Why we travel

On the eve, I feel what was reality begin slipping into memory, where it shall reside until the end of infinitum. Stumbling out of bed, exhausted from racing thoughts, I wonder, why wander?

Somewhere, somehow, for some reason; we travel.

We seek the awe of monuments from ages past, and bask in the hustle, bustle, and hope of the cities of tomorrow. As we discover the size of the world at large, we realize the sanctity of the tiny place we call home. And when we're lucky we ingest the wisdom of the seasoned, and reflect the playful glee of the young.

We search for those single fleeting moments when hearts connect, and then realize we'll remember it forever. We travel to gaze the vast open sea, looking out and asking, what, exactly, is the key to unlocking the confines of a closed mind?

Sometimes we go seeking the Truth of it all, to "see it ourselves," only to realize how many of our own lies we brought along. So we carry on, our bags light but our loads heavy in responsibility; armed yourself with a pen, can you really disarm another?

The short term relationship ends with the long distance train, just as the bright golden rays arrive to illuminate the gloom of departure. Had we not just found ourselves lost in the rain?

Together we left, but separately we continue on. Million-dollar smiles greet you from poverty-stricken curbs, unknown strangers sharing knowing nods; we can do this. You went to inspire, but it all comes back with you.

This Song is over. The party's dead. Let's go to the Hills.

Thailand Navidad!

2 Year Anny

It was just over 2 years ago that my illustrious laptop was taken right out from under me, never to return again. It was unanticipated and unappreciated at the time, but now I look back and see the humor in it all.

I wonder if I will look back and see the humor of such an event happening again, like it did about 3 days ago. Apparently locking your locker and leaving it alone for 10 minutes isn't enough these days. Good bye Malaysia Photos, our relationship was short, but we cherished every moment together.

I have 2 weekends left in this joint. My life as of late has been lacking any real source of mental and physical stimulation, and it is my hope that 2 weekends from now I begin reversing that trend. A feeling of restlessness hangs around my neck and refuses to get shagged.

Version 3.0...

... is now online. I think we have a very nice tea party ahead of us.

In unrelated news, last night was easily one of the strangest of my life; rife with living-room open mic (no one took the open request for performances during "intermission"), asians rapping in hoodies, wedding slide shows, Jager Bombs, and getting a ride home from someone whose name I never knew.

I'm willing to bet most of my remarks were uninvited and under-appreciated... the kind "whispered' to a neighbor (no idea what her name was/is) yet heard by all.

On the up side, the videos are good enough that I think I'll finally get some online and capturing imaginations.

It is what it is

You assume the position, the resulting comfort almost hurts you.

Rotating and revolving around the same center point, the fan is your clockwork, both entrancing you into and deceiving you out of momentary dreams of what is, what could be, and what should be. Or is it an illusion? It is what it is.

It doesn't matter. You detest entering, but despise leaving once you're there. At the fork in the road you see two paths, knowing a third hides just beneath your nose, and lie down to bask in beautiful hesitation. The high road and the low road. They are what they are.

You glance high and see the glory, but so too feel the pull to look down low. Is it so bad to see what lies down below? Is it in itself an admittance of defeat to even see what lies down the path so "low?" Comfort as the enemy of change is also the enemy of pain. Is an enemy of change necessarily an enemy of progress? It could be.

You lean your head back to your imaginary rest, basking still in hesitation. A full cloud of confusion sneaks from your open mouth, just behind the silent scream, begging every time the seemingly crucial question. The flavor you long for, is it not tasted everywhere? Or is such a delight decidedly a trait of origin, be it the source, or the tender, guided hand? The questions whisp away, leaving you to wonder if it even should be.

So you wonder. And you wander. If you believe it is, then is it not, what it is?

Epic Tribe

Link.

Any Glen

I have a rule that I do no office work outside the office.

Yesterday I broke that rule. Today I did too.

The single malt makes it hurt a little less.

Wish I knew it at the time

Turns out I smoked shisha with a super delegate from Texas.

Guess who he supports.

a momentary lapse of... noise

It's been quiet here because I've been in a funk with the usual tertiary anti-blog vibe.

It'll pick up again when I get my ducks in a row. Heck, the shisha has hardly been sparked as of late. That changes tonight with my new Peach shisha (thanks), a nugget of glory amidst my recent grind.

I'm relentlessly focused on 2 things right now:

1) Growing hobohookah.com
2) Testing the viability of a new business idea

Nothing else matters; if it doesn't relate it doesn't happen. As such, that doesn't make for very interesting blog posts and I'm still pretty tired of the blind getting blinder.

Paradoxical?

