I've been thinking about getting a Twitter account, but am not entirely sure if I'm up for it. There's a lot of ideas brewing in my mind at the moment, and I think I want to list them all out just so I can then focus on what I want to do. So here it goes:
My profile
I don't like my profile. I don't know why. I'll have to perhaps wipe it all off and start on a clean canvas just to paint the perfect picture I want.
Do you hate it too?
I need to keep posting daily, and I need to sign on to more blog directories and communities (like Twitter). I might possibly do a slight reformatting as well, but nothing too drastic, just maybe add a few more widgets and fun stuff on the side bars. As for The Book, I will need to start picking out fifty posts, what I reckon would sell to consumers everywhere, put them in a single word document, do a bit of editing and formatting. I need to pitch a concept for the cover to my best friend, who is quite skilled in the world of photography and graphic design. My other close friend might also be interested in writing a foreword for me. [To-do reading: the publishing process, marketing and advertising, how to work together with your mom, how to be even funnier]
"If you're going through Hell, keep going."
I sometimes feel like this blog is a bit of a mixture of loads of different blog themes put together. Sometimes, I talk about my travels, sometimes I talk about my past, sometimes I talk about my feelings, and sometimes I just post up a Youtube video. Despite the versatility, I feel that it's not really encapsulating my whole self - I still don't talk about the TV shows I watch, the anthropology course I study, the books I read, or where I want to go in the future. In the end, I meant for this to be about my daily life, and it's just really difficult to stay focused on that, when everything else also occupies my mind. Which is why my solution is going to be...
Anthropology blog
I've been doing quite a lot of reading since I've been here in university, and it's starting to get on my nerves how long it's taking me to actually announce the commencement of this blog. The problem is that I just haven't sat down yet to get started on posting anything on it, and well, now I'm pissed at myself, to be honest. So, I vow to post something on there this weekend, because it has to start some time. And if I just can't be bothered, I know I'll be guilted into doing on Monday morning, I'm sure of it. [To-do reading: nature of anthropological study, history of mankind, Sicilian women, the Kwaio, the Azande, loads of other societies...]
Youtube blog
I have a good friend who lives in Hong Kong, and whenever I ask her what she's doing, more often than not, she's going on Youtube. I, myself, have found a lot of funny, intriguing, thought-provoking videos there, and I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog with this friend of mine. Together, we find one video to post on it everyday, and whoever found the video will briefly talk about why it's worthy of your attention. I'm quite excited about this, but with our schedules, we said we would officially release this blog in mid-February. But anyway, just something to think about for now. [To-do reading: video-sharing rights, joint ventures]
Television blog
I felt like I wasn't being myself with that television blog I started, and consequentially, shut down a couple months back. I was being forced to write about everything when I didn't want to, I wrote reviews for some reason. What I really wanted to write about instead was about the thoughts that TV shows provoked in me, because writers put forward ideas that sometimes make quite an impact on the way I think after watching them. I'll try and get to reopening that one around the holiday season, 'cause I was quite unhappy that that didn't work out the first time.
Travel blog
When I turn 25, my best friend and I are leaving our lives behind to travel the entire world in all its power and beauty for however long it takes. We mean it when we say we'll do it, and everything we're doing in the next seven years is to make that voyage possible. We're learning languages, we're doing a lot of reading, and we're only in university, and soon to be working, so that we can earn money to give us steady beginnings as we get accustomed to the traveler's life when we first set out. In my reading, I've been finding a lot of interesting things about how to prepare for such a trip, and information on a lot of places we might want to visit on the trip. This journey requires a whole lot of planning (seven years worth of it), so perhaps compiling them in a blog as a pre-world trip logbook might interest some readers? [To-do reading: travelogues, other world trip experiences, travel destinations]
Hm. I feel a bit better now, 'cause all of that was getting difficult to keep in my head. All six blogs, I have passion for, but I'm a tad concerned about whether I can handle it. Somewhere in my heart, I know that the hard work will pay off, and that this is one of those things that I'm meant to do in this stage of my life. I play no musical instruments, and I do no sports - this is my talent, and I have to embrace it. All I can do is hope for personal fulfillment, recognition and happiness, so might as well hope for more... might as well dream big.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
89 - What's my plan?
