There’s only one thing I need in life… everything else is a distraction.
(I’ve picked up bracelet weaving lately. I’ve always loved crafting, and I’ve been told to try selling online. Do you, or any young kids in your house, like nerdy plush toys? Please, please, please check out my recently opened Etsy store!)
Fulfilling one of my first goals of this month, I have created my very own weekly blogging challenge. This challenge showcases your experience through travel stories, cultures, foods, advise, lessons, and more. You don’t have to be a world traveler to join this challenge, I encourage everyone to join and share your cool experiences, near and far!
Week 1: A favorite travel photo of you and intro
Week 2: Little known travel tips
Week 3: Funny travel story
Week 4: Travel Misadventures
Week 5: Top three cultural foods
Week 6: Unusual travel activities/photos
Week 7: Inspiration for traveling
Week 8: Five favorite travel blogs
Week 9: Gross/disgusting travel stories
Week 10: Best adventures while traveling
Week 11: What’s in your backpack?
Week 12: Happy and sad travel stories
Week 13: Unique cultures encountered
Week 14: Top three favorite destinations
Week 15: Travel regrets
Week 16: Scary and cool travel stories
Week 17: Things to purge
Week 18: Humbling things learned from traveling
Week 19: Confessions
Week 20: Travel bucket list (countries/activities)
Week 21: Your challenge post highlights and what you’ve learned during this challenge
Please also visit these amazing folks as they will be joining me on this blogging journey!
Know any travel bloggers? Tag them here and join me!!! Let me know when you’re in, so that I can read your responses!
I hate to copy everyone else and say that this month flew by so quickly.. but I really don’t have anything better to say… (I’ll try again next month). First of all, sorry for the MIA, everyone. This month has been unbelievably hectic! Between visiting my family (16 hours away) and moving to a new city (7 hours away), I have so much to do and so much to think about.
Our stay in NYC is coming to an end as we search for a new place in the wonderful city of Richmond, Virginia. It’s a relatively big decision for us because we have decided to get our first one year lease! No longer as nomadic as we used to be. Thankfully, The rent in Virginia is half the price for twice the size. We will even have our own balcony! And maaaybe a pool. I’m rooting for it.
Finding an apartment, moving in, adapting to a new city. I am, again, moving without a definite plan in my destination. There’s always that unsettling fear of whether or not I’ll find a job there. I’ve been fine so far, and thriving in New York City, so I doubt Virginia is going to be a challenge. I loooove the idea of being between the mountains and the ocean. I’m always excited for a prospect of living and exploring a new city. Here’s my chance to document the process on my travel blog. <3
My 3rd year anniversary with my partner is coming up. Gah! How have we gotten so far already? On the other hand, has it only been three years? After spending almost one collective year of long distance, we really learned to communicate better- I’m so proud of us. We’re both very stubborn and self-righteous, fought countless of battles, but at the end of the day, we still have each other on our highest pedestal. We’ve traveled to countless of places together and experienced a world of new adventures.
The kids are off school for the summer. And they have a summer goals list. I really need to rethink my own goals. It’s funny how kids have summer to be free and do nothing all year, and adults don’t have a “summer break.” Still, it shouldn’t stop me from making productive goals.
Pick up some old hobbies:
Blogging goals:
Thanks for reading! How is May looking for you? Have any awesome upcoming goals? Please share!!
What if children wrote blogs?
As a way to spend more time with my siblings, who live 15 hours away, I had come up with an idea to ask them to write a weekly post challenge response with me. They have been very enthusiastic and we had lots of laugh doing this together. It’s also a great opportunity to help them articulate their thoughts and writing better as well as document the process to look back upon in the future. We had so much fun writing their first blog response that we decided to continue doing it!
I gave them the word and definition:
Exposed:
To make (something or someone) visible, typically by uncovering/revealing it.
“At low tide the sands are exposed” , “She exposed Batman’s true identity”
My brother, 3rd grader, wrote:
When my sister explained Exposed, I was about to do three things: explode, die, and suffer. In my head, I was thinking about throwing something at her. *Ahem..* I WANT TO THROW SOMETHING AT HER!!! AAAHHHHH!!! I was thinking that won’t go too well.
