Life outside work

Making Music

I have been playing the cello since I was four.

Personal favourite pieces, concertos, sonatas:

Of course there's more, but I am mostly into pieces written during baroque up to late romanticism. Oh, and modern movie soundtracks too.

Great, great cellists: Sol Gabetta, Stjepan Hauser, Jacqueline du Pré, Rebecca Firth (best cello teacher you can think of), Mosa Tsay, Sayaka Selina

Vintage audio and electronics

I love music and electronics, so anything audio is highly ranked on my list as well. Particular favourite is the vintage audio equipment manufactured by the Matsushita (松下) corporation, as it was known (or not) until 2008—in other words, stuff sold branded as Technics.

Here's my beloved SE-A3 power amplifier from 1981 (with all-original OD-503A DLPT transistors):

A shot of my rare SU-/ST-3600 combo from 1972:

Photography

I love taking pictures as a hobby.

Here's a random selection:

My gear:

Lately, I've also started dipping my toes into film photography. I have yet to experience all the challenges around it, but even just handling those wonderful old cameras is a sensation that has sadly gone away with the dullness of today's touch screen infestation.
My current setup is a black Canon FTb QL with nFD 50mm f/1.8 lens, charged up with Ilford hp5 at this very moment.

Mountain biking

I love riding cross-country trails as much as hiking and running. Admittedly I am still a newbie, but eager to learn! Here's some images of trails, with my magnificent Scott Scale 925 in view:


And yes, I ride a hardtail; it's awesome. E-bike? What's that?

茶の湯

I am a passionate tea drinker. My favourites include 玉露 (Gyokuro), a japanese green tea that gets shaded for the final 21 days before harvesting for a highly distinct taste (strong umami thanks to elevated levels of amino acids). Here's some pictures with my 急須 (kyusu; japanese clay tea pot from Tokoname) containing Sencha from Chiran, Kagoshima prefecture, Kyushu:

Other favourites include Chinese Silver Needle (white) Tea and many varieties of Oolong.

Misc.

Other things I do and like:

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