To be honest, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with a bachelor's degree in anthropology when I am awarded with it three years from now (with a specialization in European anthropology at that, by the way - it's a fancy course). About a year ago, I was pretty sure that this choice I made would contribute to a certain dream I had when I was a kid. I've said before that I want to be a top-class forensic anthropologist in the future, I've said I wanted to start my own homemade-style-of-cooking restaurant when I turn 21, I've said I wanted to go on a trip around the world with my best friend when I'm 25, and be sure to hit every single country on the planet while I'm at it. I've said before that I want to start settling down with someone when I'm roughly 28, have a kid or two before I'm 30, all the while keeping to my studies in English language, physiotherapy, and philosophy, while also working a full-time job as a forensic science anthropologist, maybe part-time teaching English, biology, or psychology. In addition to that, I will still have that restaurant, and by the time I'm 40, I will have opened up a café, a bar, a deli, and a nightclub, as well. As my kids start considering colleges while I'm roughly 45, I will already have a PhD in forensic science, and a handful of other qualifications in biological and social anthropology, English language, and business management. Even though it will be a high mountain to climb when I'm nearing 50, I will finally take up a medicine course, a dream I had since I was 15 but knew I didn't have the time, money or mindset to accomplish until I was much older. I will specialize in psychology, and have experience in pediatrics, Chinese medicine, neurology and mental health by the time I'm 60. Soon after I attain my second PhD, in psychology, I will leave my responsibilities at the hospital somewhere before 65 years old. I will be the owner of a dozen dining and drinking venues by then, I will reignite the candle that is my passion for travel, and I will continue to contribute to the world by enlightening those who wish to be talked to, at universities, hospitals, schools of business, private offices, high schools, medical schools, museums, libraries, and in lecture halls, classrooms, and anthropological, biological, psychological, and social research facilities, all over the US and the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, China, Australia, Russia, and my childhood home, Hong Kong.
That is the brief plan that I've had in my head for a long time, and it feels good to have it all condensed into a paragraph as shown above, for my own reference, for my own reflection, for my own guidance, because it's a very big dream - a very, very, big dream that I'm now looking at as I sit here, barely started with my undergraduate course, at the beginning of my adulthood, at the beginning of the long lines of education and career that I will have when I die, and I'm now asking myself: How am I supposed to start a restaurant when I'm 21, and what am I supposed to do with a bachelor's degree in anthropology? How am I supposed to make my next step?
I will not accept advice from others, telling me that I'm still young, that I shouldn't think so much about the future because I will be disappointed, because I can never live in the moment, because it's unhealthy, and obsessive, and way over my head. I will not take suggestions from others, telling me that I should tone down my aspirations, because they're too big for me to handle. I will be sure to pace myself, and I will think about it as long and as seriously as I have to, to make sure this brief outline of my entire life for the next fifty years becomes my reality.
Now that that's understood, I would just like to confess that right now, I have no idea how to answer those two questions up there. That's all I'm saying - I'm slightly confused now. But I guess that's why it's a good thing that I have quite a while 'til I turn 21 and graduate with that anthropology degree, 'til I must pick a direction in which to steer.
Life is short, and life is long, life is what you make of it, and to live every second of it like it's your last is recommended. That's my uncouth, prosaic, and admittedly befuddling conclusion to this rambling for now.
What about you? Got any big plans for the future?
That is the brief plan that I've had in my head for a long time, and it feels good to have it all condensed into a paragraph as shown above, for my own reference, for my own reflection, for my own guidance, because it's a very big dream - a very, very, big dream that I'm now looking at as I sit here, barely started with my undergraduate course, at the beginning of my adulthood, at the beginning of the long lines of education and career that I will have when I die, and I'm now asking myself: How am I supposed to start a restaurant when I'm 21, and what am I supposed to do with a bachelor's degree in anthropology? How am I supposed to make my next step?
I will not accept advice from others, telling me that I'm still young, that I shouldn't think so much about the future because I will be disappointed, because I can never live in the moment, because it's unhealthy, and obsessive, and way over my head. I will not take suggestions from others, telling me that I should tone down my aspirations, because they're too big for me to handle. I will be sure to pace myself, and I will think about it as long and as seriously as I have to, to make sure this brief outline of my entire life for the next fifty years becomes my reality.
Now that that's understood, I would just like to confess that right now, I have no idea how to answer those two questions up there. That's all I'm saying - I'm slightly confused now. But I guess that's why it's a good thing that I have quite a while 'til I turn 21 and graduate with that anthropology degree, 'til I must pick a direction in which to steer.
Life is short, and life is long, life is what you make of it, and to live every second of it like it's your last is recommended. That's my uncouth, prosaic, and admittedly befuddling conclusion to this rambling for now.
What about you? Got any big plans for the future?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
42 - Pictures from my trip to Sichuan, China.
So I promised I would post pictures from my trip to Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou Valley. They're places in a province of China called Sichuan, the province in which last year's Sichuan Great Earthquake took place.
Behold, the photos. I tried to select the best out of thousands, so enjoy?
A statue outside a monastery that has different parts from all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. I was born in the year of the Sheep, so I'm touching the goat's beard for good luck.
