Malaysia – Six Hours & Fifteen Minutes with the Focus of Mr. Fogg
Kuala Lumpur: February 22, 2019 I have one day – well, not really – I have a little over six hours to accomplish my mission. The lady sitting next to me in seat 10E aboard this Air Asia flight from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Kuala Lumpur says, “Flying to KL for one day for shopping – you’re funny.” She said “funny”, though I think she meant crazy. It’s not really even six hours, it’s more like two, but I’ll get to that shortly. Every moment during this day has been plotted in my mind over and over again […]
Thailand – The Precious Time of Life In-Between
Chiang Mai, Thailand: August 5, 2018 – February 5, 2019 | Including trips to Bangkok and Chiang Dao It’s often said in hindsight that it’s about the journey and not the destination. The destination is but a moment in time, often filled with unmet expectations. Whereas the journey is where the memories are made, the stories are told, and the knowledge is gained. Yet, the destination is more than the culmination of a journey – it’s more than a single moment. It’s a period of time be seized, reflected upon, and appreciated for however long it takes to cherish and […]
The Strategic Randomness of Routine Visa Runs – Singapore, Penang, and Hanoi
Singapore: Oct 3 – 7, 2018 | Penang: Nov 1 – 5, 2018 | Hanoi: Jan 2 – 7, 2019 I still remember the day we left, April 2, 2016. There’s a scene that will forever be stuck in my mind’s eye. It was just a few hours after I said goodbye to my pride and joy for the previous 8 years – the centerpiece of my life in California – my beloved BMW 325i. I couldn’t bear seeing it towed away on that chilly, foggy morning, but at least it was a donation going to a good cause. A […]
Shooting Free Throws From the Rooftops in Da Nang, Vietnam
Da Nang, Vietnam: July 5 – August 5, 2018 Sitting on a deck chair staring out over my apartment’s rooftop pool towards the vast and beautiful Vietnam Sea, I began to shoot free throws without a basketball or a hoop. The action is not literal, for if it was I’d probably cause significant damage to those on the ground. It’s figurative, fundamental, and it becomes a practice that only develops after a series of introspective, late night discussions, and mid-afternoons spent in a fog even on the clearest of days. Living this nomadic travel adventure creates constant change and each […]
Without the Eyes of Expectation – Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei, Taiwan: June 28 – July 5, 2018 We weren’t supposed to be here. Well, at least not yet. We were supposed to be lying in our beds in our downtown Vancouver apartment, resting, after an exhausting 31 days spent hopping around two continents. We were supposed to be waking up the next morning ready to explore one of our favorite cities during its best season. Yet, we only stayed on the ground long enough to scarf down a Wendy’s hamburger and fries at the airport before boarding a flight in the dead of night. It’s been night all day. […]
Sometimes Home Becomes Wherever You Are – Europe & the USA
Europe: May 26 – June 8, 2018 | USA: June 8 – June 26, 2018 (including trips to Bologna, Munich, Berlin, Lisbon, Chicago, and California) It’s a little after 7:15 PM on Saturday, May 26. I’m trying to catch clear images of the green, yet cloudy countryside just outside Milan that is a constant blur before my eyes. I just departed Malpensa International Airport and I’m making my hectic way towards Milan’s Stazione Centrale. Sitting aboard the Malpensa Express Train, I’m a little anxious. Everything on this day has to go right for me to make it to my final […]
Taming the Voice of Should in Valencia
Valencia, Spain: April 11 – May 26, 2018 (including trips to Sevilla, Requena, Chulilla, Xàtiva, and Sagunto) The voice of should is a powerful one. It enters our conscious at a very young age and guides us throughout our various stages of life. When we’re children that voice is the internal voice of our parents and elders, who mold us into understanding what is (hopefully) right and wrong at given times. As we become adolescents, other voices are added to our internal operating system, such as those of peers and admirers. Slowly, we begin to shift our behavior to fit […]
Facing the Friction of 5 Weeks in Vietnam
Vietnam: March 1 – April 10, 2018 (including trips to Kuala Lumpur, Hoi An, and Zurich) Seemingly one of the oddities in life is how much we dislike friction and oppose resistance. As natural as these tendencies are, they are actually a central aspect of progress and evolution. It is true that one of the basic premises in nature is to proceed along the path of least resistance. Yet, those less resistant paths aren’t carved without friction. Like sandpaper against wood, it is friction that eventually smooths the way and it is because of friction that we achieve progress – social, […]
3 AM – The Shadow Side of Downsizing My Life to Live Abroad
The things that once gave me a sense of self have long been taken away and the power of their memories I must fight to regain. It’s Saturday, March 31, 2018 at 12pm and I’m lying on the sofa at our apartment in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in a cold sweat. My entire body is sore and I have barely enough energy to prepare a meal for myself. Today, it takes hours before I’m able to regain the energy to leave the couch and I never gather enough strength to leave the building. Instead, time speaks to me through […]
Australia – The Return of Serve: Deuce
Australia: Melbourne & Sydney – January 17-24, 2018 Just like a pebble thrown into lake, the ripple of a simple action can create the start of something larger than itself. On October 16, 2017, I received a “what’s up!” text message from my friend, David. We were exchanging messages about results in recent professional tennis matches. He was also checking in to see how I was doing after finally reaching our fall/winter home in Chiang Mai after several months of traveling around Europe, the US, and South America. At the end of his message, he said, “planning my [Asian pacific] […]
