Ich Bin Ein Berliner... I am a doughnut!

[The above is a joke referencing JFK visiting Berlin, where a 'Berliner' is also the locally infamous creme-filled doughnut... though I imagine saying this quote in the likeness of JFK from Clone High.]

It was a whirlwind 4 day trip to Berlin at the end of January, and I spent most of the time reeling from the harsh cold. When I wasn't bracing against the 40 degree weather (I know, spoiled Californian), I toured the city and saw the standard tourist stuff: the remains of the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag, and the eerie Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

There was also an outing to a luxurious yet affordable day spa called Vabali; it reminded me of the onsen bath houses in Japan, except this place was not sex segregated. As an American, it was slightly awkward to just be walking around/ sitting in the hot tubs and steam rooms naked, alongside other naked guys and naked gals. And of course, I sampled all the tasty German foods: curry wurst, kebob, and German pastries like cakes, doughnuts, and butter-filled pretzels. NOM!

There was time for hanging with friends, coworking at Betahaus and a private evening house party networking with diverse and interesting entrepreneurs. This included discussing what we do with our lives to make money and whatnot, but went beyond that as well. We discussed topics varying from one guy's business that uses wifi to collect heatmap data of where you walk/stand in a given area, to discussing urban design and how the government can use a Lean Startup approach, to the difference between the westerners and the Japanese with respect to Tanizaki's work "In Praise of Shadows", to the three developmental levels of masculine/feminine maturity, to applying principles of masculine and feminine polarity in romantic life, and even the differences in experience for those who experiment with ayahuasca vs. iboga.

On our last day in Berlin, we had a sobering tour of a very large concentration camp called Sachsenhausen. It was a bitter cold day to tour this place, yet I could imagine how the prisoners must have shivered in this same cold, clothed only in tattered cotton uniforms. A 30 minute video depicted the black-and-white recordings of what went on at this camp back then juxtaposed to the timeline of WWII. As we walked the grounds and viewed the insides of the few remaining living quarters reconstructed as exhibits, placards described the various was that prisoners were abused by the S.S. guards. I saw the paint peeling off the walls and ceiling of the once-overcrowded living quarters, due to excess body heat. We ended our visit where many prisoners also did; at the crematorium. Only the foundation remained, yet a placard outlined room-for-room the fate that awaited prisoners who were sent here.

One Giant Leap Across The Pond!

I've done it! As of January 1st, 2016 I have become a digital nomad! *Queue the celebratory music*

Moving out of San Clemente was a whirlwind; packed up my apartment/life in less than a day, donated a car-full of stuff to Salvation Army, joined in a conscious New Years celebration in Marina Del Rey (complete with letting-go and intention-setting practices), further reduced my carload of stuff with the help of my bestest bud Dave, was treated to a goodbye-lunch with awesome coworkers from DealerSocket who I will dearly miss, and left my Honda to my Uncle Ben to sell while I travel on with only 4 pieces of luggage (to carry what I need/can't get rid of). I was emotionally hung-over for a few days after all this!



I had scheduled a brief visit to Juno Beach, Florida for a few days of beachfront decompression and reflection at my Mom and her husband John's place. My wonderful mother couldn't help but indulge me in some pampering; lots of Zero Water + iH2O, a Classical 5 Element Acupuncture treatment, a shady-yet-informative blood analysis under microscope in the back room of a health food store, loads of delicious yet health-conscious (is that possible?!) home cooked food, and a (pricy!) shopping spree. I'm now armed with some action steps to look after my health (basically a paleo-ish diet, men's multivitamin, and regular meditation), some stylish brown leather boots, a warm navy coat, and matching scarf. Basically, it was Treat Yo Self 2016!

In fact, I was also was treated to a day of shooting guns with John, which included skeet/trap shooting as well as and firing an AK at 100 yards at the range. It was my first time doing both of those, and it kicked so much ass! I chalk up my quick proficiency to John's coaching and years of hand-eye coordination via Counter-Strike, Halo, and Kill-Zone.

