8 Days in Mexico City
April 10, 2019
Mexico City was such a surprising delight. Two years later, I can still feel the vibrant energy, remember the incredible cuisine, and appreciate the culture that permeates through its streets. Our family vacations together every year, and despite my sister and I’s globetrotting ways, we prioritize the yearly trip. Accommodation When traveling with parents, we like having a base and…
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2019 Q1 Business Update
April 5, 2019
I’ve been blogging off and on (mostly off) for over a decade now. Things in the blogging world have changed, but my love for writing to pay-it-forward has not. Blogging has remained the only hobby that I can consistently work on for hours at a time. You know that “follow your passion” advice? Well, I don’t know what my passion…
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Why I Don’t Budget
March 28, 2019
Budgeting, does this word make you cringe when you hear it? I definitely cringe. I get an image of envelopes labelled “grocery”, “gas”, “fun fund”, etc., and comes with them a sleuth of restrictions. I hate budgeting. I’ve told myself I should budget so I know how much money I spend on coffee every month. That has yet to happen,…
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Workaway Success Tips for Hosts & Volunteers
March 21, 2019
After our successful first Workaway experience in Uruguay, we had two less stellar encounters in Chile. We left both of them early. The first experience, at a homa-culture farm near Curacavi, Chile, I came down with a cold on the first night, and needed to sleep through the first morning to recover. I was then asked to leave to recover…
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Farmhouse Experience in Uruguay with Workaway
March 18, 2019
2019 is the year that we would put ourselves completely out of our comfort zone. This journey began in January with a 3-week stay at a permaculture farm with an American family in rural Minas, Uruguay. We found this family on Workaway, and this was our first experience with an Workaway host. Bonnie, the matriarch of the family, had provided…
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What I Learned One Year After Corporate Grind
February 22, 2019
As we grow older, the phrase, “time flies” is uttered often. For me, however, this past year did not fly by; the year progressed seemingly slowly in the best possible way. While only 365 days have lapsed, I feel as though 5 years’ worth of experiences had taken place since I unchained from the golden handcuff and left the corporate…
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2018 Year-in-Review
December 30, 2018
2018 has been an absolutely epic year. Recently, I listened to a podcast that describes how time can sometimes feel so slow, yet at other times feels fleeting. In essence, when our lives are filled with new experiences, our brain is busy processing all the new signals, and all that jam-packed activities slows down our perception of time. Yet, when…
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Trans-Siberian Railway: The Summary
November 27, 2018
12 trains, 115 hours, and 14,645km. This Trans-Siberian Railway journey took us 27 days. What an incredible experience, and it all went by in a flash. I could have easily double the time for this trip, and dig deeper into each of the places that we visit. If this trip has been on your bucket list, I encourage you to…
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Getting Russian & Mongolia Visa in China
November 27, 2018
Preface Xavier (French) and I (Taiwanese-American) were living in Shanghai at the time of this trip prep. I was staying in China on my Taiwanese ID, but will be traveling on my US Passport, so I needed to obtain Russian visa in Hong Kong. US citizens do not need a Mongolia visa at this time. French needs both a Russian…
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Trans-Siberian Railway: The Finale
November 27, 2018
The last part of Trans-Siberian journey through Europe was fairly rushed since we needed to be back in France by mid-July. After two days in Warsaw, we took a 6-hour train to Berlin, stayed overnight to celebrate France’s win in the World Cup, then headed for Strasbourg, our final destination. I’d almost say the end was somewhat anti-climatic, but we…
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