The II Earl

Living well is the best revenge - Anthony Scaramucci

How many of the following have you ticked off in your twenties? I won’t wait until retirement until I start to live the life that I want every day. So get ready to tick off, and make plans to complete those that have as yet evaded you. 1- Build a stronger body and mind 2- Learn to drive 3- Mastering a new language 4- Travel broadens the mind 5- Buy property 6- Read a great work of literature 7- Reach out to one of your heroes 8- Learn how to master a signature dish 9- Host a Sunday roast in your own home 10- Win a game of chess 11- Have a favourite whisky 12- Find your signature scent 13- Buy one tailored suit 14- Taking the time to handwrite letters 15- Invest in a piece of art 16- Learn at least one song on piano or guitar 17- Go to the opera, even if you never return 18- Blood donation 19- Become a jack of all trades 20- Repairing a leak 21- Climb a mountain 22- Giving something back ✠

The friend is the person whom one is in need of, and by whom one is needed. Life is a sweeter, stronger, fuller, more gracious thing for the friend’s existence, whether he be near or far: if the friend is close at hand, that is best; but if he is far away, he is still there, to think of, to wonder about, to hear from, to write to, to share life and experience with, to serve, to honor, to admire, to love.” – Arthur Christopher Benson

Style is simply the order and movement one gives to one’s thoughts. If these are connected closely, and rigorously, the style will be firm, nervous, and concise. If they are allowed to follow one another loosely and merely at the lead of the diction, however choice this be, the style will be diffuse, nerveless and languid ...the style is the man himself. on Discourse on style by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788)

To Kendig B. Cully Dear Sir, 25 September 1937 You can learn a great deal of psychology through studying books, but you will find that this psychology is not very helpful m practical life. A man entrusted with the care of souls ought to have a certain wisdom of life which does not consist of words only but chiefly of experience. Such psychology, as I understand it, is not only a piece of knowledge but a certain wisdom of life at the same time. If such a thing can be taught at all, it must be in the way of a personal experience of the human soul. Such an experience is possible only when the teaching has a personal character, namely when you are personally taught and not generally. In India since ancient times they have the custom that practically everybody of a certain education, at least, has a guru, a spiritual leader who teaches you and you alone what you ought to know. Not everybody needs to know the same thing and this kind of knowledge can never be taught in the s...

Sometimes, the shoot on your camera roll simply to make your treasured experiences. To me, it’s a more cinematic way of seeing the world. Since it’s a fully manual camera, it forces you to take a breath and think about things like exposure and focus. ✠

There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers. Yet it is admirable to profess because it was once admirable to live. To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically. — Henry David Thoreau

There is a global pandemic, and the world crouching in the shadow cast by the coronavirus, and I needed to encapsulate this on the photo with a man who not only embodies our values but who was also putting his energy. If you put yourself in this photo and imagine, you’d be feeling rather relaxed. I dispenses advice on cocktails, dances, keeps spirits high, read books, spend time for your family and, most importantly to whom we can. 😌😌 photo credit: ralph lauren

Wilmot’s life, The II Earl of Rochester is one shrouded in mystery. Sex, scandal, poetry.. I became very interested in Rochester about 4 years ago. He seemed far more modern in his concerns that most of the writers of his time – and far funnier, too. I did quite a lot of reading about him then, and since... Well if nobody else is going to do this;  Vast sections of Rochester’s life are near-unbelievable. He started at Oxford when he was 12, lost his virginity at 13, was an alcoholic by 14, tried to abduct the woman who became his wife at 18, was a naval hero at 19, and then he really started getting going.  Condoms became incredibly popular and were even lauded by Rochester in 1667 as a protection against both disease and pregnancy in his Panegyrick Upon Cundums. He died later as a result of venereal disease at the age of 33. Rochester definitely had the right idea, but at the time, there was a popular belief that venereal disease could not be spread between men, so some me...

G olf has long been a favourite pastime of many a discerning gentleman, but it isn’t always the most fashion-forward of sports. This sport even has its very own rules of etiquette. Despite the common assumption that these rules of golf etiquette are all about maintaining the gentlemanly state of the game for the most part, they each have practical purposes. Golf is not about strength or muscles, it’s about strength of character and mind. The game itself is also gentleman-like. It's also a relatively high class game if you consider what the cost is to play it, and it isn't, not to undermine the work put into doing well, the most physical game out there, but it's the crack of sports, and I'm totally addicted. Cheers!

True aesthetic education is an offspring of ongoing intellectual reflection and the sincere education of one’s heart. ✠

I am interested in becoming a regular writer after go home, from my humble desk. So I decided to set up this here account, and give it a whirl! Maybe I can expand my noble social circle and meet interesting people in life. - K.