Vietnam

The whole visa process is an interesting concept, allowing people to visit the country with a fee. This error, is classic me, careless and rushed. Ho Chi Minh Sea Port. I'll never make that mistake again. What proved to be an expensive exercise. 250 USD for an express visa , cancelation of original flights 120 USD, rebooking of new flights 320 USD. So almost 690 USD dollars, here we are, back on course, just 10 hours later, with spiked stress, a layover in Da Nang. Be we made it!

Saying yes more, saying no more

This post just won't come out. Thoughts. Words. Incongruity. Our actions are invariably driven by two voices. The internal voice that aligns with our actual wants and expectations. The external voice that we perceive as what society expects from us. Ultimately it comes down to behaving in a way that is organic, or behaving in a way that we are expected to behave.

One of my things for 2018 is being conscious of saying yes more, but also saying no more. The difficulty is finding that sweet spot between doing something because you really want to do it versus doing something because you think you should be doing it.

"Hey, I'll be in Tokyo this weekend, come along". My mind flashes to Sushi. Winter. Onsen. Ramen. Sleep.  Japan always refocuses me. The culture appears so polished and polite. There's a delicacy and respect that is so profound.

The most menial tasks are conducted with so much pride and emphasis, from being greeted upon arrival at a restaurant or being bowed at when you enter a toilet. Are they behaving in a way that they want to, or how society expects them to?

Currently reading: "The Golden Compass"