It is January 15th, and I got in. I got in! I got in I got in I got in!
muy pii bei
We gather round to throw sweet smelling jasmine flowers as the newlyweds tentatively begin their walk down the red carpet towards a beautiful centerpiece cake and a lifetime of untainted dreams. The emcee taunts and teases the two to nudge them into an unforgettable night with stars in their eyes and kisses on their lips.
nam
Rain. Rain rain rain. Somehow I’ve hop scotched my way around the world enough this year to avoid a majority of every city’s I-woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed-and-I’m-PMSing-and-I-cant-find-my-damn-keys day. But my luck hath runneth dry. I kicked off my winter vacation this year with the postponement of three days in Ho Chi Minh due to a business trip to…
bells ringing
I struggle to determine what the real answers are when I have no grounds for perception and comparison. How does one answer the questions that hurt most, the questions that are the most trying, when one has not lived enough to understand…truth, love, fate, and hardships?
the road less traveled
I have a goal in life; to visit 100 countries before I die. According to About.com, there are 195 recognized countries in the world. I am skeptical about that number because I think the number of unrecognized countries is at least half that number. And to clarify, I would love for the majority of that…
bliss
I realized the answer, which perhaps is the answer to an even bigger question in life, is that we always want what we cant have. The moment we are offered too much of a good thing, we spit it out and think “Oh vile substance! Be gone!” The moment we realize something amazing and beautiful and unthinkable is available at our beck and call, it sheds itself of all fascination. Does that moment change over time? Does maturity wash it away with age and bring back never ending appreciation for all that is great? Or does our threshold for greatness simply diminish as we become jaded and realize greatness can be found in even the most minusculeof things. Perhaps that is what the old couple feels, interlocking hands while they sit on the bench, their insouciant gaze into the world bringing a sagacious smile to their face as they observe the little things in life.
obamaobama
The “wow” statement encompasses a multitude of thoughts and impressions from that simple conversation in the wee hours of another Sunday Morning run. This one happened to be a bit different from the last given there was a tiger involved, 2,500 people, and some pretty old temples, but the warmth of the country remains the same.
this new life
I think it may have just hit me that I actually live here. I guess my longest real “vacation” never exceeded 3 weeks. Tonight I will celebrate my three weekiversary here.
be the change
I would be honored to become part of this selective group of people who make up the young trail blazers of the world’s future. The application is due on December 7th, and if you are reading this blog, you are clearly interested in my life and what brought me here. In which case, you may also be interested in how you can get involved. I urge you to check out the website and determine if you are up to the challenge!
piss pot
The run was amazing. We ran through the villagers’ town waving “Hello!” to all the children whose boundless smiles, despite their meager living shelters, warmed my heart to the core. We passed grazing cattle and stray dogs, through old sugar cane fields, near huts and tree houses, alongside the riverbank, through mushy quicksand-like mud patches, and orange clad humorous Buddhist monks, blowing the hasher horn the entire way. We arrived back at ground zero as the sun set to find a huge barbecue stocked with cases of Anchor Beer, baguettes, and Pringles.