Attempting to host a "relaxed Power Hour."

Claiming ownership over a new level of calm.

Aspiring Radio Star

I haven't been inclined to listen to a radio station in years. The friction to pleasure was just too great; commercials, shoddy musical choices, and motor mouth hosts just weren't worth it.

That may be changing right now.

There's a radio station here that plays retro, mostly 80's and early 90's songs, usually remixed. This is the 2nd time in just a few nights I've heard a pretty swell version of Jump Around, among others, and it seems nary a commercial dots my radar.

Just might have to put my ears to the airwaves a little more. Phil Collins, I now tip my hat to you. Yes, I'll give you one more night.

nomadfest: Malaysia

You've seen it before. Maybe you were there. Maybe you weren't, in which case you wished you were.

Time to rectify that.

Many people are graduating in May, the 5th month of this 2008th year. You're lining up a job now, looking for the seeds of a beau, and wondering which prom king or queen you're going to fuck before committing the next X years of your life to someone else.

There's a lot of prom queens in Malaysia. And there's a lot of ocean.

And so, let this reign as the official announcement of the continuation of this great tradition.

PRESENTING: nomadfest: Malaysia



















It's going to be pretty, but it's going to get ugly.

You'll get there slow, but you'll be drinking fast.

You know it's coming, but you won't know what hit you.

It's run by yours truly.















Since that fateful last night of Badger Passion in August of 2007, Mix Master has taken no part of any party organizing role. Zero.

Until now.

In conjunction with none other than the Bruhaha himself, from May 31 - June 7 the WORLD will celebrate the unexpected graduation of said Bruha and the 24th birthday of Mix Master.

WHY THIS MATTERS

No one expected Bruhaha to graduate this quickly. With a total disregard for societal norms and social pressures, Bruhaha has vanquished his collegiate undertaking and now holds his head high, gazing for the next Dragon to ever so slowly defeat in deliberate hand-to-hand combat.

And who would have thought, in his year; the Year of the Rat, that Mix Master would also have his golden birthday on the 24th of May? This was not unplanned by forces greater than Luck. This was on purpose. This was Fate.

Combining these momentous events, we bring you: nomadfest: Malaysia.




May 31 - June 7, 2008.

All are invited.








The island is completely duty free.

Fly into Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

And prepare to get mentally, physically, meta-physically, spiritually, verbally, illegally, and totally fucked.



















The Dream awaits.

Hello World Redux

My first post ever, from a Mac. Let's see if it sticks. If you know of any good resources for such a transitional experience, leave it in the comments (please).

Inked

LTD

I'm sitting in a Starbucks in Bangsar Village II at 833pm on Friday night that is a public holiday, working.

I never envisioned a "quick dream" to Malaysia encompassing these details, but I've actually deliberately chosen them.

I'm 1/4 of and lead driver of a project team designing a new product we're launching in about 6 weeks that we're looking to generate about $1 million in 5 days or so.

I was thinking about the exact product design and launch process, when suddenly a welcomed, not oft-heard jingle crept over the air waves...

Well its all right, riding around in the breeze
Well its all right, if you live the life you please
Well its all right, doing the best you can
Well its all right, as long as you lend a hand

You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring
Waiting for someone to tell you everything
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring
Maybe a diamond ring

... and I realized life was pretty good. Tonight I'm meeting up with a Kenyan, Yemeni-born-in-indonesia-grew-up-in-saudi dude, and possibly a few more to storm The Castle - a comfortingly off-kilter yet aptly named Arab place for a little hummus, kabab, and ever-lasting shisha.

Yes, basha, I would in fact like the Special Shisha.

Malaysia Note

The female janitor ("janitette"?) has no qualms rolling into the dudes' bathroom to get her clean on amidst a band of relieving gentlemen.

"I just had an Office Space Moment"

Pretty sweet when half-way through the work day (i.e. 5pm since I showed up at 1145) you find out tomorrow is a public holiday.

Thank you, Islam.

Looking back on a time I was looking forward

I have this feeling that I'm party of a generation that is going to
fuck some shit up. Generations coming before and going after us aren't
quite the same. We're part of something bigger. It's all about the
innovation. Taking what is given and making it ten times better. The
mouse pointer vaporized again, it's all by keyboard now. Things that
worked for our elders (aka bosses, granparents, previous leaders)
aren't working for us because they aren't good enough. It's time to
innovate.

Fuck shit up, man.

Fuck shit uP.

That was my 7th post ever on this blog, back in October 2004. Interesting thoughts at the time.

Victo-fucking-ry

It took me a few hours, but I finally found some programs that can take a Word document and print it to PDF format, with links inherited.

