The Curse of the Traveler

The more you travel, the more numerous and profoundly varied the relationships you will have.

But the more people you meet, the more diffused your time is with any of them.

Since all these people can't vagabond with you, it becomes more and more difficult to cultivate long term relationships the more you travel.

Yet you keep traveling and keep meeting amazing people, so it feels fulfilling, but eventually you miss them all, and many will have either forgotten who you are or don't bother keeping in touch with you.

And then you make up for it by staying put somewhere long enough to develop roots and cultivate stronger relationships, but these people will never know what you know or see what you've seen.

You will always feel a tinge of loneliness, and you will want to tell your stories just a little bit more than they will want to hear them.

This gets worse the more you travel, yet travel seems to be a cure for a while.

None of this is to suggest that one should ever reduce travel.

It's just a warning to other young travelers like myself to expect, as part of the price, a rich life tinged with a bit of sadness, loneliness, and angst that's like the same nostalgia everyone feels for special parts of their past except multiplied by a thousand.

-Adapted from "darien_gap" on Reddit

Uncovering Fear Disguised as Optimism

"There's no difference between the pessimist who says, 'Oh, it's hopeless so don't bother doing anything,' and an optimist who says, 'Don't bother doing anything, it's going to turn out fine anyway.' Either way, nothing happens."

-Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

"Named must your fear be before banish it you can."

-Yoda, from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Fear itself is quite fear-inducing.

Most intelligent people in the world dress it up as something else: optimistic denial.

Most who avoid quitting their jobs entertain the thought their course will improve with time or increases in income.

This seems valid and is a tempting hallucination when a job is boring or uninspiring instead of pure hell.

Pure hell forces action, but anything less can be endured with enough clever rationalization.

Do you really think it will improve or is it wishful thinking and an excuse for inaction?

If you were confident in improvement, would you really be questioning things so? Generally not.

This is fear of the unknown disguised as optimism.

Are you better off than you were a year ago, one month ago, or one week ago?

If not, things will not improve by themselves.

If you are kidding yourself, it is time to stop and plan for a jump.

Barring any James Dean ending, your life is going to be LONG.

Working 8 hours a day for your working lifetime of 40-50 years is an incredibly long amount time if the rescue doesn't come. About 500 months of solid work.

How many do you have to go?

It's probably time to cut your losses :)

Adapted from "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss

Why You Should Travel While You're Young

This past Saturday night, I had a deep philosophical conversation about life with friends in South Lake Tahoe, CA before watching the Manufactured Superstars perform at Another Way of Life (A.W.O.L.) Snow 2012.

The discussion turned to travel as I had recently spent the majority of 2011 Vagabonding in the Philippines.

As you get older, life just starts to happen to you. Your youth is a time of total empowerment.

You get to do what you want. As you mature and gain new responsibilities, you have to be very intentional about making sure you don't lose sight of what's important.

So if you still have a reasonable amount of control over your circumstances, you should do what really matters. Because life won't always be about you.

During your 20's, your worldview is being shaped and formed. It's important to be a good steward of this time and to give yourself opportunities to grow. A good way to do that is to travel.

So, young person, travel.

Travel wide and far.
Travel boldly.
Travel with full abandon.

You will regret the few risks you take when it comes to this.

There are numerous reasons why you should travel while you are young, but here are a few of the most important:

1) Traveling Teaches You to Live an Adventure

When you look back on your life, you will have moments of which you are proud and maybe a few you regret. It's likely that the following won't be on the latter list:

Appearing on Showtime, a Nationally Aired TV show in the Philippines

Training with Professional Ironman Triathletes in Penticton, Canada

Learning Tagalog in 3 Months

Enjoying Grilled Fish and Rice for Lunch on a Bamboo Raft in the South China Sea

Morning Yoga on the Beach of the Manila Bay

So what will be on your list of regrets?

-Holding back
-Being afraid
-Making excuses
-Not taking more risks
-Waiting

Travel while you are young. Take the time to see the world and taste the fullness of life. It's worth whatever investment or money or sacrifice of time required on your part.

It's not about being a tourist. It's about experiencing true risk and adventure so you don't have to live in fear for the rest of your life.

2) Traveling Helps You Encounter Compassion

In your youth, you will make choices that will define who you are as a human being. The habits you begin now will be with you for the rest of your life.