So all I did was hold it all in. Not like “hold it all in until I explode!!” Kinda thing. Chi Thanh and I thought that Chi and Chi Tam said, “EXPO” So don’t think we think about that now. The title is in capital letters and underlined in bold letters so don’t even think about it.
My thoughts on his response: I was at a loss when I read his answer, and how he associated “exposed” with explode, die, and suffer. When I called them to ask how he came up with his response, I learned that my sister Tam (sitting to my right in the picture above) had tried to explain in more detail what expose meant. In the process, my brother had felt like he was going to explode from suffering. His response has nothing to do with the definition of exposed, but it showed that what Tam has said affected how he felt about the word prompt. Since I told him to write whatever he felt, he just did what I asked.
My sister, 5th grader, wrote:
When my big sister chi told me the word expose, I thought she said expo- you know, the marker. After she corrected me, the first thing I think about when I hear the word “expose” is radiation. Like when you’re in a nuclear war. You are expoed with radiation *Ahem* “AHH!!!! I’M EXPOSED TO TOO MUCH RADIATION. AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!” Heh. So funny.
Anyway, the second thing that comes into my mind when I hear “expose is showing something like “Oh no, I exposed my secret” or “I will expose the new medal of honor to you.” Wait or “Don’t EXPOSE your skin to the sun!” Wait, wait or “Don’t EXPOSE your answer to that person! Do You Get the idea? Come on, I just underlined and talked about it. Come on!!!!
My thoughts on her response: I never would have thought of EXPO markers when talking about “exposed.” It showed up in both their responses. For kids who don’t know more difficult words, they probably associate it with words that they know that is closest to it- work with what they know (which in this case is completely wrong). Props to them for trying though. My sister’s answer was definitely on the target with her radiation example. It’s hilarious that she used all caps to present the urgency of being exposed to something. She then proceeded to list several other examples with tons of caps and exclamation marks.
Overview:
Both my brother and my sister had used all caps and ended by making sure I knew that they knew they were responding to “exposed.” This led me to believe that they had collaborated on their response, maybe because unsure of what their writing about. My brother, who was distracted by Tam’s definitions, had gone off track with his response. To have their answers authentic, we will make sure not to affect the kid’s answers with our own definition. There is never a wrong answer with word prompts. Each of their responses had led me to understanding them a little more. In the end, the only important thing is for them to learn a little, spend some time together, and to had fun. <3
Thanks for reading!!! What are your thoughts on their response? On an end note, I will be visiting the kids in a few days. Yep, overnight bus for me. We’ve come up with a list of things to do at home, and I’m really excited!
A Blog Response to Daily Prompt: Exposed – Want to read more? Check out their blog response on “yarn” here!
Hi, everyone!! Today, I’d like to share one of the best books I’ve read this year. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is essentially a book of conducts that can transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, happiness, and love. It eliminates needless suffering and self destructive thoughts through simple agreements. With only a little over 100 pages, this book is packed with deep revelations and logical reasoning.
I should first mention that I’m not a huge fan of self-help books. I’ve always felt that reading it meant that I needed help and I have to follow what some author decided was best. Of course, my views has changed over the years. This book, in particular, has changed my entire perspective and way of life in the most fundamental ways.
I first heard of The Four Agreements from Cuong about two years ago. The book had seemed interesting, and I added it to my to-read list. I encountered it again when we visited in a perma-culture farm in El Salvador where a group people lived by the principles of this book. It wasn’t until recently that I had the chance to read it.
The book is based on the philosophy of the Toltec, an ancient tribe of men and women with immense knowledge. According to Ruiz, humans have domesticated to believe everything they have been told. Because each core belief, or agreement, reflects whoever passes on that agreement and may have a detrimental effect in your lifetime.
Be impeccable with your word. Stresses the importance of the words you use, and how it affects on you and others. I believe this is the most important agreement of them all. We should never make empty promises, say things we don’t mean, or gossip about others. There is no use for them, as it decreases our own credibility and hurt other people.
