An ex-pat living in Georgia since 2011, I trade stocks, take photographs, work out at the gym, and many more. Here I write about travel, finance, and other things that might interest me.
Latest articles
Istanbul With Kids
In late May 2023, my family and I embarked on a spontaneous adventure to Istanbul, immersing ourselves in the lively atmosphere of this vibrant city.Our itinerary was filled with the thrill of amusement parks, where we embraced the joy of heart-pounding rides and laughter. Amidst the fun, we had the pleasure of meeting a dozen skilled Turkish mechanics, adding a unique touch to our journey. Engaging conversations and shared moments made this…
The Nachlaot Pearl/ King Salomon apartment in Jerusalem (Be'er Sheva Street)
The Nachlaot Pearl / King Salomon room is an apartment we booked via Airbnb for a two-day stay in Jerusalem on New Year's Eve of 2023. The price we paid seemed a bit high, paying about $350 for a small studio room, but as we didnt know what to expect from Jerusalem rental market and were not into extensive reserach, we agreed to book this place. And the stay was actually really excellent. We agreed to book over AirBnB insetad of booking.com…
Beruwalage Gems & Jewelry Moonstone Mine in Sri Lanka
During our latest trip to Sri Lanka at the start of 2022, we visited this small and interesting Moonstone Mine - Beruwalage Gems & Jewelry. We were taken here by our driver / guide we ordered back in the hotel for the day trip to Galle. Moonstone is a fascinating gemstone that is found abundantly in Sri Lanka. This gemstone has been revered for centuries for its unique beauty, metaphysical properties, and historical significance. Sri…
Binance vs. SEC: Unraveling the 17% Plunge in My Crypto Portfolio
My crypto portfolio took a hit of about 17% last night after it was announced that SEC has sued Binance and its CEO CZ. Bitcoin price dropped from about $27,150 to $25,500. At the time of writing, I was holding about 0.1 BTC long futures, with my average buy price at $27,125. Trading with leverage is like a double-sided sword, it can make huge returns and it can also blow up your account easily. With my BTC estimated liquidation price (ELP)…
Paul French Restaurant on Paliashvili street (near Vake Park in Tbilisi)
There is a lovely French restaurant and bakery located on Paliashvili Street near Vake Park in Tbilisi. We keep heading here for delicious French-style desserts and one of my favorite vegetable soups. We come here occasionally, after visiting Vake Park or during the lunch break at the office nearby. There are several Paul Restaurants located across the city, check out my previous review about Paul restaurant on Abashidze Street Latelty we hae…
Week #25 Ethereum Options Trading Results (+0.044 ETH)
Greetings from Tbilisi, Georgia. Summer has started with temperatures well above +30C. On Friday, June 2, 2023, 1 ETH traded at $1,902 while the total value of our Ethereum / EUR / USDC / BTC portfolio was worth $2,050.19, and is already about 20% from our $10,000 goal. Week over week we booked growth of more than $230 for the portfolio. Last week we also booked a decent +0.044 ETH profit, most of the profit comes from the 1DTE call options…
Sighnaghi and Mtskheta trip
This time around, the stage was set between swimming pools, intense jiu-jitsu sessions, and explorations of two iconic Georgian towns - Sighnaghi and Mtskheta.The weekend kicked off with a perfect balance of fitness and fun. Picture this - a refreshing plunge into inviting swimming pools, followed by intense jiu-jitsu sessions. The rhythmic flow of water and the discipline of martial arts created a unique synergy, leaving me energized and ready…
Latest Addition to Stock Portfolio: Bought 2 AMZN shares at $121.74
On June 1, 2023, we bought an additional 2 shares of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) stock, paying $121.74 per share for our Partnership Fund. We are now holding 25 shares of AMZN in our Partnership Fund portfolio Using dollar-cost averaging our average cost per AMZN share is $106.11 75 shares to go once we will be able to start selling covered calls and generate extra income from AMZN stock. At the current investment speed (2 shares per month) we…
Top 11 things to do in Batumi with Kids
Our family trip began in Tbilisi, where we picked up our child from QSI international school in Zurgovani village. From there, we traveled to Natakhtari Airport, where we took a one-hour flight on Vanilla Sky to Batumi. Upon arrival at Batumi International Airport, we quickly booked a Bolt taxi through the app, and in just 15 minutes, we arrived at our hotel, the charming and affordable Hotel O. Galogre in the Old Town. Compared to the five-…
How to Get around Istanbul for cheap with this ride-sharing Taxi app
I have traveled back and forth to Istanbul for dozen times, sometimes just by a connecting flight, sometimes just to spend a day or two in Istanbul. Most of the time, I have relied on shuttle services ordered from hotels or using public transportation. The last time when we visited Istanbul, via Sabiha Gokcen airport (May 2023) I noticed the price for one way transfer to the city center was EUR 60 (a few years ago I paid USD 40 for the same…
Week #24 Ethereum Options Trading Results (+0.058 ETH)
Greetings from Istanbul, Turkey. We come here for a short weekend trip to visit some kid's amusement parks, try the local cuisine and just to spend some good time together. For the past few days, I've been trading mostly from my iPhone. And I'm trading a lot, buying both Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual future contracts. At the moment managing 5 portfolios on the Deribit platform. On Friday, May 26, 2023, 1 ETH traded at $1,829 while the total…
Jerusalem - Tel Aviv Train via Ben Gurion Airport in Israel
The highly anticipated new high-speed train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv via Ben Gurion Airport is now operating. The final destination of the Jerusalem train is Tel Aviv. The new Jerusalem to Tel Aviv train service is officially called King David Line. I have traveled by train from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem on New Year's Eve of 2023. The ticket price per passenger was about ISL 15. The train station is actually located inside the terminal…
Statue of Medea in Batumi
The Statue of Medea is located at Europe square in the Batumi city center. The Statue is dedicated to Medea, Colchian Princess from Greek mythology. Statue was opened to the public back in 2007. I have visited for many times Europe square and the statue of Medea, especially in the recent years when a McDonalds is opened next to the monument, so I decided add this pictursque place to the blog. A must have place to visiti once in Batumi: It is…
Grill Town Restaurant in Batumi
Grill Town restaurant in Batumi is among one of my best finds in recent years. Located close to the Sheraton Hotel on Rustaveli Avenue in Batumi. We first discovered this restaurant in some of our previous Batumi trips, so this time it was a no-brainer to visit this place. During our latest visit here in April 2023, it turned out to be the restaurant 1 year anniversary and we got some free Sangrias and very smiling staff members. Grill town…
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport, is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, it is the busiest airport in the country. It is located 45 kilometers (28 mi) to the northwest of Jerusalem and 20 kilometers (12 mi) to the southeast of Tel Aviv. I first visited it back in 2009, flying with Turkish Airlines from Riga (via Istanbul), and also have flown a direct flight by EL AL from Tbilisi and…