Category: fun
-
The $20,000 Flea Market Find
I usually don’t spend much time digging through dusty boxes at the local flea market. But last Sunday, a bizarre album cover caught my eye.
-
Just Shaxi and Fengyu. Yunnan Spring Greetings (II)
Journey to Shaxi (沙溪) On the way from Dali to Shaxi, we passed through Fengyu (凤羽). It’s a quiet, traditional town, famous for its intricate stone carvings and inkstones. A good place to see the rural side of Yunnan before entering the Shaxi valley. Authentic Flavors We had lunch there and the restaurant was simple…
-
Spring greetings from Yunnan 云南 (I) #WordlessWednesday
A selection of photos from Kunming, China. This post is part of the #WordlessWednesday series, prioritizing visual impressions over text.
-
Before I gotta go, go, go…
“Before I gotta go…” is an article about a new series on dreams, marking a deliberate departure from minimalism in favor of abstract depth. It introduces the concept of the “Oneiric Divide”—visualizing not the story of a dream, but the raw energy it leaves behind—and offers a glimpse into my upcoming dialogue on “Dot and…
-
Don’t let the old man in
Don’t let the old man in is more than just a song title; it is a directive for maintaining an open spirit against bitterness. This article explores that mindset by contrasting striking political imagery with the artistic independence of my 2025 Yearbook, proving that staying young is a matter of attitude, not age.
-
Winter Greetings,
Despite my well-known dislike for winter, I’ve been persuaded on a few trips and was always captivated by the profound stillness and light of the season. Encouraged by the response to my autumn post, here are a few winter impressions from Austria.
-
Autumn Greetings,
This article explores autumn destinations near Vienna that are rich with the stories of historical figures. We trace the steps of the Habsburgs, visiting Empress Sisi’s and Emperor Franz Joseph’s favorite retreats in Laxenburg and the Vienna Woods. The journey also leads us to the Wachau Valley to recount the dramatic tale of King Richard…
-
Tao and Zen again: Applying Eastern Philosophy to Contemporary Ink Painting
Tao and Zen, along with minimalism, became my focus during a forced pause due to illness. This short article shares how fever dreams led to abstract works that explore the tension between Yin and Yang—an attempt to artistically grasp our world, which has been thrown off balance.
-
Autumn Reflections
Autumn Reflections explores the connection between poetry, calligraphy, and painting through a series of original semi-haiku.
-
On Giving, Taking, and What Truly Matters
From a Cambodian tuk-tuk driver to quantum physics, explore the profound layers behind the Dalai Lama’s simple advice: “Be kind.” A journey into the power of giving and true connection.
-
Spring Potpourri
Spring potpourri. Embrace spring! My latest post shares moments of peace found in nature’s embrace, as well as delicious seasonal delights.
-
Every Picture Tells a Story
Every Picture Tells a Story. Let’s dive into the rich tapestry of Chinese minority people, captured in photographs from the hinterlands of northeast China, specifically Qinghai and the border area with Tibet, taken between 1979 and 1982.
-
Journey to the Zen Master
This is the second part of a three-part article on a Journey to a Zen Master. We encounter the living space of the master.
-
The Journey to the Zen Master
This article explores an imaginary journey to a Zen master, represented through a series of paintings. It delves into philosophical reflections on Zen, using a combination of western and eastern artistic techniques to illustrate the transition from the real world to a spiritual one. The journey begins at a busy train station and gradually leads…
-
The Dao of Annual Planning in 2024
New Year’s Resolutions and Implementation Annual Planning and Dao: Today’s article focuses on a personal topic that I hope my valued readers can benefit from. It also includes reflections on topics such as SEO and AI, which were cut off during the year and are now revisited at the end of the year. When discussing…
-
Merry Fir Tree
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You and Your Loved Ones!