Remember the post on bad translations of Chinese food on my other blog? Well, through this gate was the street that sold all that food.
The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.
Four of them all battling for bamboo.
Red panda, lucky shot of this one standing.
Jiazhaikou Valley, famous for its spectacular scenery comprising rivers, waterfalls and lakes. We had to take another plane from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou in order to get here. In this photo, I was a little... cold. It doesn't look cold from the photo, but it really was.
Those colors are unreal, man. 熊猫海, Xiong mao hai, "Panda Lake".
Pretty waterfall.
My mom and I at another waterfall.
My mother reckons her photography skills are awesome because it's artistic. What's artistic, apparently, is the tree that's in the way. To me, that defies all logic.
Pretty tree.
Really blue lake.
Blue and green hues of 草海, chao hai, "Grass Lake".
五花海, wu hua hai, "Five Flower Lake".
Side-view of 诺日朗瀑布, nuo ri lang pu bu, "Nuorilang Waterfall".
I'm just trying something...
Still Nuorilang Waterfall. This is hilarious because we were trying out the widescreen function. In case you still haven't found me, I'm in the bottom-right corner.
.jpg)
We flew back to Chengdu and this was taken in the bathroom of the Chengdu airport.
My mother likes taking photos of my slavery as I retrieve our suitcases at baggage claim.
Have you ever stayed in a honeymoon suite with your mother because the hotel couldn't place you anywhere else? This is the consequence: a view of the shower from your bed, with the curtain on the outside of the bathroom. Weird.
Mount Emei, 3099 metres above sea level. The only food they sold there were sausages. Who doesn't like sausages?
Cold.
Everything with a thin layer of snow.
My mother disturbing me in my sleep on the way down the mountain.
Leshan Giant Buddha, viewed from a darn boat. This was what I wanted to see from the very beginning, but the boat we got didn't stop to let us get off and actually walk around and up next to the buddha. But anyway, it's 71 metres tall and the Buddha-in-a-wall to see in one's lifetime.
On the flight back to Hong Kong.
Pretty clouds.
Behold, the photos. I tried to select the best out of thousands, so enjoy?
A statue outside a monastery that has different parts from all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. I was born in the year of the Sheep, so I'm touching the goat's beard for good luck.
Remember the post on bad translations of Chinese food on my other blog? Well, through this gate was the street that sold all that food.
The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.
Four of them all battling for bamboo.
Red panda, lucky shot of this one standing.
Jiazhaikou Valley, famous for its spectacular scenery comprising rivers, waterfalls and lakes. We had to take another plane from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou in order to get here. In this photo, I was a little... cold. It doesn't look cold from the photo, but it really was.
Those colors are unreal, man. 熊猫海, Xiong mao hai, "Panda Lake".
Pretty waterfall.
My mom and I at another waterfall.
My mother reckons her photography skills are awesome because it's artistic. What's artistic, apparently, is the tree that's in the way. To me, that defies all logic.
Pretty tree.
Really blue lake.
Blue and green hues of 草海, chao hai, "Grass Lake".
五花海, wu hua hai, "Five Flower Lake".
Side-view of 诺日朗瀑布, nuo ri lang pu bu, "Nuorilang Waterfall".
I'm just trying something...
Still Nuorilang Waterfall. This is hilarious because we were trying out the widescreen function. In case you still haven't found me, I'm in the bottom-right corner..jpg)
We flew back to Chengdu and this was taken in the bathroom of the Chengdu airport.
My mother likes taking photos of my slavery as I retrieve our suitcases at baggage claim.
Have you ever stayed in a honeymoon suite with your mother because the hotel couldn't place you anywhere else? This is the consequence: a view of the shower from your bed, with the curtain on the outside of the bathroom. Weird.
Mount Emei, 3099 metres above sea level. The only food they sold there were sausages. Who doesn't like sausages?
Cold.
Everything with a thin layer of snow.
My mother disturbing me in my sleep on the way down the mountain.
Leshan Giant Buddha, viewed from a darn boat. This was what I wanted to see from the very beginning, but the boat we got didn't stop to let us get off and actually walk around and up next to the buddha. But anyway, it's 71 metres tall and the Buddha-in-a-wall to see in one's lifetime.
On the flight back to Hong Kong.
Pretty clouds.Saturday, January 3, 2009
32 - Meme.
After reading AV's meme, I was going to do this a lot later. But then I was officially tagged to do it by Vivienne, so here you go:
1. Five names you go by
- Mike
- Mikeyboy
- Coco (Some Chinese accents pronounce my name, 'Mi-Co'. 'Coco' is a play on the latter syllable.)