The forum thread is here.

If my test of these programs don't work, I'm told Open Office can do it for sure.

2007, in words

(I've written this as an unedited stream of thoughts so that, should I ever desire to, I can look back and see what in 2007 garnered mention and what did not. May you also enjoy the roll of credits to a year that covered as much as or more distance than mine.)

I believe I've given 2008 ample time to settle in, so it seems only appropriate to take a look and ponder 2007.

I entered the year high strung and at an all-time high for stress; hardly a royal beginning. In the midst of my efforts to join the @US MC, I momentarily shed the tight limbs, heavy shoulders, and rapid heart beat to join another gunslinger in establishing a new Dream. It wasn't exactly the New Deal, but it was Our Deal.

It was more than a presentation. It was an outpouring straight from our hearts to anyone that would listen. I have never been more enveloped in delivering a message.. and perhaps never will again. It was tiring, but the fire grew only hotter as the clock ticked closer to the delivery. We walked away from Ground Zero knowing the Message was sent, and hoping it was received.

Thought that was the end of it, too.

From there, I re-assumed my heavy load and poured what remained of my essence into requesting acceptance to push an idea back into the world and across all borders. For reasons and in ways I shall never know, this request was left ungranted, and for a time I knew not where the path would take me next.

I took rejection of the MC aspiration awful well. Through it, a door slowly creaked open revealing another dimension of organizational existence that I hadn't yet been privy to. It is my belief that perhaps my mental health would not have survived such an environment. I look back with pleasure and with scorn, but mostly pleasure.

And so I put energy elsewhere. Opportunities to work in my own country were nil, yet opportunities to work abroad seemed plentiful (which anything would when compared to zero). With offers to work in 3 countries, I finally selected one, thereby sealing my future to a path... one which did not contain allegiance to the organization I had dedicated the most effective of my energies for the previous 4.5 years.

It seemed weird, but also seemed right. "Rest in Peace" I told my past, as my gaze focused on the future. Your time was good, but the times ahead are better. May my memory of this period stay strong, as memory of any metamorphosis should.

That party was dead anyway.

College concluded with one question on my mind, "Had I graduated after 4 years, would I have really been ready?"

I really don't think so. My level of maturity and mental toughness experienced vast growth over that last, 'extra' year of college. I don't blindly recommend the extra year to everyone, but I now realize the importance of these few formative years right out of college.

Choose your environment wisely, and make sure it entails a continued heavy dose of education. This, or these next 4 years, I think, are when you get your real degree. Like I said, choose wisely and make use of it well.

And suddenly I found myself in Asia, a place I usually dreamed about because it seemed so sexy to do so. And all the sudden I was there.

How the hell did that happen? I'm still not sure.

But it let me check another item off The List, and should facilitate additional check marks as well. I finally started the next steps, college turned into then and though my age hasn't progressed unnaturally, my entrance to Asia also marked the entrance to a new bracket of existence.

And although I don't proclaim this feeling of old age as many others do (for reasons I still don't understand), I understand it. I'm not a zealot of blindly flowing with the river, but some things are not worth the energy.

It's all about seeing the opportunities opening or closing before you.

That's the biggest lesson I've learned this year. Every decision you make opens some and closes others, but the trick is to focus on those that are open.

The closed ones are finished books, empty glasses, and delivered jokes. No use trying to climb a ladder that isn't there.

And time and time again, I've reproved to myself that losing, or experiencing a rejection towards some aspiration, just gives you more time to finally see the other doors that are open.

And so, one of those doors, was a revisit to The Dream, somewhere near Chicago.

The Last Verse.

The name seems appropriate. Rare is it to dictate your last message, and even rarer so to be given such preparation for articulation.

As elated as an opportunity would make one feel, it's tough not to let that elation seep into your expectations and rocket them sky high.

It's hard to live up to your own expectations. And when your own start to get clouded, it makes it even harder to read those of others. Which is crucial when executing a task that requires such sensory.

So the gunslingers gave it one more go. I have never had such a rush of emotion as the hours leading up to and after our final presentation in Chicago.

It was magnified by the fact that we entered relatively unannounced.

And that concluded a series of events I won't forget, and was the first experiment at spreading a message I believed worth spreading. Sadly I shall never know the true results of our efforts, but I rest easy knowing we did all we could.

And I learned a lot about spreading an idea.

I finished 2007 with considerable less fanfare, mentally alone amidst a party of revelers part-way up a mountain.

As the fog rolled in and blurred the lights and visions thereof, I considered the symbolism of it all. My future blurred, I saw what lie ahead as the year to venture forth alone, in a way refinding my worth and proving it.

