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Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:04:57 -0400

An Ode to Perspective

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:22:17 -0400

I don’t know how long this blog will last, but before it disappears…

Perspective is my best friend.

I often tend to ignore her soothing words, because I’m more inclined to believe that my own efforts to struggle and fight against my problems will make things better. This is true, but only sometimes. You need to know when.

Perspective shows us the big picture, and our place in time and this world. Every day we should learn to listen.

Life is short, but it’s likely to last beyond the present.

Why alone in the crowd, and why smiling? Because very few people...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:03:00 -0500

Why alone in the crowd, and why smiling? Because very few people bother to understand “why?”, and eventually you’ve figured out how the world and its people work.

Anyway, I’ve spent enough time looking within for the last few weeks, and it’s time to move on.

231 days

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:10:13 -0500

This is now my home page. There’s 231 working days left in 2012. I’m going to try and make the most of it (not just at work, but in every part of life). Let’s kick ass or die trying.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s day, but it’s also Generosity day. I’m in. Youtube video here.

Perhaps satisfaction comes from achieving goals on the outside,...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:19:00 -0500

Perhaps satisfaction comes from achieving goals on the outside, but only when it’s balanced by inner peace.

This track draws inspiration from the Icelandic band Sigur Ros and the great goal (dream?) I have of directing an orchestra one day.

P.S. I will be in England, Scotland and back in Iceland in May!

Back in the rat race?

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:10:12 -0500

I’m starting a new job tomorrow. I’m cutting back on my travel time for the next year in exchange for money that will (hopefully) finance my freedom.

This is what I learned by being unemployed for 6 weeks:

Attitude makes or breaks you.
You need great friends to support you.
Finding a job is just another game.
Life’s short, so having free time to do something meaningful is priceless, and that remains my number one goal.

World traveler

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:12:40 -0500

While working on my resume I decided to create a little graphic of all the places I’ve been to on my travels (I’m a big fan of infographics). Looking at it reminds me of how far I’ve come, and of this quote:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

I’m going to change it a bit:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step backwards and two steps forward - every single day.”

Rainbows need rain

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:42:37 -0500

These are tough times, but I’ll hold this quote to heart:

“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.” - Jerry Chin

As gapingvoid says “Wake up. Create. Bed. Repeat.”...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:42:00 -0400

As gapingvoid says “Wake up. Create. Bed. Repeat.” (http://gapingvoid.com/2011/11/01/wake-up-3/)
This entire project was completed in a month - the fastest I’ve ever done.
Inspired by my travels to Japan and India this year. A test to see if I can be pushed forward by a single image.
Pushed by Seth Godin’s drive to ship finished products and by reading “The Lean Startup”.

A new life begins

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:22:08 -0400

A new month and I’m out of a job. It’s been fun for the past few years; I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to travel around the world, and to learn lots about life, people and the rat race. But perhaps it’s just time to move on. The only constant in life, after all, is change.

3, 2, 1, here we go..

P.S. It takes a crisis to find out who your friends are. I’m very grateful for each one of them.

P.P.S. I’m on LinkedIn.

What's wrong with society?

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:10:00 -0400

“Too many people do jobs they don’t like, in fields they don’t care about, to get slips of paper with dead presidents to buy things they don’t need for women they don’t love for the hope of a marriage that wont last and children they wont see. Is it any wonder people are either psychotically angry or depressed?”

Going hang gliding

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:08:00 -0400

After putting it off for a year, I finally gave hang gliding a try:

Zero degrees Celsius and 5 minutes in the air at 500 feet. What an experience!

Your mind is a garden

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:05:52 -0400

I’m only about ten years late to reading The monk who sold his Ferrari, but this quote stands out:

“If you care for your mind, if you nurture it and if you cultivate it just like a fertile, rich garden, it will blossom far beyond your expectations… Yet look at the toxic waste most people put into the fertile garden of their minds every single day: the worries and anxieties, the fretting about the past, the brooding over the future and those self-created fears that wreak havoc within your inner world.”

Hola Madrid! For my next cheap trip I’ll spend a week...

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:00:00 -0400

Hola Madrid! For my next cheap trip I’ll spend a week backpacking in Spain in December. P.S. I only know two words in Spanish: Hola and Gracias, so any pointers will be appreciated!

Life is like..

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:00:12 -0400

“Life is like a jail with an unlocked, heavy door. You’re free the minute you realize the door will open if you simply lean into it.

You are what you learn.”

from Scott Adams Blog: Who Are You?

What does it all mean?

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:20:03 -0400

I’m not entirely sure what life’s all about. Is it about having new experiences? Or is it all about gaining knowledge? Finding balance in everything? I’ve toyed with all of these and.. maybe I’ll never really know.
But I haven’t stopped asking questions for a very long time. And that’s the most important thing.
In the end I have bits and pieces of the answer. Each morning I have more bits and pieces than I had before.

Sunrise in Japan

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:52:00 -0400

Rising Sun Coast of Ito, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan

"When I walk through the First Class security line, I smile at the employee tasked with the job of..."

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:43:00 -0400

“When I walk through the First Class security line, I smile at the employee tasked with the job of keeping the peasant travelers out. I’d like to think I smile because it’s good to be nice, but it’s also because I know the secret: I should be that guy. I’m just an imposter.”

- Chris Guillebeau is the man who’s visiting every country on Earth. Now he tells us that he’s not qualified for the task.

Japan & Taiwan

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:48:00 -0400

Last month I hopped on a jet and set out for East Asia for a week. I’ve been wanting to visit that part of the world for a long time, so when a cheap flight popped up on the radar I jumped on it.

This trip enabled me to complete my grand quest to get a Star Alliance Gold membership by flying over 40,000 miles in 2 years. This was my 16th trip so far and once again I had a blast. I don’t think it’s the destination but the journey and your attitude that matters. I’ve changed quite a bit since I began traveling, and I’m much happier for it.

Some things I noticed while over there:

Everyone kept staring at me (and my travel buddies) but I’ve never met a more polite bunch of people (and I’m Canadian! We’re supposed to be very polite).
It’s quite strange being a foreigner there, more so than in other countries. After a while you’re quite surprised when you see someone like you.
I’d heard that Japan would be extremely expensive, but that’s not really true. I spent very little money while over there by hitting up hostels and convenience stores. How much cash you fork over is really upto you. Taiwan was much cheaper than Japan anyway.
Japanese women are gorgeous in general (but I’ve only seen this in their home territory).
Japan is extremely advanced (loved those bullet trains) while maintaining its culture at the same time. I found all of it very fascinating.

I’m going back someday. Plus now I can actually hold chopsticks properly.

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:01:13 -0400

Anywhere that’s at least a few hours away is good.