- Whore (When I say 'nighty-ho' to my friend before going to sleep, he says, 'goodnight whore'.)
- Emo boy (I'm not emo! People call me this to annoy me.)
2. Three things you are wearing right now
First, this is a creepy question, but alright...
- White Roots hoodie.
- White Adidas T-shirt.
- Blue Hawaiian-flowered shorts.
3. Two things you want very badly at the moment
- All my holiday homework completed.
- Mac and cheese.
4.Three Four people whom I would like to see fill this out
- J.J. (You are my resident taggeficiary, while I am your taggefactor.)
- Short Stick
- Larissa
- Linda
5. Two things you did last night
- Get drunk.
- Peed in a bush.
6. Two things you ate today
- Fried dumplings and Coke is all I've had so far...
7. Two people you last talked to on the phone
- My best friend.
- ...My dad. (I will post about this some other time...)
8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow
- Homework.
- Homework.
9. Two longest car rides
I haven't had many long car rides in my life, living here in this puny city.
- from Toronto to Niagara Falls
- from Niagara Falls to Toronto
10. Two of your favorite beverages
- Coca Cola (You have no idea. You really don't.)
- Margarita (It's a hint for any of you who might buy me a drink in the future... :D)
AND ANOTHER:
Pick a color for the things that you have done. Mine are in red letters. I have…
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars (on the beach)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world (what a bore)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day)
11. Bungee jumped (I really, really want to.)
12. Visited Paris (The Mona Lisa is small...)
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (I cut my own hair. Does that count?)
15. Adopted a child (I think my mother might...)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (Small...)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Dozens of times.)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Skied a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (Wow, that would be incredible.)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (School P.E. class... but still counts to me.)
32. Been on a cruise (To Vietnam and back.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (Four times...)
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I used to.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (I have OCD and need things to be perpendicular. Why don't they just remove the 'Leaning' bit?)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (Just last night actually.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (I want to.)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (Seven times if I recall correctly.)
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (The charitableness feels nice... but the physical feeling in my arm is unnerving.)
65. Gone sky diving (I would love to.)
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp (On my list of to-dos.)
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I donated all my childhood plushies to an orphanage.)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (Out... side... the White House...)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Fish.)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant
I've done 45 out of those 100. Fair enough for a 17-year-old.
1. Five names you go by
- Mike
- Mikeyboy
- Coco (Some Chinese accents pronounce my name, 'Mi-Co'. 'Coco' is a play on the latter syllable.)
- Whore (When I say 'nighty-ho' to my friend before going to sleep, he says, 'goodnight whore'.)
- Emo boy (I'm not emo! People call me this to annoy me.)
2. Three things you are wearing right now
First, this is a creepy question, but alright...
- White Roots hoodie.
- White Adidas T-shirt.
- Blue Hawaiian-flowered shorts.
3. Two things you want very badly at the moment
- All my holiday homework completed.
- Mac and cheese.
4.
- J.J. (You are my resident taggeficiary, while I am your taggefactor.)
- Short Stick
- Larissa
- Linda
5. Two things you did last night
- Get drunk.
- Peed in a bush.
6. Two things you ate today
- Fried dumplings and Coke is all I've had so far...
7. Two people you last talked to on the phone
- My best friend.
- ...My dad. (I will post about this some other time...)
8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow
- Homework.
- Homework.
9. Two longest car rides
I haven't had many long car rides in my life, living here in this puny city.
- from Toronto to Niagara Falls
- from Niagara Falls to Toronto
10. Two of your favorite beverages
- Coca Cola (You have no idea. You really don't.)
- Margarita (It's a hint for any of you who might buy me a drink in the future... :D)
AND ANOTHER:
Pick a color for the things that you have done. Mine are in red letters. I have…
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars (on the beach)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world (what a bore)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day)
11. Bungee jumped (I really, really want to.)
12. Visited Paris (The Mona Lisa is small...)
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (I cut my own hair. Does that count?)
15. Adopted a child (I think my mother might...)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (Small...)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Dozens of times.)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Skied a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (Wow, that would be incredible.)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (School P.E. class... but still counts to me.)
32. Been on a cruise (To Vietnam and back.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (Four times...)
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I used to.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (I have OCD and need things to be perpendicular. Why don't they just remove the 'Leaning' bit?)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (Just last night actually.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (I want to.)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (Seven times if I recall correctly.)
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (The charitableness feels nice... but the physical feeling in my arm is unnerving.)
65. Gone sky diving (I would love to.)
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp (On my list of to-dos.)
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I donated all my childhood plushies to an orphanage.)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (Out... side... the White House...)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Fish.)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant
I've done 45 out of those 100. Fair enough for a 17-year-old.
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