2007 was about finding the Jungle.
2008 is about entering it.

What I learned from chipping a tooth and cutting my tongue and lip

1. Your tongue is surprisingly crucial to grooming
A. An injured tongue makes it harder to
1. keep stuff from dripping down your chin
2. get food bits out of your gums, from in between your teeth, out of the
craters of each tooth
3. lick a drop of food or drink off your lips/hand/arm
B. Without tongues we would consume much more paper due to increased napkin usage

2. Immediately after injuring your tongues is tough and painful, but the hardest part is 2 - 3 days later when it is partially healed. You try to talk as if it was healed, but it often reminds you it isn't yet 100%. The increased size due to the healing process also makes you bite it more often, too.

3. Acute changes to your mouth structure are incredibly easy to detect when they happen quickly, yet the magnitude of the change is nearly impossible to determine without help from your eyes.

4. 36 hours after the injury I could slowly eat most foods; a testament to the regenerative abilities of tongues.

5. The lower portion of your lips (the red part of mine) heal even faster due to the high blood flow through the region. Upper lips aren't as skilled in the arts of healing.

6. The outside of your teeth are covered with Dentyne (?), which makes them less sensitive. The inside structure of your teeth don't have this, and so are much more susceptible to hot/cold stimuli... making the consumption of food a bit more exciting.

A Learning

It's not just guys in business who fall into this trap,
unfortunately. It happens just as often to people taking a less
conventional path. It's sad enough when you see it happen to a friend
of yours. When it happens to you, it's even worse.

The good news
is, it's easy enough to avoid. Especially with experience. Suddenly you
realize that you're just not into the same things you once were. You
used to be into staying up late all night, going to parties, now you'd
rather stay in and read a book. Sure, it sounds boring, but hey,
sometimes "boring" can be a lot of fun. Especially if it's on your own
terms. (Allow Your Work To Age With You)

I've noticed at work that it takes an amount of work, and I think receptive leadership, to keep new experiences coming. For the most part, each day in the office has me considering new problems and new ideas. This, in a way was something I requested and have been lucky to receive.

My short time on this planet has shown me that not everyone desires this. I can't say yet whether those people are better or worse to have on a team; they certainly are necessary to get work done.

But I now see how easy one can fall into the trap of repetition, some of which are obvious and some of which are not.

And that is one of my quickest paths to destruction.

Not even a carry-on

Sometime in the near future I think I'm going to start another blog. I think it'll look something like this.

Saddle Up

Depart
Kuala Lumpur LCCT (KUL) to Clark (Manila) (CRK)
Economy Promo
Wednesday, 20 Feb 2008
Flight AK 32
Depart Kuala Lumpur LCCT (KUL) at 07:20
Arrive in Clark (Manila) (CRK) at 11:15

Return
Clark (Manila) (CRK) to Kuala Lumpur LCCT (KUL)
Economy Promo
Monday, 25 Feb 2008
Flight AK 33
Depart Clark (Manila) (CRK) at 11:45
Arrive in Kuala Lumpur LCCT (KUL) at 15:40

Status CONFIRMED

Philippines Navidad!

Merry XXX-Mas

The international dinner went down last night with at least 7 countries represented. While Christmas has always been a period I prefer to be home, I can't say my experiences of it abroad have been too shabby. I came out of the secret santa game with a candle set thingy, so the party is in the bathtub tonight (...ladies?).

And so, Merry Christmas friends, to all you near and all you far. I consider myself very lucky.

Past:

Present:


Now I'm going to go play board games with my boss et al.

crashed pad

The Jesse is swinging through town for a few days as part of a totally sweet 6 week SE Asia tour. This recent text message string should sum things up quite nicely:

the jesse: omg i am in a cab w 2 ppl i met at the twin towers! They r taking me 2 their house 4 lunch. Am i going to die?

mix: Don't let either of them get behind you. If it becomes hostile, proclaim love for 'durian'

the jesse: They r old and want 2 know about usa. Man this weird and random. Tell my parents i love them.

The Work Round Up

After this meager attempt at shedding some work-life illumination, I thought I'd comment a little further on my day time activities here.

The company I work for is experiencing very quick, very exciting growth at this time (they've at least doubled in size since I was hired back in May). It isn't a place for the faint of heart; you get real, serious responsibility and are expected to act accordingly. We operate on more of a shoot-then-aim mentality, which is considerably different (and refreshing) than my previous activities. The focus here is on testing your way to the best results, instead of pointlessly debating with assumptions and gut-feelings instead of hard data.

