Getting Itchy!

Rants:

So I have been home for about six weeks now and I already have that feeling of the travel bug getting itchy again.  I really want to do SOMETHING that involves exploring a new place!  Just for a weekend even. I want use my passport again, apply for a visa and cross a border!

One of the few reasons why Singapore was awesome is that it was so easy to go somewhere for the weekend because I could be in another country in half an hour if I wanted to AND the flights were super cheap.

Here in VANCOUVER, which is not a North American airport hub, it is VERY expensive to fly ANYWHERE.  I mentioned the "hub" part because it means there are less flights in and out of here.  When I compare flights to the USA from here to leaving from Seattle, the prices are cut in half!  Also, Vancouver is kinda far from the East Coast of the country.  So getting over there is expensive and the flight is about 5 hours.

I should probably look closer to home into places I could go exploring, like the Gulf Islands, interior BC, Northern Washington and..... Northern BC?  Maybe I should even closer, like around the Lower Mainland.  There are so many places and things to do all over this place, why do I still feel like I need to leave?  Gah!  

What to do, where to go....... PS I lost these shorts because I forgot them at a Vietnam tailor shop... Damn!... I miss traveling!

2011: Reflection, 2012: Aspirations

Hello Readers!

So I don't want to brag about my 2011, but this past year was amazing! I have traveled so much this year and have gained so much experience from my travels and living aboard, I cannot believe I am sitting on the other side it all already! 

Places I visited:
- Krabi, Thailand
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Malacca, Malaysia
- Penang, Malaysia
- Hong Kong
- Yogkarta, Indonesia
- Yangon, Myanmar
- Inle Lake, Myanmar
- Mandalay, Myanmar
- Bagan, Myanmar
- Lurong Prabang, Laos
- Ha Noi, Vietnam
- Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
- New Delhi, India
- Pushkar, India
- Jaipur, India
- Agra, India
- Varanasi, India
- Darjeeling, India
- Kathmandu, Nepal
- Chengdu, China
- Lijang, China
- Dali, China
- Beijing, China
- Tokyo, Japan
- Kyoto, Japan
- Osaka, Japan
- Hiroshima, Japan

All the while I was living overseas. 

Also during my time spent overseas, I got one of the most fantastic jobs I have ever had with Infocus Asia.  It was an amazing experience and I will not soon forget it!  The people that I met there were some of the most amazing people and they have all left some deep footprints on me.  I wish them all the best of luck and hope they are all surviving the bootcamp ;) 

Now it is time to look forward to 2012, resolutions for this upcoming year:
1. Eating 5 meals a week that don't have meat, that are lunch or dinner.  Breakfast is too easy not to have meat. 
2. Work out more!  When I was in Singapore I worked out from Monday to Friday everyday for an hour.  I found that having work outs incorporated to heavily into my daily routine that it was easier to stick with it!  I want to repeat this again this year! 
3. Continue traveling.  If I can't go to new countries every month like last year, then I would at least like to visit new places I have haven't been to around here.  Like I have not explored much of interior BC, or north of Whistler.  So I hope to continue exploring because I was bit HARD by that traveling bug and I really feel like satisfying that itch! 

I hope that 2012 will be an exciting year and more exciting that 2011.  It will be a tough to beat, but I am going to work very hard to make it a memorable year! 

Thanks for reading!

New Beers! Page!

Hey! 

Check out my new Beers! page!  I have been sampling beers while I was traveling!  I hope you enjoy it! 

Thank you and best wishes!

Drinking some Angkor Beers while having our feet massaged by FISH!

On Being Home

Hello Readers!

Well I have been home for a few weeks now: after an amazing year a bit of living aboard and traveling!  This past year was amazing.  I couldn't have asked for a better year!  The people I have met and places I have will not soon be forgot.  Home hasn't changed much, which is kind of wierd.  I thought it was going to change more, after seeing on Facebook all the pregancies, engagements and weddings. 

I have compared my life to a book a lot recently.  There are different chapters in your life and that last year was an epic chapter.  The chapters before that though, were boring.  I find that my everyday becomes kinda boring and it all blends together.  Recently though I have had some epic jobs that made the years stand out a bit.  But before that, they all seem the same.  Then this year living aboard, I just hope to make the next chapter of my life just as epic.  I don't want to slip back into the blending of days. 

I am already feeling the itch to leave.  People have told me why that could be: I feel that I am taking a step backwards now that I have had this amazing year.  I think that may be cause, I want to continue moving forward and coming home with no job in sight I feel like coming is a step backwards.  Hopefully I score an awesome job and this feeling will subside!

Before you start to think that I hate being home, I am very excited being able to see all my friends and family again.  You don't know how much you love them until you miss them!  It is also nice to be able to do all the activities I missed doing: sports, snowboarding and concerts! 

Thanks for listening!