Don’t take anything personally. Too often, we’ve let ourselves get hurt by people’s word and actions. We become depressed or take revenge. We become belligerent or passive aggressive towards people. If we keep a clear head by not taking anything personally, then we will be able to learn much more from life.
Don’t make assumptions. Like it or not, our assumptions causes a lot of misunderstanding and fights. Assumptions cause disappointments, hurt, and unfair expectations. It stresses the importance of transparency in communication.
Always do your best. Ruiz acknowledges that some days aren’t good as others, and that’s okay. However, one must always put their honest hardest efforts into the work they do so that they don’t regret it later on. As long as we all are able to stand behind the work that we do, then there is nothing to be upset about.
The Four Agreement, written in 2005, was supposed to be a standalone book, containing all the agreements needed to master ourselves. It has been quite successful and well-liked by many readers. In 2010, Ruiz wrote another book, The Fifth Agreement, which is basically a summary of the first book with some added sugar, which I thought was kind of a strategy to milk the money. But since I haven’t read it, I can’t say much.
As with many self-improvement books, the chapters in The Four Agreements felt somewhat redundant. Regardless, the message passed on by Ruiz is powerful and worth reading. I finished the book in a couple of days and have been improving my way of life since. It taught me the core foundations it takes to be a happy individual. Ever since reading it, I’ve become more conscious about not partaking in gossip. I’ve also become a more impeccable speaker, saying only things that I mean and keeping to my word.
Each chapter is built upon the previous one, The Four Agreements guides us towards true realization of how important it is to follow these. It’s amazing how ancient Toltec philosophy remains relevant with today world. Sometimes the most elegant solution to a problem is the simplest one. I enjoyed reading Ruiz’s take on self-improvement, and will make an agreement with myself to re-read this book again in the future.
A Response to Daily Prompt: Better
Thanks for reading!!! I’m always searching for book recommendations. Have you read this book/similar books? Please leave your thoughts in comments or shoot me an email! <3
From the creators of Adventure Time, the Bravest Warriors proves to be arguably one of the best shows of all time. It is a mini-episode series that is exclusively on Youtube’s Cartoon Hangover channel. In comparison to Adventure Time, the Bravest Warriors is set in the future and revolves around four teenage heroes-for-hire who warp through the universe, saving cute little aliens from danger.
About halfway through the first season, Catbug- half cat, half ladybug- joins the gang of heroes in their mission. Despite being ten years old, he demonstrates a child-like, innocent attitude with extraordinary problem solving skills. The audience loved him so much that the creators decided to keep him as a permanent character, along with others such as jelly kid, paralyzed horse, Impossibear, Plum, Emotion Lord, and more.
A lot of the lines in the Bravest Warriors are nonsensical, but hilarious:
“Throw a blanket over it! Put a little fence around it!” – Catbug, trying to fix their problems
Here’s the video where Catbug tries to put out a growing radioactive substance by throwing a blanket over it! This episode is the absolute best, must watch!
Catbug’s ineffective, but adorable and hilarious, problem solving suggestion of throwing a blanket over it shows how some people deal with their problems.
What I liked:
Not so fond of:
A Response to the Daily Prompt: Blanket
I’m not good enough.
There are days where negativity bullies its way in to haunt my mind, jabbing at my frustrations of things that I can’t control. It leaves me helpless, my thoughts trapped in a never-ending cycle of discouragement. My inability to do things with my life that I want to because I am restrained by society’s expectations. The incessant need to prove myself. The words that I can’t speak elegantly enough. The constant questioning of whether I’m a productive member of society. Whether I have become lazy. One thought after another, weight added onto my shoulders.
I fight to push these thoughts back. Watch a movie. Read a book. Talk to family. But it’s still there- lurking in the back of my consciousness. It doesn’t work. Gray as a heavy thundercloud right before a storm. The tension builds up so heavy with so many thoughts in my head that I want to explode.