So I still have numbers in my life, but in the form of conversion rates, open rates, traffic numbers, and revenue/profit analysis. Which is nice.

I am project manager for this site, meaning I drive and coordinate (as well as try to come up with) all innovations, which include a recent and pretty successful Thanksgiving promotion and more importantly a complete redesign of the positioning, approach, and main product offering. This puts me front and center in a Creation Process, a place I cherish and feared would be inaccessible at this point in my career. Hark.

On top of that, I blog here (serious) and here (less serious) and also have a "specialist" role as a copywriter. What this means is I work on micro-projects for other websites. If I (or someone else) think of or see an interesting business model executed on another site, I might try to test it on one of our sites.

What this involves is figuring out exactly what their model is, writing the sales copy (i.e. the text on the web page with the offer), then creating the means of getting people to that offer (usually this is writing the email pitch to get targeted traffic to that web page).

Yes, I write a lot now. Figures. But it is extremely relevant for my hookah activities and future goals.

I work with very accomplished people. I used to sit next to Khailee, who recently invented BunchOut, a pretty cool website I recommend checking out. You can check his blog for the several other gigs he has started. One of our designers has a site here. I also hang out with this guy, who shares an affinity for good shisha. My roommates also have blogs. And that's just a few. It's a pretty solid group of people, by far the most concentrated pool of hard talent I've maybe ever been around, and a pretty fun group as well.





So my professional life has made a very strong start. Much of my learning here could be easily transferred to a fairly lucrative consulting side-gig upon my return home, which is nice, and my education is finally strongly coinciding with my interests, which was a long-awaited development.

And having a boss that likes to party is pretty rad as well:

A Peace Manifesto - Part I

The ideas in this piece of writing began conjoining and interlocking on December 11, 2007 as I was walking under a gentle Malaysian rain. I was contemplating the idea of Loss, specifically related to friendships, relationships, and maybe other ships. But somehow, somewhere in there, I began contemplating the idea of Gain, specifically related to friendships, relationships, and probably other ships. This led me to the idea of peace.

It is dedicated to that 9th grader, who wrote, in a few lines of deeply resonating poetry, something I think our generation should listen to.

There is much talk in this world over what will define this age of human progress; which glorious slogan or title will define Today. The Internet Revolution. The War on Terrorism. Generation Next. Citizen/Networked Journalism and Blogging. Global Warming. Britney Spears et al.

But is that true? Is that what we want. Are these what we, as a generation, have decided shall define our days here on Earth? Or has this been projected, either by onlookers or even some of us actively deciding the fate and history of Us, We, The People of Tomorrow, The Youth of Today.

While terrible or terrific in their own rights, these are not the things our generation should be judged by. I will not – or simply CANNOT – allow my time here to be remembered by a war fraught with misunderstanding or a phenomenon of any type based on or in popular culture, and, while revolutions indeed, the proliferation of the internet and the rise in power of The Commons have not yet created the lasting effects of a magnitude I think we’re capable of.

The internet. Finally information is accessible by all, almost. But it still remains a venue through which people are oppressed and things can be withheld. Redirected traffic. Un-indexed sites. There is something underneath this beautiful idea of access which we still need to overcome.

But no one can take away your-our ability to spread peace to the environment directly around you-us. No one has the power to stop me from holding that elevator door open just a little longer for the other human approaching.

Within our small sphere of influence, no one can stop us from spreading peace.

I walk down the street, an act I’ve done in over 10 countries now, and see how quickly and universally a driver uses his horn to chastise a move he’s deemed inappropriate. But was it really that bad? Has he not done that as well; turned into the lane when he thought it was clear?

Even on a forum like TechCrunch, merely a source for Silicon Valley start-up news and developments, a vast majority of comments adorn every post with derisive and aggressive statements instead of insightful and constructive conversation.

And every day, customer service representatives, humans there to help us solve our problems, suffer personal attacks and angry, misplaced and unchecked aggression.

Politicians the world over spend millions, and sometimes billions, of dollars putting down and trashing others’ campaigns, ambitions, and values instead of building their own. When did we lose focus on what WE, as individuals-vessels-leaders are to instead focus on what others are not?

So it seems we have yet more work to do. Or perhaps we simply need to realign our focus as cohabitating humans to something a little… different. Just a bit.

I think we need to focus on Peace. The word. The idea. The slogan.

And make it something more. A movement. A cause. An end.

And make it measurable.

To some it’s a scary word and an even scarier idea, though I’m not sure why.

But it’s important enough for us to fight wars over. And generations before and likely generations after have and will write songs about it, give speeches on it, and legislate around it.