Traveling will change you like little else can. It will put you in places that will force you to care for issues that are bigger than you.

If you go to Resistencia, Chaco Argentina, you might encounter the young boys orphanage I volunteered at during the summer after my Junior year at Reed High School.

If you travel to Manila, Philippines, you may witness the struggle of life in a third world country as I did.

Your heart will break. I know mine did.

You will begin to understand that the world is both a big and small place. You will have a new-found respect for the pain and suffering that over half the world takes for granted on a daily basis. And you will feel more connected to your fellow human beings in a deep and lasting way.

You will learn to care.

3) Traveling Allows You to Experience New Cultures, Customs, and Ideas

Get cultured while you're still young. Get to know the world through a new pair of lenses and experience what it's like to live with the different people that fill it.

There's nothing quite like seeing a coral reef while Scuba Diving in Acapulco, Mexico.

I can attempt to describe the snow-capped mountains and amazing skiing in Lake Tahoe, but you really have to see it for yourself to experience it.

You can read all the books in the world about the Iguazu Falls in Argentina, but I'll be the first to tell you that being there is a completely different story.

The world is a stunning place. See it.

Do this while you're still young. Do not squander this time. You will never have it again.

You have a crucial opportunity to invest in the next season of your life now. Whatever you sow, you will eventually reap.

You won't always be young. And life won't always be just about you. So travel. Experience the world for all it's worth. Become a person of adventure, compassion, and culture.

Bon voyage!

Adapted from "3 Reasons to Travel While You’re Young" by Jeff Goins

Learning Unlimited - Sharpening the Saw

To live is to learn. I see no other option.

This is why I've felt compelled to quit jobs within the first 6 months or so.

The learning curve flattens out, and I get bored.

Though you can upgrade your brain domestically, traveling and relocating provides unique conditions that make progress faster.

The different surroundings act as a counterpoint and mirror for your own prejudices making weaknesses easier to fix.

I rarely travel somewhere without 1st deciding how I'll obsess on a specific skill.

Here are a few examples:

Resistencia, Argentina in 2003: Spanish, Tango, and Soccer



Acapulco, Mexico in 2004: Spanish and Scuba Diving



Penticton, Canada in 2008: Triathlon



Manila, Philippines in 2011: Tagalog and Muay Thai Kickboxing



I tend to focus on language acquisition and one kinesthetic skill sometimes finding the latter after landing overseas.

The most successful serial vagabonds tend to blend the mental and physical.

Language acquisition is the best thing you can do to hone clear thinking.

Quite aside from the fact that it is impossible to understand a culture without understanding its language, acquiring a new language makes you aware of your own language: your own thoughts.

The benefits of becoming fluent in a foreign language are as underestimated as the difficulty is overestimated.

It is possible to become conversationally fluent in any language in 6 months or less. At 4 hours per day, six months can be whittled down to less than 3 months.

It is beyond the scope of this blog post to explain applied linguistics and the 80/20 of language learning, but resources and complete how-to guides can be found under "language" at www.fourhourblog.com.

Gain a language and your paradigm shifts. You gain a second lens through which to question and understand the world.

Learning different sports is a skill that you can practice domestically and still be able to transport that skill to another country. Instant social life and camaraderie.

It need not be a competitive sport - it could be hiking, chess, or almost anything that keeps your nose out of a textbook and out of your apartment.

Sports just happen to be excellent for avoiding foreign-language stage fright and developing lasting friendships.

Don't miss the chance to double your life experience :)

Adapted from "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss

My Top 11 Moments of 2011!

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth reading about."


After scanning through all of my Facebook posts in 2011, I've decided these are my favorite 11 moments in no particular order:


1) Meeting Anne Curtis, my favorite Filipino/Aussie Actress, Recording Artist, TV Show Host, VJ, and Model (http://www.annecurtis.ph/)



ABS-CBN Headquarters
Quezon City, Metro Manila Philippines


2) Grabbing my heels in Ustrasana (Camel Pose)



Bikram Yoga Greenhills
Greenhills, Metro Manila Philippines


3) Triathlon Open Water Swim Training



Terra Rika Beach and Dive Resort
Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte Philippines


4) Getting “Married”



ZeiLei Studios Photo Shoot
Grand Sierra Resort
Reno, NV U.S.A.