I read somewhere that to be happy, one should write down 10 things they’re grateful for everyday. I’ve been doing that on and off for years. The first time I wrote, I only came up to six. The more I practice, the better I get at remembering the things that I’m thankful for. It’s easy to take for granted the things that you have and should appreciate. So, to cheer myself up today, here are 10 things I’m grateful for:
Regardless of how unfair it is, there are people out there having worst. Finally, I hear it. All the negativity… pouring from the sky like a torrent. The sky lightens up. All the pent up anger dissipates. The pouring of rain hides the tears of relief on my face. I’m free.
So, let me ask you this. Can you come up with 10 things your thankful for in your life?
Ever since returning from Central America, I stepped out of a world where no one needed technology to a world where everyone is dependent on it. I want to share a couple of stories.
Story of my Life 1: As a backpacker, I loved my phone. I took all my photos on it. Ancient ruins, traditional clothing and cultures, foods, landscape- you name it. I used it to keep in touch with my family and friends. One day, on our way to a new destination in Guatemala, I reached for my phone in my backpack strap- it was gone. Time stood still. It felt like one of those horror movies, the moment where you realize going down the cellar was a huge mistake. I thought back to the last few hours. I racked my brain until I remembered that earlier the same morning, a friendly Guatemalan man had helped me lift my backpack to the overhead compartment on the bus. He must have felt through the pockets and grabbed my phone, along with all my money in it. How typical of a tourist can I get, letting a stranger handle my bag? I went through the rest of the trip without my brand new iPhone 6 and credit cards. In the chaos of my panic, I suddenly felt a strange calmness. I was jolted out of that world and the need to be constantly connected. No more distractions. I was not going to be that one person checking my Facebook every second, because I didn’t have the ability to. I can immerse myself in the beauty that I was surrounded by. I can actually listen to people who are talking to me. In the end, the only truly important items that I missed were my travel photos.
Story of my Life 2: After two years of not seeing each other, I have finally reunited with my close friend from college. We’ve known each other for 5+ years, sharing countless of memories with each other. We had so much in common: parents, interests, personalities, cultures, etc. I was really excited to see her. After weeks of planning our reunion and $200 spent for an entire weekend in a Hyatt hotel in downtown Atlanta. When it was finally time for us to hang out and catch up, it became glaringly apparent that she wouldn’t stop using her phone. I’m not being over-dramatic. She literally checked her phone every other minute, responding to her boyfriend or chatting up her hometown friend, who both have seen her a few days ago. I tried to engage her with questions about her life, enticed her with all the different things we could do with our night out, etc. She would talk to me absentmindedly and half heartedly, then checked her phone every so often. I suddenly realized that I was interrupting her time with her phone. I brought my concern to her attention, told her that I was upset. She insisted that she didn’t think it was a big deal, that I should have told her earlier, that I was over-reacting. I was heartbroken; it was so unfair. It has now been almost a year since I have spoken to her. I took it to heart never to get carried away with my nose stuck in a device that I don’t see the people around me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my phone. Without it, I would be very lost- literally and figuratively. Luckily, my body has a very natural way of preventing me from getting too technology dependent. I get a headache from staring at an electronic screen for too long. I think that everything should be enjoyed in moderation. When you can’t control your urge to check your phone every 2 minutes, it becomes a problem.
What am I going to do now that I get off my phone? Surprisingly, not all people in NYC glue their faces to their phones in the subway. They do a variety of things- listen to music, read, or just sit and relax before/after a day of work. In a fast-paced, high efficiency environment, I figured they learned that it is a good balance in life.
I recently bought my little brother a Minecraft Book Series Boxset for his birthday. If you have any kids in your family, you’ll know that they are obsessed with Minecraft. At the time, the box set competed with Pokemon plush toys, cool gadgets, and new clothes. As months passed by, all his toys became boring and he began to read the books. Through them, his imagination was able to expand. He still reads and re-reads them because he loves the world so much. It was not video games, but his imagination had taken place of his other senses. Imagination is the most powerful thing you have and it must be nurtured.
I’m still trying to teach my little brother and sisters to take enjoyment in doing other things than technology. Learning to balance relationships, self, and technology is very important in happiness. Don’t let your phone take control of you. You take control of it.
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