A year well lived

2016 went by faster than I could hope; I struggled to keep up with its pace, and spent most of it searching. For directions, happiness, and the self. I was nowhere near what I imagined I would be.  Anxious, fearful, lost, and clueless, so much so that I failed to appreciate the best moments of the year.

It’s only in reminiscence do I see the richness and beauty of it all.

I went on the trip of a lifetime to the Holy Land. Every experience in this part of the world was enriching as it was powerful. I witnessed the magnificence that is the Western Wall, feasted on hummus, floated in the dead sea, and kept my head up for hours in the lost city of Petra. I befriended young men and women who are fearless, happy, and optimistic, and took away wisdom I wouldn’t have otherwise known. In the summer I traveled solo for the first time, and set my foot on a new continent. Between admiring the otherworldly beauty of the Greek islands, and getting a taste of life on water, I contemplated what being on the road really meant, and if that could be a way of life. I also wondered if I had what it takes to fully appreciate the experience, or perhaps that was a realization for later. 

The World Unknown

Summer is half over, but this game of catch-up isn’t ending anytime soon. If true exhaustion is the ultimate destination, I believe I’m not far.

Far are those days where I awoke to the sound of birds chirping, hiked rocky mountains, watched sunsets by the river, and spent hours after hours in blissful silence. When was that, if not a lifetime ago, another world away?

It took much mindless living and doing, to reacquaint with that profound clarity I’d once had but soon lost. I searched many corners of the world for it, only to find it here. A place so close yet unknown to me. 

The past months in pictures

Taking a break from words. And thoughts.

Until I come back with better verbal skills, good bye.

Good times, gone too soon.

The new year has been passing by quickly, and nothing has changed much. Not yet anyway. Except I’m a year older, and hopefully a drop wiser.

My days still revolve around the same routine. I practice, study, hang out in the neighborhood, go for runs, or a swim. Not that there’s anything I can complain, but even the perfectly simple life could do with some changes once in a while.

So off I go, to a place 7 hours away.

Where everything is much bigger and grander, and where all Chinese tourists stay at one hotel. (Hint: the most expensive one.)

A picture in front of the Burj Al Arab is thus obligatory.

Away from the crazy architecture, a Land Rover-ride in the desert plus some very strong shisha for the cold night was also quite an experience. 

But a holiday isn’t complete without some sun, sea and sand. So another flight later, I find myself on the sunny islands of the Seychelles. Here I nap with the giant tortoises.Talk to some Seselwa guys. Eat fish every single day. Hike a short distance to the top of Morne Blanc. Bike around La Digue. And snorkel, newbie style.

Of course, I can’t possibly miss the amazing beaches!A good tan and more seafood meals later, my mind is clear as it could be, and my wallet emptied, inside out. My already frugal life, is about to get much worse.

Take It All in Stride

Stepping into the 11th month of the year, I finally feel undistracted enough to collect my scattered thoughts, in hopes of garnering some wisdom along the way.

So I’ve been thinking.

Is it easier to set goals, dream big, and get anxious about life, than to take it easy?

After all that effort trying to be better at everything, maybe a change of perspective would really help.

Or a change of scene.

In the much cooler weather, Seoul amused me with their street parking system, and unleashed the happy shopper in me.

And back in the chaos of Shanghai, I reminisced the good times, but happy that I’ve left them behind me.

Like always, happy moments are the shortest moments. And when they end, I  have no choice but to find bliss in black and white.