These are 5 of my favorite things right now

I didn’t grow up poor. Or at least my father never allowed us to feel that way. But I grew up careful. My father hated waste. If we left the lights on, he noticed. If we ran the water too long, he’d remind us what it cost.

When I started earning, I bought everything I wanted. Watches, sneakers, books, coffee gear. I said I was rewarding myself. But really I just wanted proof that I could afford what we used to avoid.

That phase passed.

Now I buy very little. The things I buy are the ones that stay with me.

The IWC Mark XX

I’ve owned a few watches, including an Omega Speedmaster. It’s an icon. But that’s not why I added it to my collection. I bought it because I was told every collector needed one.

The IWC Mark XX is different. I’ve written about it before, and I still wear it most days. I’m wearing it now as I write this.

It’s part of a lineage that started in 1948, when IWC built the Mark 11 for British pilots. This version feels familiar but refined.

It has a 40-millimeter stainless steel case, a blue dial that changes with the light, and a movement that runs for five days.

The longer I have it, the more I appreciate its quiet confidence. It doesn’t try to stand out. It just works. Like me.

How I became a performance artist

Pearl Jam’s Black

Pearl Jam has been together since 1990. They started in Seattle and outlasted most of their peers. Their song Black from the 1991 album Ten is still one of the most emotional pieces of music I’ve ever heard.

Around the 3:19 mark, the song changes. Eddie Vedder’s voice starts to crack. It’s not smooth or controlled. It feels real. His voice sounds like warm honey poured over gravel. It’s rough and gentle at the same time. Like a warm, open wound.

The Igloo Evens vanilla ice cream sandwich

The Igloo Evens vanilla ice cream sandwich has been around in the Gulf for decades. Two chocolate biscuits, one block of vanilla ice cream, and nothing else.

You can find other versions, but, for me, it’s the vanilla one that slaps. It’s simple, familiar, and exactly what it should be. It doesn’t try to impress. It just delivers comfort every single time. My therapist is going to have a field day with this paragraph.

Radiohead’s Creep by Scala and Kolacny Brothers

Radiohead released Creep in 1992. It became the anthem for anyone who felt like they didn’t belong. Years later, a Belgian women’s choir called Scala and Kolacny Brothers reimagined it. The choir is led by Steven and Stijn Kolacny and made up of young women, mostly in their teens and early twenties.

Their version, Raro (Creep), is sung in Spanish. The anger of the original is replaced with softness. The voices rise and fall like a collective whisper. It feels like hearing a private thought said out loud.

Stephen Wilson Jr. – Stand By Me (Live at The Print Shop)

Ben E. King’s Stand By Me came out in 1961. It’s been covered endlessly, but Stephen Wilson Jr.’s live version from 2024 stands apart.

His voice feels worn. And honest. He doesn’t try to recreate the original. He brings out what was already there.

It’s the kind of performance that feels lived, not rehearsed.

Benchmark Coffee‘s blend

Benchmark Coffee is part of Behind The Cup, the Emirati group that also owns Archers, Hoof, The Hut, and Bkry. Archers hosted the second Home Barista Show, and Benchmark carries that same grounded energy.

There’s always a queue, no matter the hour. Their house blend walks a fine line between chocolate sweetness and gentle fruit brightness. The balance is exact. The coffee is always clean, warm, and steady. It’s my daily driver.

I don’t know if these things share anything in common. A watch, a song, a sandwich, a cup of coffee. But they stay with me.

And maybe that’s enough.