Since I’ve Been Back | New Video

*Fair warning: the video above has a strobe-like effect and the music gets intense. I would suggest to set it fullscreen (at 1080p), turn up the volume and enjoy the ride 🙂

It’s been a little over two months since I touched back down on American soil, and just over one since I returned to Austin. I moved back into my old digs with my friend John, and I’ve been steadily occupied trying to get my freelance graphic design business up and going. My days are now spent back in front of a computer, clicking through endless screens, walking my roommate’s dog, and you know, just simply living. I’ve reconnected with all my close friends and family…and all in all, things are going well.

Continue reading Since I’ve Been Back | New Video

New Zealand: The Cherry on Top

If this past year of traveling was a cake, my time in New Zealand would definitely be the cherry on top. I left Australia last month in a strange, lonely mood. Longing for home, bored with myself, and just waning on all things passionate. It’s been an epic year, in every sense of the overused word. And like all epic stuff, that means drastic highs and lows. Luckily, my time in New Zealand was full of the most delicious parts of traveling: new cultures, scenery, experiences and the best of friends.

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The Joy and Struggle of Longterm Travel

I’ve been on the road for nearly a year now. 17 countries from South America, Europe, Asia to Oceania. In 5 weeks I’ll be on a plane back to the US with a passport full of stamps, 40 gigs of photos and that same gnawing sense of restlessness that I left with. Somehow changed, but somehow the same.

I didn’t set out on this journey with any fixed idea of what it was I wanted to experience…but I was definitely seeking the proverbial “something”. I know enough about self-realization to understand that true happiness only comes from within. All of our efforts to seek for joy in money, experiences, material objects, food, etc., only leads to more seeking…and a perpetual sense of insatiable lack.

But the road calls. Continue reading The Joy and Struggle of Longterm Travel

Japanese Whimsy and Adventures in Oz

Of all my travels so far, I think I can safely assume there is nowhere else on earth quite like Japan. With a population of nearly 128 million people meticulously stretched across a landmass that is only marginally bigger than the state of California, it’s kind of shocking how a major, modern society can be so clean, polite, orderly, safe and seemingly calm. It’s another world really that captures a strange mix of cutting-edge technology, ancient rituals, bizarre pop culture, antiquated social norms, delicious cuisine, and some of the most sweet, selfless people you’ll ever meet. I regrettably overuse this word, but my time in Japan was truly amazing.

Continue reading Japanese Whimsy and Adventures in Oz

Catching Up: Cambodia to Vietnam

What the heck happened? Nearly two months have blown by since my last proper update here! My trip through the temples of Angkor really feel ancient now. If I don’t catch up soon, all this stuff is gonna go the way of high school trigonometry: out the window. At the moment, I’m sitting in the back bedroom of one of my best friend’s house in Okinawa, Japan, trying to remember important moments that are already feeling hazy. They all just drift away don’t they? I’ve been working on this post off and on for a couple weeks now…and it’s still not finished. The plan was to catch everything up to the present day, but it’s just too much for one post and everyday the story continues. So! Here’s the skinny on everything up through Vietnam. I’m saving Japan for the next post, which will *hopefully* be ready soonish. We’ll see…

Continue reading Catching Up: Cambodia to Vietnam

Quick Update and a New Song!

So I’ve been working on a proper update on the last 6 weeks of my travels through Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan, but it’s taking me awhile to finish! So in the meantime, enjoy this brand new track from me and DJ Stillness featuring our good friend Jwit. This song started out as a personification of the world as a female, and me wanting to marry her….but then it changed into something different and I just went with it. Not sure what it really means at this point, but I’m open to interpretation! Either way, it’s a toe-tapper. Enjoy!

Download the song for free on Soundcloud

Stay tuned for a behemoth post coming up later this week. 😀

Travel Serendipity in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia

I left Chaing Mai in the mid-afternoon about six weeks ago. After a very long 40-hour-night-bus-and-ferry journey across Thailand, I finally landed at the picturesque beachside of Koh Phi Phi island. It was definitely the longest overland haul I’ve taken on this trip…but, considering Koh Phi Phi is probably the most beautiful island I have ever seen, it was well worth the effort.

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Continue reading Travel Serendipity in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia

New Song! Another Kind of View

Download the song for free here.

I have so many updates I need to post soon, but I’m a bit pressed for time. For now, here’s a brand new song we’ve been working on for a couple months! Stillness sent me the music for this one on the first day of the camino, back in September. I started writing to it then, but I didn’t finish it until a couple weeks ago in Sukothai, Thailand. Enjoy the tunes! This one is all about trying to follow your dreams.

Continue reading New Song! Another Kind of View

Thailand – Bliss and Burnout in the Land of Smiles

I’m in love with Thailand. The food, the scenery, the temples, the images of Buddha everywhere I look, and most of all the amazingly sweet, funny and peaceful people who give this place so much heart. Back home, I’ve always been amazed with how incredibly lighthearted and nice the people are at just about every Thai restaurant I’ve ever been to. Now, I’m surrounded by all these happy Buddhists in their native land, and I love it—despite the fact I’ve been burnt out for part of my time here. But more on that later.

Continue reading Thailand – Bliss and Burnout in the Land of Smiles