By now you have read all the posts in the Madrid, Spain Residency Trip. But you may still have questions about where I am going and why I am going there. To start, let’s discuss the why in an FAQ.
What is a residency? A residency is a temporary second home outside of Puerto Rico.
How long am I gone? The minimum is 30 days.
How do I select where I go?
The first criterion is based on the size of the city.
The fourth is based on price. I am not looking to live cheaply. I am looking to splurge and stay in upscale apartments, in the city center, with at least the luxuries of home.
Holidays in PR are the worst. There are too many tourists and the power goes out too frequently. Traveling in December is the best because offices aren’t open, there’s a holiday feeling at the airports, and the life clock seems to be on pause.
Routine
The sun goes down every day at around 6PM. Accordingly, I have a set routine for tennis, golf, working out, and work. This set schedule is exhausting and I need a break to sleep in, slack off, and see new things (see Why A Second Residency?).
What do I do ‘in residence’? Nothing. The purpose of a residency is to do what I would do if I were an actual resident. That means not being a tourist. That means not being adventurous. The keyword here is ‘I’, not you.
Do you work while you’re gone? I keep work to a minimum while I’m gone. This allows me even more time to do nothing.
Do you do back-to-back residencies? In 2023, I lived in Melbourne, followed immediately by Bangkok. Including my trip through the South Pacific, I was gone for more than two months. While it was a perfect experience, I came home to mold in my villa, a non-working golf cart, and two dead vehicles. Until I resolve the issue of home upkeep while I’m away, I am not sure I can do that again.
Are you going to stop galavanting around the globe? Residencies and travel are different. When I travel, I try to see new places to increase my Country Count (see Where I’ve Been) while not staying in a place for more than a few days (see ThePointsOfLife Travel Philosophy).
Weren’t you going to let readers decide where you lived? Yes, that was a bad idea. They would prefer it if I was shipped off to Siberia (see Vote for Where TPOL Will Move Next And…). Now, I decide.
Where will I live?
Initially, I was going to do two residencies a year. One of those two had to be in my two favorite cities: Shanghai, China or Cape Town, South Africa. By going to the same city every other year, I could spend more time enjoying and less time having to deal with setting up a routine. The second residency would be in the following cities with no repeats allowed until I completed the list. Having thoroughly enjoyed my residencies in Madrid, Melbourne, and Bangkok, it may be hard to stick to this rule.
With all of that out of the way, here is the residency list:
December
Sydney
Mumbai
Cairo
Santiago
Istanbul
Singapore
Mexico City
Hong Kong
Hanoi
Buenos Aires
May
New York
Barcelona
Montreal
Toronto
Paris
London
Tokyo
Osaka
Moscow
St. Petersburg
Player Options: I also allow myself 3 bonus options in case war, budget, or intrigue takes over.
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Overall
Life is good in Puerto Rico. Life is great in residency.
Sydney: Tentative residency November 2025
The best idea I have come up with in a while is to live in various cities in the world for a month at a time and act as if I were a local (see Residency Directory). The first residency was in Madrid, Spain. It was a great success. Here is how it all went down:
Kebab Azerbaijan is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.
When I say kebab in this post, I mean it with a b not a p (see The Best Kebab(p) in the World). Kebap refers to shawarma, not minced meat on a stick. With that clarification complete, I would like to advance the debate over who makes the best kebab (see Arabs Fight Over Who Makes the Best Kebab).
Firuze Restoran
To start, the decor is great.
TPOL’s Tip: Firuze restaurant is located at 14 Tarlan Aliyarbeyov St, Baku 1005, Azerbaijan
Before I describe the scrumptious kebab, let me go through what else I ordered.
Mojito
TPOL has a rule. I don’t drink when I eat. I almost broke this rule by ordering a mojito. Since I didn’t specify with alcohol, it came out as a mocktail. I was pleasantly surprised as to how fresh it was and was glad that I followed my rule by default.PlovAzerbaijan’s staple food is plov. I ordered the lamb version. While it was good, I did not care for the sweet cherry sauce.Salad
I don’t make a point to order salad but kebab waiters always insist that I do. They look so disappointed when I say I don’t want it. Dolma
I ordered three sisters’ dolma. The tomato stuffed with lamb was my favorite, but the eggplant was a close second.Turshi
I told the waiter I wanted a side of turshi. He looked at me in amazement. “You speak Azerbaijan?” I said no and told him that Iraqi Arabic also calls pickles turshi. Interestingly, I am not aware of other places in the Middle East that call it this. Kebab
Before I describe this scrumptious kebab, I must apologize to my grandma for writing that she is no longer one. Here’s why:
Lamb
The best meat in the world is lamb. Why do Arabs insist on using beef or chicken? The kebab came out hot and tender with the perfect amount of mint and onions. It was served on top of pita bread which preserved the taste of the kebab long after it was gone.
My only regret is that I did not order more.
Get the tower.Chai
No kebab meal is complete without chai.Overall
For perhaps the best kebab in the world, go to Firuze. Enough said.
