Make mistakes? Time to quit.

I have gotten sloppy and made mistakes. It may be time for me to quit traveling. Ha! If I took the approach that some people take in life (if you screw up, give up) then I would probably hang up my trekking shoes and call it quits. But I prefer to take a different approach!

In nearly 10 months, I had gone with only losing one article of clothing. A long sleeve Columbia Sportswear zip-top thing that I left that on a bus in Poland. That was in September. Since then, I hadn't lost anything else… until a few weeks ago. That’s when everything started turning south.

On my last night in Sydney, I went out to the bars and wore my one and only rain coat - that I had actually purchased in Estonia when I finally got tired of being wet. When I got back to the hostel, I joined the few remaining drunkards still up playing guitar and singing in the lounge. I took off my wet coat and set it on the back of the chair to dry while I hung out with the gang. My poor coat was never to be seen again. Now, I’m sure that one of my “hostel buddies” took it to their room for “safe keeping” intending to deliver it to me the next day, but alas, I went to the airport without ever giving them the opportunity. Just the other day, I lost my Oakley sunglasses (real ones!) that had lasted me from Africa in 2008 until now, and my coolio hat that my brother gave me. Both were lost on the same day, at two different locations. I lost them both while hitch-hiking, so the lucky drivers got a parting gift. I then lost my bright yellow "party" Ray-Ban sunglasses (totally fake) so now I am left with NO eye or face protection. Finally, this morning, I left my host with my quick-dry shammy towel. Time to air dry!

At this point, I would say that I  am a very experienced traveler; some would even call me an “expert”. However, (and here comes the moral!) no matter how expert you get at something, how naturally something comes, or how easy it is, you can still screw it up. It is important to pay attention to what you do every time, because when you slip into a rut of routine, you are bound to make mistakes! And in some careers, when you get sloppy and make mistakes it may be taken as a sign to take a break or retire from the game, but in most cases, it can, and should, be taken as a sign to wake up and refocus. It's as easy as taking 10 seconds to double check before walking away. But ugh, that's such a long time!

Is social media making us smarter or more stupider...

Just to be clear, the grammatical error in the title is intentional; however, fifty percent of people wouldn't realize it. All of MY readers did though I'm sure! ;) I thought of this question the other day when I was walking around town (I generally get my blog inspirations during general wanderings) thinking of my next blog post. I had recently tried posting a Status in Facebook and was informed that I had surpassed the 420 character limit. I then remembered that Twitter limits to a mere 140 characters. That got me to thinking: if we are limiting our  thoughts to think in short bursts are we making our brains more efficient and concise, or are we stymieing our creativity and deep thought? One could argue that we do in fact still have those deep thoughts and creativity, it's just that we pull out the nuggets and what's important. That could be, but if you browse through Facebook's Live Feed, or Twitters Tweets, how much of that stuff is "important nuggets"? "Really craving a blueberry muffin" "Wish the kids would go to bed"... and so on. 

There is another power at play here: accessibility to information. No doubt, social media has helped spread important information globally in just minutes. Take for example the uprisings in the Middle East. Facebook not only helped with the organization of demonstrations, but it also brought the event to the world. Previously, we would have had to wait for the reporters to tell us something on the evening news. Now, we simply look at the status updates and the articles and pictures being uploaded, shared and "liked" around the world in REAL TIME. The internet allows everyone the opportunity to be heard; that includes people that have nothing of value to say, or that can barely speak. It is my thought that reading should bring me "something": either make me smarter, make me ponder something new, or stimulate my brain in fun ways. Too much of the crap I read does none of the above. In fact, with all the grammar and spelling mistakes that I am inundated with, I might in fact be getting "stupider"! 

Truly, I have no right to be preaching here. When I write, I surely make grammatical errors, and if I don't, then it is just dumb luck. I can't tell you the rules of when to use who vs. whom, or when to use a semicolon vs. a simple comma or basically any English writing rules. The bottom line is this: In the "olden" days, there was a professional editor that was responsible for reading anything that came to the public's eyes. Now, we are constantly bombarded with raw, unedited, often pointless material every minute of every day. It's a double edged sword, and I'm not sure which side is sharper. Are we getting smarter or stupider? Did this post stimulate your brain, or was it just a waste of time? 

One week in Thailand

During my three months in South East Asia, I spent a total of nearly a month in Thailand. During one week up North, in Chiang Mai, I was extremely productive - from a touristy standpoint anyway. I became a Master Chef (that's what my certificate says anyway!), I studied the art of Thai Massage and can now put someone through a very painful 2 hour massage, and I went on an overnight jungle trek where I became a mahout. OK, that last part is a little exaggeration, I learned how to ride an elephant, and got to pet a baby elephant so that counts for something. 

All these experiences cost me a total of just over $100. The massage course was 5 days long and included lunch everyday, the cooking class was 1 day and I got to eat all six dishes I prepared (which actually tasted amazing), got a cookbook, and DVD showing how to carve food things like in the picture below. The trek was a two day hike that included all meals, an elephant ride, and an overnight stay in a village hut. Now, if you can do all this for so cheap, why would anyone NOT want to stay there? Good question. I love Thailand! The food is delicious, the people are friendly, and everything is cheap - even when it is expensive. And when people say they can't "afford" to travel, often it is just the plane ticket that costs a lot. You probably spend more staying at home! I certainly have! So book a flight and go to Thailand, you won't regret it! :D

Called out

The beauty of writing down your goals/resolutions/dreams is not only that you have something to shoot for, but you have something to look back on and measure progress. The beauty (and subsequent challenge) of sharing this with others is that they can now "call you out" if you are falling short. And that's what family and friends SHOULD do. They should support and applaud you when you are achieving; and help to push you forward when you are stumbling. I've heard many a person say: "well, they are an adult, they can do what they want", but I say "Rubbish!" If a friend tells me they are going to do something or want to do something, then I will do my best to ensure they reach that goal - keeping them in check when necessary. I have frequently torn cigarettes out of the hands of friends that are "quitting" only to face argument and excuses - there is always the occasional "thank you" as well. If you didn't mean it and you don't want help, then don't tell anyone.

I have been called out. In my New Years post, I said that I wanted to stay in touch with people more than I had been, and that I wanted to post four blog posts a month. Well, I have sent many more emails than I had in the past, but I haven't come close to my goal on posting four times a month. At the time, one a week didn't sound like much, but now it seems like a workload! However, even taking measure of my current situation I refuse to say that my goal was unrealistic - YET. Granted I have been working on other things at the same time, but I have still had plenty of opportunity to keep good on my pledges. So to the people that have the guts to call out your family and friends, thank you. I appreciate it, and your other friends will too, even if they don't admit it! :)