And now, after landing in London and nesting with my lovely girlfriend Jana, I can feel the heat on my ass to get busy and make a living! I'm still in the process of visioning (read: fighting my procrastination of visioning) while working with a website development client, and giving myself some grace to allow the process to unfold as it will. My visioning process includes listening/taking notes on Natalie Sisson's podcasts/ interviews/ one page biz plan, using Ben Awesome's intention-setting worksheet, and Chris Guillebeau's Annual Review spreadsheet. Yet, at the risk of all research and no action, I would really love to finish this all up this week before Jana and I head off to another country next week. Where is that you may ask... you'll see!

One Last Look from the Edge

It's all but done now: I've given my last month's notice at my apartment, my 2 weeks notice at my steady software engineering position, bought the airline tickets, and sorted out how to sell/get rid of most of what I own. I find myself looking back on the last two years here in San Clemente with nostalgia and longing... part of the grieving process.

On New Years Day, I will officially be living as a digital nomad. Here's the plan so far: I'll start with driving to Tucson, AZ  to give ownership of my car to my uncle. Then I'm flying to West Palm Beach, FL to visit with my Mom. After that, I'll be flying to London to stay with my (AMAZING) girlfriend Jana, and then we're both heading to Thailand in February/March for the DNX Conference. Beyond that, who knows what will happen?

It's exciting and terrifying to put aside everything I've built for myself and pursue the lifestyle of a digital nomad. It's been an incubating dream since 2012, when I first got into developing mobile apps with App Empire. At that time though, I was still very focused on my active dream (brewing since senior year, 2010, at Ithaca College) of living by the beach in California, going surfing, and having a full-time position as a software engineer. I guess that is the nature of things though; just as I achieved that dream of California, the incubating dream of travel became the new target. The purpose of the older dream has finally dissolved, with the new dream ready to manifest if I dare allow it.

Most people (myself included!) are curious to know how I'll support myself out on the road. Aside from my skills as a software developer, I intend to use some other tools in my skill set; teaching, writing, and vocal performance. I'm hoping to try some shorter-term contract work (instead of a full-time position), since my monthly minimums are not very high and I would value my free time over money necessarily at this beginning point. 

After all the goodbyes are said and logistics have been handled, there's only one thing left to do... JUMP!

The Inner Journey

My original purpose with this blog was to catalog my adventures, which I've done decently well. Japan was highly documented, and I got at least half of my road trip. Now that I'm settled in San Clemente, with a stable job that I love and all the creature comforts I could want, I'm starting to turn inward for new perspective on life. I've seen much on my journeys through Japan, Italy, and across the U.S.; there is much more to see as I turn my awareness on my own thoughts, beliefs, values, and subjective experience of life.

I'll be using the integral perspective to help me unravel my understanding of myself and the world; in essence, seeing the internal and external of both my individual self and society.

Recently I'm undergoing lots of learning and development with regards to dating and relationships, so this will probably be the first area I explore. More to come soon!

Road Trip Catch Up!

Okay, kinda fell off the wagon with documenting my journey to San Diego. A lot has happened since then, so here are the highlights of the move to the West Coast:

• Visited my sister Tia in Boulder, CO
• Drove through Utah, great view at first but got really boring really fast
• Passed through Sedona, AZ; beautiful little tourist trap, lots of hippy stuff, bought some crystals
• Visited my Uncle Ben and his family in Tucson, AZ; taught them how to make sushi, showed off some firespinning, overall had a great time reconnecting.
• Finally made it to San Diego! Found an apartment within a few days and got all moved in.

Missouri Mid-Point

Edit: I forgot to publish this post, this falls between leaving Chicago and arriving in Boulder.

After a long drive through all the storms in Chicago, I arrived to meet my grandma for a good old fashioned fried southern dinner. I was off in the morning, on to get thru Kansas and on to Boulder, CO.

We're not in Kansas anymore... Thank God!

After a long ride through Kansas, I've finally made it to Boulder! I went out with my sister Tia and her bf Tristan last night for drinks and dancing. It felt satisfying to celebrate my success by cutting loose on the dance floor!

Today, I feel like exploring Boulder a little on my longboard. I'm done with driving until tomorrow!