Closing timeTPOL’s Tip: This meal cost 61 manat or $35.
Haircut Azerbaijan is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.
The tradition of haircuts abroad continued. This time, I was in Baku. I opened the door of a barbershop in the basement of a building near the Hyatt Regency. Inside, there were two chairs, but no one was there. I heard the familiar sound of NFL Live as I asked if anyone was home.
A man came out and told me it would be a minute before the barber came. When he arrived, I was told to take a seat. While waiting for my haircut to begin, the barber switched on the overhead lights, turned on chill house, and put football on the tele.
Since he did not speak English or Russian, I communicated with simple sign language what I needed. 1 on the top and fade on the side. Typically, this haircut only takes a few minutes, but I was there for thirty.
I committed a cardinal sin by writing this post: Eat Like A Local: Madrid, Spain. I knew that using the words ‘eat’ + ‘local’ would invite criticism. Readers are predictable. While I can’t help but respond to their nonsense with my counter-nonsense, I also have to thank these nincompoops. First, it’s nice to know that someone is at least opening the article. Second, responding to their comments gives me a break from saving the world (see CFPB Dead! Sorry Musk, Bachuwa Law Still Alive). Finally, ill-informed comments provide content for posts such as this one.
I Am Not a Foodie. And Neither Are You.
Wikipedia defines a foodie as “a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food, and who eats food not only out of hunger but also as a hobby.” Let’s break down this definition. To be a foodie, you first need to have a passion for food. There are times that I am excited about eating, and some times when I do not want to be a fat pig (see The Tahiti Diet: Making the Bungalow Selfie Count). I would argue that having an ardent interest in food is an affliction that requires professional help. Ergo, I do not have an ardent interest in food.
Per the definition, one doesn’t have to either be ardent about food or have a refined interest in food. This is more controversial. What many consider refined, I consider intolerable. How refined does one have to be to appreciate a greasy slice of pizza (see Who Agrees? Detroit Style Pizza Is The Best) or a Coney hot dog (see Detroit Delicious)? While I will concede that the Italian Garden isn’t the gold standard for Olive food (see Times Square: Real Italian Food), I would not want to eat at a Michelin restaurant with any frequency (see Mont Bar Barcelona: Am I Michelin Material?). Ergo, I am not refined.
The final part of this definition states that a foodie eats ‘not only out of hunger, but also as a hobby.’ If my hobby were eating, I would be a 500lb fat guy sitting in a basement blasting Pulitzer Prize quality blogs like The Points Of Life. Stated differently, eating on its own is not a hobby. It is something done in conjunction with another activity e.g., traveling. Ordering oysters and caviar from Uber Eats is not a memorable culinary experience. Ordering them in Tallinn, Estonia is (see Seafood in Estonia: What a Treat).
Having deconstructed the definition, I would like to meet a foodie in person. I wonder if they’ll be as intolerable in person as they are on my blog.
Have your points been clawed back? Has your credit card company closed your account? Thanks to President Musk, you have one less option if you are trying to pursue justice. DOGE is saving the big banks hundreds of millions of dollars by closing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While this is bad for consumers, I was not a big fan of the agency because they lacked meaningful enforcement and, more importantly, punishing powers. Fortunately for consumers, your favorite points blogger, and the angriest attorney you know (subscribe to The Angry Attorney Podcast), is still alive and well. While Bachuwa Law, cannot guarantee results, I can guarantee that The Angry Attorney will fight for you!
Sorry Musk, I’m still here.
So angry, yet so handsome
TPOL’s Tip: Don’t sit near the front, the bathroom light is irritating (see 
TPOL’s Tip: Firuze restaurant is located at 14 Tarlan Aliyarbeyov St, Baku 1005, Azerbaijan
Before I describe the scrumptious kebab, let me go through what else I ordered.
Mojito
TPOL has a rule. I don’t drink when I eat. I almost broke this rule by ordering a mojito. Since I didn’t specify with alcohol, it came out as a mocktail. I was pleasantly surprised as to how fresh it was and was glad that I followed my rule by default.
Plov
Salad
I don’t make a point to order salad but kebab waiters always insist that I do. They look so disappointed when I say I don’t want it. 
Dolma
I ordered three sisters’ dolma. The tomato stuffed with lamb was my favorite, but the eggplant was a close second.
Turshi
I told the waiter I wanted a side of turshi. He looked at me in amazement. “You speak Azerbaijan?” I said no and told him that Iraqi Arabic also calls pickles turshi. Interestingly, I am not aware of other places in the Middle East that call it this. 
Kebab
Before I describe this scrumptious kebab, I must apologize to my grandma for writing that she is no longer one. Here’s why:
Lamb
The best meat in the world is lamb. Why do Arabs insist on using beef or chicken? The kebab came out hot and tender with the perfect amount of mint and onions. It was served on top of pita bread which preserved the taste of the kebab long after it was gone.
My only regret is that I did not order more.
Overall
For perhaps the best kebab in the world, go to Firuze. Enough said.
