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Thanks, Mom and Dad
My mom once joked that I make her look like my enemy on my blog. The force that I rebelled against as a youngster was my parents, so they get painted as the opposition sometimes. I’m proud of this rebellious streak, and attribute some of my success to it, but also know that I would…
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Thailand: Tigers, Sharks, Elephants, and a Leopard
On the last day of my last trip to Thailand, I learned about two things that I could have done if I had more time: pet a tiger and swim in a shark tank. Ever since then, I’ve been looking for an excuse to go back. My excuse came this year when I discovered that…
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The Age of the Independent Creator
I love inequality. When I’m on the bottom end of it, I like that there’s a scale that hints at the upper bounds of potential, and when I’m at the higher end of it, I like seeing the progress I’ve made. I have a tough time imagining the function of ambition and hustle in a…
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Focus Like Steve Jobs
I read Steve Jobs’ biography last week, and despite not being an Apple fan, I found the whole book very interesting. Steve had a much more interesting life than I had imagined, and the book offered a rare opportunity to see behind the scenes at a very secretive company. But the biggest lesson I learned…
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Visiting a Japanese Tea Farm
I wake up in Capsule Inn Osaka, the world’s first capsule hotel. I expected it to be more of a novelty, but its tiny size mimics my RV so closely that it’s the most familiar place I’ve slept all month. I’m in the middle of my 7 day unlimited train pass, so there’s no time…
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Japan Summer 2011 – Part 1
There’s so much I can write about my trip to Japan that just attempting to start this post has been too daunting to make its way into my schedule since I left. Now that I’ve been out of the country for a week, though, I realize that putting it off any longer might mean that…
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Literal Self Discipline
Two days into my trip to Tokyo, I sign on to Facebook and go to see if it’s my move in Words With Friends. I like WWF because it takes up minimal time, seems to actually be good for the brain, and keeps me in touch with some friends I wouldn’t otherwise regularly communicate with.…
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Advice For Young People
I was at a party earlier tonight, talking to a guy who had lived in rural China for a while. The girls there, he told me, were naturally very beautiful, but didn’t take care of their hair or skin. All I could think was what a huge opportunity existed for those girls: be the one…
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Pu-erh Tea in Shanghai
Cigarette smoke washes over from the table next to me, where two old Chinese men sip oolong tea from gaiwans. I hate smoke, but don’t mind it today. If we try to replicate our local culture when we travel, we end up with the cookie-cutter resorts of the Caribbean, each with American-style buffets, locals who…
