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Archive for the '– Reflection' Category

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Xi’an：Armies, Mountains and New Ink

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

It has been nine days since I left the Kung Fu school and thankfully, the experience is quickly fading into a distant past. Every facet of life that was lacking during my time there has returned in full force.  Due to the hardships I recently endured, my sense of appreciation has also been greatly enhanced to enjoy it all the more!     [read on]

Posted in - Panorama, - Photography, - Reflection, - Transport & Travel, Asia, China | No Comments »

Liberation

Monday, September 10th, 2007

Ah, freedom… I can taste it again! I am happily writing this on my way away from Songshan and the hellish Kung Fu training experience endured there.    [read on]

Posted in - Photography, - Reflection, - Transport & Travel, Asia, China, Chinese Kung Fu | 3 Comments »

Pain and Suffering in the Mountains of Central China

Monday, September 3rd, 2007

I just finished reading “The Travels of Marco Polo”, which seemed intriguing enough as a choice of literature during my first stint in mainland China.  I was surprised to find that it reads very differently than expected.  Rather than offer a narrative of his experiences, or even personal insight, he merely presented a series of objective elements to log the attributes of various cities visited during his journey through the medieval Far East.  It was interesting enough, but constantly seemed as though something vital was missing.

Reading the afterword by Howard Mittlemark helped to clarify Polo’s potential motives as not simply being limited by medieval thinking and literature, but rather the product of a unique experience chronicling new territory.  He then proceeded to compare the style to modern travel writing by saying that now “no matter where you go, somebody has been there before, and the only thing left to chronicle is the infinite minute variations of the inner world.”

So what is going on in my ‘inner world’ right now?  Would you really like to hear about my current state of depression?  Do you really care, or are you a hoping to justify your comfort zone by thriving on the knowledge of my current tales of misfortune?  Either way, here it comes… currently, I am completely miserable.  For the first time since I set out on this adventure (and for a long time before that) I am far from happy to be where I am.  My positive outlook has taken a vacation and left me alone with a demon called pessimism.    [read on]

Posted in - Reflection, Asia, China, Chinese Kung Fu | 9 Comments »

10,000!

Sunday, August 19th, 2007

In honor of my blog reaching over 10,000 unique visitors, I’ve decided to make my stats public… enjoy =P

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Posted in - Reflection | 1 Comment »

Character Development

Monday, August 13th, 2007

Five months deep into this adventure has taught me more than I could have learned in five years stagnating at home. I do know I am still far from an experienced traveler, but it is safe to say that I’m at least no longer wet behind the ears. It has been almost a month since I left the comforts of Gangneung, and I’ve found less and less time at a computers to update this blog.

So what has been keeping me so busy? Life… the way I want to live it. The weeks I’ve spent in Seoul kept me preoccupied with friends, playing music, taking photos and visiting the must see sights. I also took a twenty-five hour ferry into China and have been exploring Beijing for the last few days. Now I’m sitting in a quiet pavilion hidden in a secluded corner of Temple of Heaven Park and have pulled out my journal for the first time in weeks. [read on]

Posted in - Photography, - Reflection, - Transport & Travel, - Transport: Boat, Asia, China, South Korea | 1 Comment »

Seoul Searching

Saturday, July 28th, 2007

As I sit here, alone at a bar in Seoul called “Comfort Zone”, an overwhelming epiphany has passed.  It is the culmination of the uncertainty and doubt that have been clouding my travels during the last few weeks.

Your world is and always will be contained within your self.  This understanding cannot be realized during a mere vacation from the normality of daily life.  A change in surroundings only affects temporary disposition towards the outside.  It takes a disassociation from your comfort zone and extended immersion in the unknown before you can truly visualize the world you exist in.

This separation eventually leads way to a defining point of critical revelation.  The illusion of reality fades.   No longer limited by a false view of the world you can truly become free.  By understanding that perception of the world is in your hands to shape, the world literally becomes yours!

So, if you seek an adjustment in your life, the power is completely inside your self rather than your environment.  Any thoughts that the world is bringing you down can be erased by a change in demeanor.  You can enjoy every minute of your life… if you want to.

With this revelation, all my concern faded.  Although I partially understood it before, the concept has never been so apparent and awe-inspiring.  A smile wiped over my face.  I walked outside to the nearest table, sat down and engaged in hours of conversation with complete strangers. 

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Posted in - Reflection, Asia, South Korea | 3 Comments »

The New Jersey of Asia

Friday, July 20th, 2007

On the ferry from Japan, I met an expat from Texas who has been living in South Korea the last three years. When I asked about his travels in Japan, he explained that he only does visa runs to Fukuoka and he’s never explored more than the embassy!  His reasoning is that South Korea is “the dollar store Japan”; basically that the cultures are similar, but everything is cheaper.  Obviously, we’ve had different experiences but I don’t believe he could be any farther from the truth.    [read on]

Posted in - Photography, - Reflection, Asia, South Korea | No Comments »

Final Thoughts on Japan

Monday, July 16th, 2007

It is hard to say any final thoughts about Japan because I know it will always be with me in my heart.  Over the three months spent there I have developed a special love for the country and look forward to returning someday soon.  It is without a doubt an expensive country to travel in, but the friendships, rewards and lessons learned were more than worth any money spent to obtain them.  I can definitely see myself living there someday, but there are a great many obstacles to overcome first.    [read on]

Posted in - Photography, - Reflection, Asia, Japan, Japanese Impressions | No Comments »

Culture in Japan

Monday, July 16th, 2007

At the same time Japan thrives in its future fantasy land, there is also an abundance of history, tradition and culture balancing the modernization.   There are the blatant differences from western culture, such as the abundance of shrines, squat toilets, onsen, etc. After a while these differences begin to seem more normal, but leave more time to become bewildered by the society and people themselves.    [read on]

Posted in - Reflection, Asia, Japan, Japanese Impressions | No Comments »

Technology in Japan

Monday, July 16th, 2007

Sometimes walking through the streets of Japan feels like tomorrowland at Disneyworld.  Aside from the ultramodern appearances there is an abundance of convenience technologies (e.g. motion sensor bathroom fixtures, automatic doors, etc.).   [read on]

Posted in - Reflection, Asia, Japan, Japanese Impressions | 1 Comment »

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