-
Discovering the Beauty in the Ugly
Exploring Aesthetic Sensibilities Through Photography. Discovering the Beauty in the Ugly – or at least discover something attractive in the ugly: In our last article, we delved into the concept of wabi-sabi and I shared some of my work. Thanks for the positive feedback! Today, we will go a step beyond wabi-sabi, using photos from…
-
Andy Warhol, a Corpse, Opium, and a Botched Tribunal
“Andy Warhol, A Corpse in the Water, opium and a Botched Tribunal” – sounds like clickbait. And yet, as always, it’s all true.
-
Daoist Aspects in My Paintings
Today’s article is divided into two interconnected parts. The sequence of images, all recent works, illustrates my approach to the concept of Nothingness.
-
What is Reality? What is Nothingness?
What is Reality? Embark on a journey through the realms of reality. Uncover the historical beliefs and scientific progress that have shaped our modern understanding.
-
Visit of the old Zen Master and other Nonzens
Visit of the old Zen master is nonsense because there is no Zen master that I know. So I can’t visit one, so no one can visit me.
-
When you live in the most livable city in the world
Living in the world’s most livable city might sound surprising coming from me. Don’t worry, I haven’t switched to advertising, nor am I trying to become a tour guide as my fourth career.
-
Summer Inventory
Summer Inventory. As a good businessman should, I conduct inventory twice a year. During this process, I find items I had written off as lost or even things I never realized I owned.
-
Can We Hear a Painting?
Can you hear a painting? The idea of paintings creating music has captivated artists for centuries.
-
Emptiness, Space, and Depth
Emptiness, Space, and Depth: The Spring Collection. Selection of recent Artworks. Studies, sketches, paintings.
-
Essence in Art: Less is More
Brainstorming on the subject of the soul. Due to requests that I was very pleased to receive, I would like to focus on the subject of the soul in this and the next post.
-
Petra and Sharm El Sheikh Trip
A trip to Petra and The Treasury of the Pharaoh, gorges, some desert and sea.
-
Birthday present from Confucius and
one of the best love poems. Birthday present from Confucius: So I’m 70 years old now. So what?! Really – so what? How should I react? Emotional? Annoy me that I’m an old fart now? But I was an old fart last year too – and the year before. Don’t even think about it? This…
-
About being happy – reflections and thoughts.
About being happy through the centuries. About being happy was not planned as a topic. But I promised a co-blogger, M, whose work I particularly admire, that I would write a few thoughts on the topic of being happy. Which of course can be seen as arrogance and I would therefore like to apologize for…
-
2024 How do you set it up?
2024 – to defy or embrace? When I say that I welcome the New Year optimistic Daoistic, it may sound surprising given the world situation.
-
day dream job
and some remarks. Day dream job: Little boys, especially those of preschool age, often aspire to become firefighters or police officers. However, I’m not sure about girls’ future career aspirations. I’m also not sure what my vision was as a 5-year-old. Probably a demolitionist, since my father was one at the time. When I came…
-
When the let-go period is over
Presentation: I have chosen a work that probably does not immediately cause a “love at first sight” feeling to everybod. Plus a book presentation video.
-
not nothing this time, but
I actually wanted to write a post called “More Nothing” or something like that. However, my marketing director convinced me that giving my readers more nothing every week was not a recipe for success.
-
Another new morning for the same old sod
As I wrote in my last post, I treated myself to a 3-week spa stay. Well, a vintage car will no longer become a racing car. But a refurbished classic car also has its appeal, it is said.
-
What game shall we play today?
About knowing and believing. Quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger: “Sciences are good at measuring something, but cannot say anything about our being”.
-
Something totally different: My new Friend Bing Chat
Something totally different: In various conversations, in social media, and also here on wordpress, I very often see a negative attitude towards ChatGpd and Bing Chat.
-
the magic sea
Magic Sea Opera: Even if the idea that I would like to present today might sound unrealistic or at least utopian at first, I would by no means see it as unfeasible. Namely, the idea of an opera as a total work of art, in which the visual part is the actor
-
I promised you the sky
In my penultimate post of photos with stones and sand from my last trip to Egypt, I promised to also show the sky. And so the chapter on Egypt comes to a close. As reported, I had the chance to take master classes with the greatest artist of all time: Mother Nature.