5) Reuniting with my little brother



Reno Tahoe International Airport
Reno, NV U.S.A.


6) Teaching English, Math, and Science at an Elementary School



SIBC Christian Academy, Inc.
Santa Ignacia, Tarlac Philippines


7) Skiing on Snowblades



Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
Lake Tahoe, NV U.S.A.


8) Muay Thai Training



Red Nose Boxing Gym
Imus, Cavite Philippines


9) “Monkeying” Around



Lucanin Retreat Center
Cabcaben Mariveles, Bataan Philippines


10) Tagalog Language Acquisition



SIBC Christian Academy, Inc.
Santa Ignacia, Tarlac Philippines


11) Grilled Fish and Rice for Lunch on a Bamboo Raft



South China Sea
Calatagan, Batangas Philippines

Catch Me If You Can

Last night, I had a chance to catch up with my best friend Nate over at Adopted Thoughts (www.adoptedthoughts.com).

After informing him that I was planning to teach a Grade 5 Science Class, Grade 1 Tagalog Class, and Grade 3 Mathematics Class yesterday, he said, "You sound like Frank Abagnale from the movie 'Catch Me If You Can'."

For those of you not familiar with the movie, it is loosely based on the life of a con-artist named Frank Abagnale.

Abagnale realized he had both the intelligence and social I.Q. for posing as any type of employee imaginable from Physician to Pilot and everything in between. He used these covers to hide his true source of income, producing counterfeit checks.

The reason why my friend Nate told me I sounded like Abagnale is because I have held over 30 different jobs between the ages of 16-25.

Please note: I do NOT use fake checks as a source of income :)

Below is a list of every single PAID job I have held over the past 9 years in chronological order. I decided not to include volunteer positions as it would have almost doubled the list, and I am too lazy to type each non-paid position out.

Multiple jobs at the same company are grouped accordingly.

Red Hawk Golf Club
-Outside Services (Cleaning Golf Carts)
-Private Member Golf Bag Room Attendant

Music CD Sales

Otter Pop Sales

Student Teachers On-Site Program (S.T.O.P.) Tutor/Mentor

Private Math Tutor

Library Aide Temp for Washoe County Library System

Sales/Fitness Counselor at Nevada Fitness and Aerobics

Gonzaga University Admissions Office
-Student Communications Team
-Student Host
-Gonzaga Experience Live (GEL) Coordinator

Dishwasher at the Hidden Valley Country Club Private Member Restaurant

Rain Gutter Installation and Sales for ABC Rain Gutter Systems

Mover for House Relocating Services

Resident Assistant (R.A.) for Crimont Hall (Gonzaga University Freshman Dormitory)

Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program at Gonzaga University
-New Venture Lab (NVL) Team Member
-NVL Project Manager

Private Mansion Caretaker

Senior Genetics Research Assistant in the Gonzaga University Biology Department

Champions Sports Medicine
-Exercise Physiology Assistant
-Marketing Coordinator

Sponsored Triathlete

Club ENVY Nightclub Promoter

Swim Instructor for Coeur d'Alene Public Pools

Marketing, Communications, and Web Design Specialist for the Gonzaga University Annual Giving Department

Las Vegas Nightclub VIP Host and Promoter

Marketing/Promotions Director at Sn2 Consulting

EDGE Nightspot VIP Host at The Peppermill Resort, Spa, and Casino

DVD Wholesales

Spa White Teeth Whitening Specialist

Professional Fundraiser at Community Support Inc.

Bikram Yoga Sierra
-Front Desk Staff
-Manager

Bikram Yoga Redmond
-Front Desk Staff and Marketing Coordinator

Web Design and Marketing Specialist for JP Squared

The Global Initiative Foundation
-Community Liaison
-Elementary School Teacher (English, Science, Math, and P.E.)

Grand Total:

37 Unique Jobs

One might say I'm a "Jack of All Trades but A Master of None."

I am currently in the process of applying to Medical Schools in the Philippines in order to pursue my dream of becoming a Physician.

I'm 99% sure my list of random jobs will continue to grow even if I do become a Doctor.

#Catch Me If You Can

2011 Just Did a Complete 180 on Me!

#Blessed!