my blog just give me some recommendations so I make the entry worthwhile and actually give you some value and not just type along to whatever comes to my mind.

  

I am still enjoying my life and have done so many different things, spending time with my family and friends, visiting events. Just not have a care in the world because I can. I know there will be eventually different times in the future so I make sure I make the best out of it.

  

From time to time I feel that I should write even more random things into my blog, but after work usually I am low on energy and the thoughts that were floating in my mind during the day are gone.

Hopefully this will change soon again and my blog is getting busier :)

Read you soon again.