Jumping Photo: Kyoto, Japan

Recent Obsessions: Non-Fiction Books

WELCOME TO ANOTHER THRILLING SEGMENT OF RECENT OBSESSIONS!

While living aboard and on my travels I have discovered a new love: Non-fiction books.  The few that I have read:

Nothing to Envy - Barbara Demick
A reporter finds a few stories about the people living in North Korea.

Committed - Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert's account of dealing with how is going to have to get married.

First They Killed My Father - Loung Ung
The story of one brave little girl and her family through the horrible 1975 Khmer Rouge takeover.
 
Lucky Child - Loung Ung
Ung's reunited with her sister, who was left behind in Cambodia.

The Girl In The Picture - Denise Chong
The story of the girl who was photographed running naked from a napalm blast that hit her village and how that photograph changed her life.

The Accidental Billionaire - Ben Mezrich
The creation of Facebook.  From the points of view, of a selected few.

Currently Reading: Touching My Father's Soul - Jamling T. Norgay
A son is following in his father's footsteps up Everest during one of the most deadliest seasons: winter of 1996.

All of these I recommend!

When I was little, I hated reading.  As a grew a little older and wiser my appetite for reading grew.  Now I am an avid reader.  I love reading.  Before moving to Singapore, I loved to read Fiction books.  It amazed me to read stories about people's imaginations and the stories that can create from just thinking of a new idea.  Since moving and now traveling, I have new found love for non-fiction books.  Reading about events that really did happen and people who have survived the unthinkable; can be inspiring, dreadful and happy.  Sometimes, I cannot believe that some stories really did happen, they seem so far fetched! 

On the Road

Hello!

Sorry for the no posts during a very exciting time! 

I have now left Singapore and on my way home, the long way around. 

The first place we stopped at was Myanmar.  Noted for it's issues with the government was an amazing place that should not be missed!  When everything blows over with their issues, this is going to be the new "untouched" tourist spot.  Go there before this happens!  It is an amazing place!  At our first stop, Inle Lake for almost a whole day, Jenn and I were the only guests in a giant 50 room resort.  We then went to Madalay, and Bagan.  We flew in and out of Yangon (Rangoon), but didn't stay there too long.  

After Myanmar we went to Bangkok to get connected with real lifeagain .  In Myanmar, it is very hard to get online, buy dental floss, buy sunscreen and a few other things.  So we stop over in Bangkok for a few days to take a breather.  And also to get Jenn's Chinese Visa!

After Bangkok, LAOS!  Lurang Prabang is the most tranquil, peaceful place I have visited yet.  I love it there.  Good food, great people and the surrounding mountains were a sight for sore eyes.  Living in Singapore, the highest thing to see is Marina Bay Sands.  I miss the mountains and it was a nice refresher. 

Then on to Ha Noi, Vietnam.  We went from Ha Noi to the mesmerising Ha Long Bay.  We went on a boat that our friends recommended and it was a great time!  It reained a few days we were there, but in the end the sun came out to play! 

The had been a typhoon hitting the south east Asia area and so we made a quick desicion to go to India.  We didn't want to spend time in the rain, since we are going back to back to Vancouver at the height of the rainy season. 

We landed in Delhi and made plans quickly to go around the northern areas: Pushkar, Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, and Darjeeling.  I am sitting in a cafe in Darjeeling at the moment.  I love it here.  The city (yes, city) is situated on the side of a mountain.  The streets weave up and down the side of the slopes while the buildings hug the side of the mountain for dear life.  This place is the first place that has seemed to really feel different from the rest of India.  And I am getting my good fair share of mountains here..... HIMALAYAS!!!!

If you want to see pictures please feel free to check out: www.flikr.com/teenersc

Thanks so much for reading! 

Oh Singapore

After leaving Singapore, flying over top of the tiny island, I had some time to think and reflect on my time there. 

The things that I will miss most about Singapore:

Infocus Asia: 

Going Away Party with my peeps!

 Infocus was an amazing place to work and spend my days.  Great people and the job was fun too.  SHOUT OUT to all the awesome people at Infocus Asia!  Cheack out the awesome site and FB page! 

Chewy Juniors

 CHEWY JUNIORS!  These things are fantastic!  They are chewy on the outside and the cream in the middle is delightful!  I hope one day these tasty little treats will end up in Vancouver!
 

Chicken Rice

I really enjoyed the national dish of Singapore: Chicken Rice.  As simple as it is, I was impressed.  There are three key elements: the chicken, the sauce, and the rice.  The chicken needs to be moist with not too much fat on it.  The sauce: Jenn and I preferred it to be most salty than sweet with a some heat behind it.  The rice needs to be soft but not over cooked and full of flavour.  The flavour is made from the broth the rice is boiled in. 

Merlion

But the thing that I will miss most of all is the merlion.  It's elegance and beauty is memerizing.  I must say that if every city were to add a merlion to it, it would be a better and safer place!  LONG LIVE MERLION!

Thank you Singapore you will be missed!