-
The Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings: Showing photos of Luxor & Co, especially Panorama or the well-known murals, doesn’t make much sense. I would therefore like to show a few detailed shots that are less well-known or that are easily overlooked.
-
The children’s book of my last post
The children’s book of my last post is not a project in progress, it’s just a play around. If you want to play, play with us! Now that I have started with the topic and my last post on it received such positive feedback, I would like to write a little more about it. Thanks…
-
About Jack
About Jack: Our generation is part of so many new developments and we take many things for granted. And yet I am always enthusiastic about the opportunities that are given to us and what often results from them. And so today I would like to tell you about my friend Jack.
-
Merry – what, actually?
Merry – what, actually? Enjoy your holidays!
-
explanation and summary of #WordlessWednesday
Explanation and summary of #WordlessWednesday: I came across this initiative about half a year ago and although I don’t usually take part in any activities of this kind, this time it appealed to me.
-
goodbye #WordlessWednesday
With this last photo of the Wordless Wednesday Project, I would like to thank everyone who has followed this series and, of course, I would especially like to thank you for the numerous feedback and likes.
-
black and white. more fish #WordlessWednesday
Black and white. More fish: A fisherman from Negombo points to his dried fish
-
the big catch #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
The big catch. Dedicated to the participants of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Photo for #WordlessWednesday
-
busy painting the future #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
busy painting the future. huge wall painting, beijing, china . photo for #WordlessWednesday
-
belated halloween #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
basement window in the streets of verona, italy 2014. photo for #WordlessWednesday
-
soft drink delivery #WordlessWednesday
soft drink delivery in the medina of fez, morocco. photo for #WorlessWednesday
-
standpoint and point of view #WordlessWednesday
A standpoint as point of view. Wien, Liesing 2022. Photo for #WordlessWednesday
-
alternative to #WordlessWednesday
Silly old news from The United Kimdon ®: In times like these, we all need something to cheer us up and nothing is better than the unvarnished reality, away from political correctness. Alternative to #WorlessWednesday
-
not much to see #WordlessWednesday
not much to see. photo of a river scene for ‘WorlessWednesday
-
one of those… #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
It must be one of those black wires. Photo from Vietnam, Hanoi for #WordlessWednesday
-
the blind musician #WordlessWednesday
The blind musician. Foto for #WordlessWdenesday. Tianjin, China, 1979.
-
curry restaurant kitchen #WordlessWednesday
The kitchen of an amon and curry restaurant in nowhere land, North of Dambulla. Even if the picture doesn’t look inviting, the curries are the finest.
-
wien, the capital of music #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
Vienna, the capital of music, where even the horses jam too. snapshot for #WordlessWednesday by © friedrich zettl
-
yes, no coffee today. #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
Yes, we have no coffee today. A Shanghai Starbucks coffeeshop as a failed business. A photo for #WordlessWednesday
-
fish and chips #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
Fish and chips Asian style. Negombo, Sri Lanka 2016. Photo for “WordlessWednesday”
-
siem reap heartbreakers #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
missing those heartbreakers from siem reap
-
electricity buddha #WordlessWednesday #snapshot
a little buddha protects the power supply in sri lanka
-
retrieval by nature #WordlessWednesday
Retrieval by nature. Ta Prom, not far from the area where Francis Ford Coppola shot scenes for Apocalypse Now.
-
corporate concept #WordlessWednesday
Chaos Investment Company. Shanghai, Putong. A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your photos to tell the story.
-
my favorite Taoist – enjoy your day!
Photograph of a female Daoist from Shanghai laughing all over her face
-
student prank with Wang Ziwu 王子武
Copy of a painting by Wang Ziwu 王子武 with hen and chickens. Funny story of a student prank.
-
when I first met Lu Yanshao 陸儼少
Traditionally, on Saturday mornings, the Academy invited well-known painters of classical Chinese painting to demonstrate their way of painting.