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Vitalis magazine

A Life Well Lived

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Literature

Feature

The Pharaoh's Lesson

Travelogue

Say there was an eternal afterlife – what would you choose to take to the other side? Your house? Car? Gourmet food and wine? That comfy sofa in the living room? Maybe some favourite clothes, jewellery, makeup and shoes? What about some underwear?

Pharaohs packed all this and more. The reason we know this is because of the infamous discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, the most complete and spectacular unplundered royal tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings.

Most other notable tombs, whether it be in the pyramids or dug into the arid cliffs at the Valley of the Kings, were robbed way back in antiquity. The only reason King Tut's tomb remained undisturbed was because of the unusual circumstance surrounding his death.

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Welcome to Vitalis

Vitalis magazine for everyone who shares our thirst for living a full life. From profiling wholesome local eateries to sharing thoughtful travelogues, we cover the topics that add to the joie de vivre. We also offer a healthy dose of critique and commentary on of art, culture, business and politics, in the hope that it inspires us to do better. Our experimental literary works complete the mix: Discover travel literature and speculative fiction that acquaints one with the realities of our world through fictional characters and at times, worlds. 

​An examined life is a well-lived life. Join us in the exploration.

Lifestyle

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Where to Eat

Where to eat in Coogee

Confession: I am writing this article mostly for the benefit of folks who are staying at my home whilst I am off wandering the world (hurrah to the share economy). To the extent it helps others discover great cafes and restaurants in Coogee, that are going the extra mile to deliver an elevated dining experience, that is a bonus!

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Travelogue

Why do we travel?

What possesses us to leave behind a comfortable home and head off into the unknown? I am not referring to luxury travel or the sort of travel one does with organised tour companies either. Rather, I am talking about the self-directed, budget-conscious journeys that intrepid souls embark upon through distant lands. As adventurous as such a form of travel may sound, it is not without its trials.

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Food Diary

Harissa makes everything better

Work in progress ...

Literature

Time Traveller's Memoir

Serialised Novel . Published Monthly
Vintage World Map Design

Lady Jane's Guide
to the World

21st century travel with 19th century wit

Prologue:
Caught in a Time Loop!

"Having departed in my carriage for Town in the year 1815, I arrived somewhat abruptly in a place known as Rendlesham Forest. The year was 2025; two centuries and a decade had passed. 

Culture

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words –
No More.

Critique

Work in progress ...

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Artist Life

Practicing art in obscurity

I accompanied my partner to an opening at an art gallery late last year; one of his old friends was exhibiting his latest paintings. At one point in the evening I found myself at the edge of the crowd, looking on at the artist with his posse of friends. Like him, they’ve all had careers as creatives. A sober realisation dawned: This will be the last generation to make a living from the Arts.

Movies

Are we alone? Spielberg does not think so

WIP ...

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Lived Wisdom

If you must dwell, dwell on the positive

If you had to pick one word to describe the current state of the world, what would you say? I'd hasten a guess that no one opted for calm, peaceful or indeed, uplifting. Perhaps it was fitting then, that for the final Willow the Wonderer book in the series I left the external world behind and delved instead into the worlds that lie within—our inner worlds, after all, are places we can condition and control. The central lesson in Inner Worlds only presented itself this past week: Dwell on the positive.

Current Affairs

2025 was a turning point: Being a billionaire is no longer cool

Socio-Political

20th of January, 2025: On a freezing winter's day in Washington, Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States of America for the second time. The chill captured the mood of at least half the nation and perhaps, most of the world, as the mad king was once again handed the reins to the most armed nation in the world.

Michelle Obama broke tradition and did not attend the inauguration. She did not put forward some fake excuse either; her absence was a silent protest that spoke volumes. All other dignitaries, accustomed to the machiavellian nature of politics took their allocated seats, dressed in the appropriate expression for the occasion.

Amongst them was a surprising new addition; a skulk of tech executives, sitting unabashedly in the front row. It set the tone for what was to come.

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Public Policy

Have governments figured out how to regulate tech and tax law?

It happened with social media.

It is happening with capital gains.

It may happen with AI.

Governments around the world are adopting the 'fast follower' strategy to close glaring regulatory loopholes. This is the fastest governments have ever moved to legislate uniform laws. For those of us looking for the 'light' in the world of politics, this may be it.

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Book Business

The problems with self publishing on Amazon

Amazon has long been hailed as the saviour for self-publishing authors, providing access to not only a huge marketplace to sell books but also to a complete range of publishing, printing and logistics services. It was only we delved into the 'economics' of it all that it felt more akin to daylight robbery ...

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Artificial Intelligence

The trillion dollar heist: The value of human culture stolen to train AI

WIP ...

Literature

Speculative Fiction

Short Stories . Published Quarterly
Abstract Purple Shapes

The Human After

A collection of short stories, imagining a Post-AGI Future

Undying
Love

Ramma insisted that she prepare dinner that evening; she liked being useful. Smells from Sandhya's childhood soon filled the room. She was cooking a familiar meal–daal, bhaat and bhaji. This used to be mum's favourite. 

'Perhaps she misses her too.' It was a passing thought but enough to sow sadness in Sandhya's grieving heart.

She sat down at the kitchen table and watched Ramma cook. Sandhya and Sean had never stayed long enough in one place to consider owning or leasing a domestic helper. It was the first time she was seeing one of these humanoid robots cook. The smell of cooking drew Sean in; the novelty of watching a robot cook was hard to resist. He joined the show.

Ramma moved proficiently about the kitchen, cooking the familiar meal with a familiar flare. Her movements had a learnt grace to it, one that defied her mechanical form.

She moves like mum,' Sandhya slowly realised. 'She must have watched and learnt from her.' The sadness grew.

Ramma served up their meal and insisted on waiting on them.  Sandhya mixed the daal-bhaat with her fingers, and scooped it expertly into her mouth. A taste was all she could manage before the sadness welled up in her eyes.

'You Ok babe?' Sean quietly asked.

'This tastes exactly like mum's cooking.'

Ramma walked over to the dining table and gently placed her hand on Sandhya's shoulder, 

'I am your mother, dear.' 

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Socrates

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