But prose and poetry is not enough for our generation. In this piece, I’m calling on our generation to Act On It...

Out of school a tad early

As you all probably know, whenever my blog loads that arcade game (from a few posts earlier - I'll spare a link to it), it plays that stupid sound.

Jenny and I were out drinking tonight, with fairly heavy consumption.

The game just played its stupid sound as I checked a comment on here. Jenny thought it was her alarm. She shot over to grab it and looked at it all confused, trying to turn it off.

It is 4:14am. A little early for an alarm, I'd say. Probably that dude from Spain all up in her head.

taking her home tonight

Jenny arrives in KL at about 830am tomorrow, or about 6.5hrs from now. I hope I'm awake by then.

Expect the next week to be light in blogging, but heavy in UCHJ's.

Man I hope I say this a lot in the future:

2 Japanese meals in 1 day. Here's the first one. Disregard the Singapore domain, it's 'multinational.'

On the way to the next...

Bruha: A salmon roll costs $0.66 or so. BOOMSHAKALAKA.

Intro to company and country

Keeping this multimedia train going. Since I lack the technological capabilities to record audio, video, and stills, I will steal from someone else. Here's a video made by my roommate for @Germany that will give you an idea of my current 'situation.'

Lyrical Poetry

I'm not totally sure what Kaitlin was talking about, but I do know it was something about circles, and so is this.

Back in the times of yesteryear, while residing near a small park inside a blue house fronted by a porch with 3 couches, we through a festival with a "Full Moon Party" theme. Hilarity was hypothesized by the DJ and his sidekick, me, if a throwback of pure purity to the party's theme was executed.

...

During the DJ's time in Thailand, he recounted, a song of utmost ridiculousness also enjoyed utmost popularity. It was called Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy.

...

It can be neither confirmed nor denied, but memory argues we played the song during that most epic and grande of parties.

And yes, you guessed it. Today, it was played for the dance class at my gym. I think I sat there the whole time and just listened to it.

Thailand - Gilman Street - Kuala Lumpur. That's some good distance.

Queen Mary is not my friend yet

It's 12:24am on Friday night and I'm in my room on my computer as I smoke a shisha by myself. I'm listening to different versions of the same song, by Bob Dylan.

At least part of this equation is wrong.

I've recently donkey punched Month 2 of my stay here, and it was about this time in Egypt that I ventured north east to Turkey to meet another nomad. Shortly after that the blocks began falling into place and a foreign city slowly flowered into a City of Dreams.

Sometime in college I learned that before you can really massage a body, you need to know where the joints are, where the soft spots are, and where the tense parts are. Once you know how the parts all fit together and what does what, then it just becomes an activity of properly manipulating those parts, or "massaging them" if you're so privy.

I hypothesized that it was probably pretty hard for a blind man to do.

Holiday Dreams

Though uncommon for sure, living abroad occasionally hinders the living of some dreams, like the Holiday Dream currently halting all value-adding activities in the Land of Freedom this day. It's the 2nd time I've been abroad for this time of year, the first time resulting in a weekend I struggle to remember...







... yet will never forget.

Malaysia, much like Egypt, passed the day with nary a nod to the families joining together across the pond to give thanks and consume an average of 5000 calories per person.

My celebratory Thai Sizzling Chicken and cheese sandwiches weren't too bad, and finding out Facebook is 2/3 girls was nice, too.

Friends, enjoy the day. Go Pack.

How to Change Your Life

Egypt gave me an ulcer, cured it; taught me the secrets of patience; which i forgot on my return trip and scarred me for life. But its the kind of scar that you look down at from time to time and cherish every stitch that got you there.

That's a quote I gathered for 3.0 that I never used. I happened upon it tonight and re-realized how well it sums up what Egypt was for me.

The thing with a place as hard to adapt to as Egypt is that every minute is worth it. Every second of pain and personal anguish, from hating how often people just wanted to say something in English to me to always being assumed rich to seriously different cultural norms.. the shift in mentality, outlook on life, and realization of what I could persevere through was immense.

What I've realized here is that Malaysia isn't that different from back home, at least on a broad, macro human interaction level. Language isn't an issue as so many speak English. There are plenty of bars and clubs, although they are crazy expensive - sin tax. There is a fairly sizable Western (and international in general) crowd. Plus, the culture on the streets just isn't that different.

My experience here will pale in terms of cultural learning when compared to Egypt, but this was fairly well known up front. However, there are some interesting undercurrents that I will be exploring and commenting on further.

They are much more hidden than a lot of the Egyptian differences, which were always fairly obvious to even the casual observer.

