Thursday, March 24, 2011

Layover Taipei

It's been 7 hours at Taipei International Airport. Ever seen The Terminal, starring the brilliant Tom Hanks? It's starting to feel very familiar. We've spent our time watching movies at the transfer lounge, napping, eating, walking around, and more eating. I see lots of people rushing through from terminal to terminal and I wonder where they are headed. The possibilities are endless.

Everything was fine and dandy as we exited the plane. We were so happy to walk around after the 14 hour flight. Soon enough though, I was hit with news that made my heart sink. My family had been trying to reach out to me because of the 7.0 earthquake that occured on the boarder of Thailand and China, earlier today. It's 500 miles north of Bangkok, but its impact was still felt in the city. It's hard for me to enjoy my time with this in the back of my mind and with my family and friends worried. My heart goes out to those people affected by the earthquake and still to those suffering in Japan. I can only hope and pray that another one doesn't occur...especially near the coast of Thailand. We'll be flying down to Southern Thailand on Tuesday...staying in Krabi.

Things like this could happen anywhere, anytime. You could be driving home from school or work and get into an accident and possibly lose your life. You risk losing your life everyday the moment you step out into the world. What is different from going somewhere further...like Thailand? To live a life of fear is no way to live at all.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Testing...1...2..3...

It's quiet in the house...I'm in my usual spot at this time of night. On the edge of my bed, laptop on lap, and Pandora blasting in the background. Tonight's flavor is The Fray.

I had a bit of time to rest and while my body did that, my mind continued to work and wander in all sorts of directions. I've realized I haven't made an entry in a very long time. So hello...is this thing on? Here we go...

I'm not too sure why I've taken a break from blogging. Perhaps I've lost inspiration. But I have a feeling that it's all coming back to me now. So what's REALLY changed? Well, for one thing, I turned a year older. And the other significant thing I can share is that I feel like a stronger person. Mentally and emotionally. That's a whole other topic of its own.

Anyway...

2 years ago, I had left on my first foreign country exploration. While traveling solo, I fell in love with the unknown and the thrill of cross cultural experiences. I told myself I would visit a new country every year. I've kept that up.

I recently booked a Thailand trip with a bunch of random friends. We're set to take off in 2 weeks. Mind that I bought a plane ticket just a week ago. It was a spontaneous splurge that started off with just a friend. Our group of 2 turned out to be a group of 6. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to making new friends and becoming closer to acquaintances. Our friendships will undergo good times and bad times, I'm sure. But as I always say, if you ever want to know the true colors of someone, travel with them!