I'll comment on them once I explore more and wrap my head around it. A preview of the topics include ghosts and spirituality, the results of mixing large populations of Chinese, Indians, and Malay, and one other I just forgot.

on 'space'

Do I mean Outer Space or Inner Space? Which is more important?

Anyway, just a thought. I am pretty particular about my work environment. For example, I hate working at home, even though it's often the only place I can also get a desk of proper size (huge). I rarely studied at home, and now that I think of it, I never knew where to look for the environment I liked best.

Now, I think it might be beneficial for a library or social space to somehow convey what type of work environment it has. Like, "Room X has huge tables, great for group projects or an individual doing research and needing to lay out lots of papers."

These 'ads' of sorts could also be used to convey information. Some people don't realize the potential that some work spaces have. Referring back to the prior sentence, not everyone thinks about using Group Project areas when they need a huge table. You could rephrase it as "Room X has huge tables, great for group projects. It is also very useful for an individual doing research and needing to lay out a lot of papers." (I would bold that part so people don't miss it).

I thought about this while taking a bathroom break from working in a Starbucks during a holiday.

A 9th grade student learning English

Helping others are also very easy. You can volunteer only one minute to others. For example, pick up rubbish, five seconds. Wait in the elevator while people are coming, five seconds. You can only use a minute to help others. Then, you will have a habit, helping others. No one forcing to help others, you get habit, that is the greatest habit in the world.

Good Habits Blog

I stumbled upon this quote and was stopped dead in my tracks. The context. The messenger. The overriding and underlying ideas. The verbiage. It has been consuming me the entire day.

My keyboard lacks the ability to properly release how precisely this resonated with my world.

Homeless People

For the record, by my count and up to this point, I've only seen one obviously homeless person. He was sleeping on the ground at a bus stop.

1 beer at the market = RM7.75
1 Tandoori Chicken meal at the sweet place by my house = RM8

Sin Taxes sure present a challenge to building a proper House of Mixology.

Breakfast Mentos, Pitcher Equivalents

Several times now, just as I've gotten up to leave the house, it has started pouring outside. Literally, as I stand up, the rain sits my anus back down. So I'm eating Mentos for breakfast at 3pm.

I've yet to figure out what the Malaysian equivalent for my Happy Hour is. More specifically, what their equivalent for "let's go grab a pitcher" is. I have definitely been conditioned for this, but the Pitcher Venture is quite special. It's low commitment; you can always bail after that pitcher, but it also leaves open the chance for a longer exchange of dialogue, adventure, and regrettable decisions. This is why it's beautiful.

Here, the closest equivalent I've seen so far is just grabbing a meal. Shisha used to be popular, but isn't as prevalent anymore, and 1 mug of beer at a bar generally costs as much as 1.5 - 2 meals... so that leaves looking to food and tea for the backdrop of a post-work, low pressure hangout. In Egypt, while it was higher commitment (shishas last longer than a pitcher), you could always use the shisha as the tool for inviting a conversation.

"Hey, wanna go grab a Mango Lassi and better get to know each other?"

Not the same.

Maybe I just haven't found it yet.

part of The Journey

These times are good times too. This is where real people are made. This is where real courage and determination come through. This is the point where I get in touch with my spiritual core. And then once I do, I reach back out that hand to the world. (rlpp)

Amen. Being aware of and adding language to this journey we all must go through makes it much more powerful, and difficult. But with the difficulty comes much more golden riches if you make it through.

More Firsts at the Gym

Today at the gym, I participated in my first ever exercise-related class. This is where things get interesting.

I jumped in on a spinning class. The instructor is from South America, I think. I really liked him, aside from when he would stop to laugh in sync with the song... this perturbed me because I was in such pain and he could pretend he was laughing.

I'll probably go again. BradyDale served as mild inspiration for this drastic move. But it's not yet time for you all to get concerned. I still haven't created a label for this work-out stuff. At that point...

And as a note, last night at the gym (yea, I was at the gym twice in 12 hours... ladies?), chips started to fall into place for another dance off... but try as "we" might, we couldn't quite reach the tipping point for a full-fledged epic Dance Floor Battle to the Death.

When in Rome...

...Live The Roman Dream.

To bad I'll be in Hong Kong and Macau.

Working a weekend, but that don't stop Mix from Living The Dream Navidad!

By the way, looks like Sweden will be the 2nd market for the HoboHookah. Makes sense that the Swedes would be early adopters - they're my ancestors.

Never call a Finn a Swede.

What is and is not the Workout Dream

If the casual observer wasn't fooled, he or she might think Mix is in a regular workout routine. Savvy?

There have been a series of firsts throughout my short tenure in the healthy(er) life. Like the first day I went, I got really sick, and was sick for 4 days afterwards. It may have been the ungodly hour of 730am that I was there, it may have been the food the night before, we'll never know.

The 2nd time I went I had another delight between sets - two people engaging in a 10 minute dance off. Is it important to note that they were employees? I can't decide.

My third or fourth visit had more dancers. This time, in between sets, 2 dudes would look at themselves in the mirror and practice dance moves. They did not put their weights back. Note: one or both of them might be dance instructors. If true, the one guy is really, really annoying to listen to.

And then tonight, where I have cemented my affinity for crossfit. I'm not one much for programs, but the daily workouts they post are quite different from my norm, and their work-out philosophy seems well scienced and thought out. I dig it. Read their thoughts on fitness to get an idea of it.

Interpretations

Malaysia is the first place I've needed to start from 0 in building a community, network, group of friends, or however you'd care to name the concept. Coming to college was the last time I had to restart from this level, and that was 5 years ago. It's been a while.

But what I find is that it's in this environment where I am most acutely aware of the details of human and group interactions. I less frequently am occupied by dynamic dialogue and verbal jiving, so I more often can sit back and observe. Some stem directly from my immediate environment, some are supplanted from elsewhere.

Should I continue these observations, the casual observer will take comfort in the "Interpretations" title.

My tenure in this country was gearing up just as another's was winding down, and I had the pleasure of being his roommate for this short 2 week period. Whenever you join a pre-established community, as an initial outsider you can usually note the few players acting as the glue holding the community (and sometimes the community's fringe as well) together. The person or people act as a glue, a connector of different circles, a totem pole just a little higher that the others look to. This person was that glue, by my eyes. Having spent more time here than many others was a definite advantage, but not a requirement for reaching this status. It is something you can observe but also something you can often just feel.

But alas, that time is now left for the books. For now I can only salute. Short but sweet.


And so that figure leaves and you have a void. This symbolic leaving is replicated across many fields, a star player getting hurt or leaving a team, a general struck down, and a star manager leaving an organization. People seem to react in 2 ways to this void. They either retreat away from it, lament the loss and wallow in pain, wishing it to never have opened. But others, they see the opportunity, and seek to fill it. They carry out the rebirth, and use the (hopefully) large hole to an advantage, as a vessel to create a great foundation on which to build their own pillar. The bigger the hole, the bigger that foundation could be. The duty of the original Figure is to provide others the ability to build that new foundation. Sometimes their "followers" find those tools on their own.

But when the hole is there, it must be filled. If not, the structure weakens and the building falls, the enemy gets through and the army defeated, or the passion leaks and the community dwindles.

It is every one's choice, but the view up top is usually nicer.

education systems

I've found myself talking about our financial aid system several times in the past several days and, after a long and incoherent explanation, the general result is a few glazed over eyes and a change of subject. From now on I think my response to inquiries about the state of financial affairs will be

"...... wanna do a shisha?"

I suspect the results will be better, or maybe similar.

But the topic has put my toes in another pond, which is the general "system" we have of going to school for 4 years and then getting a job. A worthwhile internship just is not part of the equation for many people. By worthwhile I mean something better than working for the canning factory, golf course, or whatever. I'm thinking about internships of substance, where you have real responsibilities and ramifications around them. I'm also thinking about positions that are 6 - 12 months, not the 10 week dance of most summer gigs.

Many of the Europeans I've met do/have not taken this power-through-my-4-years type course, but instead have spent a year on an MC, taken time "off" for a substantial internship, or a combination of both. They finally "finish" college a year or more later than we do in the US, but I would guess come out a much more refined product. And I also have to believe these internships better help them focus their interests in school. Better focus means better motivation and a generally more mature student.

The stigma that not finishing school in 4 years is bad is I think very damaging to our output of quality fresh graduates. Instead of subscribing to the "get in - get out" mentality, we'd do ourselves a much greater justice by including more in this developmental journey than just a few years of sleeping through classes, and maybe a decent 10 week stint before your senior year.

For the record, I'm not saying these opportunities aren't available. I'm saying they need better integration into our programs and a much better story being told to students (i.e. marketing). This requires participation and buy-in from all parties involved; parents, students, academic institutions, employer market, internship/job suppliers, and government jag-offs.

My water is boiling, so I'll stop here for now, but this is what I'm pondering lately while I look zoned out.

Prior to maintaining Rep, Build Rep

And on the 14th day of his quest to funkify his party of town, Mix Master introduces a Malaysia-fied version of Love...



...and thus was born, the Bowl of Love.

The ingredients of