Lessons Learned...

   This blog has MOVED! Check out https://adventuresoffoxintheforest.wordpress.com/ for more exciting stories for a world of adventure!

So I know I've been better when it comes to updating this thing. School rules my life and any other spare time has been spent catching up on the 3 months I've missed here.

     Here is some pretty raw, personal (thus nerve-racking to post) poetry I wrote while in Penang. Until now, only one other soul has seen this. Do I think this will make you avert your eyes? No. All I'm saying is respect one of the few times I'll open up on a significantly more personal level on the oh-so-public forum they call the internet.
Enjoy...

   This blog has MOVED! Check out https://adventuresoffoxintheforest.wordpress.com/ for more exciting stories for a world of adventure!

So I know I've been better when it comes to updating this thing. School rules my life and any other spare time has been spent catching up on the 3 months I've missed here.

     Here is some pretty raw, personal (thus nerve-racking to post) poetry I wrote while in Penang. Until now, only one other soul has seen this. Do I think this will make you avert your eyes? No. All I'm saying is respect one of the few times I'll open up on a significantly more personal level on the oh-so-public forum they call the internet.
Enjoy...

   This blog has MOVED! Check out https://adventuresoffoxintheforest.wordpress.com/ for more exciting stories for a world of adventure!

So I know I've been better when it comes to updating this thing. School rules my life and any other spare time has been spent catching up on the 3 months I've missed here.

     Here is some pretty raw, personal (thus nerve-racking to post) poetry I wrote while in Penang. Until now, only one other soul has seen this. Do I think this will make you avert your eyes? No. All I'm saying is respect one of the few times I'll open up on a significantly more personal level on the oh-so-public forum they call the internet.
Enjoy...

   This blog has MOVED! Check out https://adventuresoffoxintheforest.wordpress.com/ for more exciting stories for a world of adventure!

So I know I've been better when it comes to updating this thing. School rules my life and any other spare time has been spent catching up on the 3 months I've missed here.

     Here is some pretty raw, personal (thus nerve-racking to post) poetry I wrote while in Penang. Until now, only one other soul has seen this. Do I think this will make you avert your eyes? No. All I'm saying is respect one of the few times I'll open up on a significantly more personal level on the oh-so-public forum they call the internet.
Enjoy...

Note to Self:

     I’ve been told I can write. I never thought I was any good at it. I tend to ramble, drift off topic, and write in a stream-of-conscious-I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-grammar kind of way. I can’t spell to save my life - I’m seriously not kidding, ask anyone who knows me. However, despite this, I’ve been told I can write by people that don’t know me as any better than “Marlene’s daughter.” Speaking as someone who has trouble spelling ‘grammar,’ I take this as a compliment.

            I still don’t think I’m that good at it. In the grand scheme of things my opinion is worth nothing more than the wisdom of a 20-something graduate student in the crumbling economy of another world empire. What do I really know about the world? Who knows, or cares. All I know is that if you asked me what I could actually see myself doing after I graduate I’d answer you with either working with C to ‘save the world, one bamboo stick at a time’ or write.

I enjoy the stories of the people I meet, especially the ones people tell without even realizing it. As of right now, writing is my back up plan. I have no idea how I would go about, or even fund either of these endeavors, but that’s all part of the thrill for me. I can’t see myself thriving in an office environment. I’m too restless. Although I know that beggars can’t be choosers in this environment, I also feel that now is the time because of this environment. It isn’t like the job market in the west is going to magically change drastically in the next year so what do I have to lose?

The way I see it? Screw how things are ‘supposed’ to be done; just go for it. If it’s an idea worth pursuing, the rest will follow.

I know I usually give you a little something extra if you make it through my posts so this has been on my playlist lately enjoy!

     I’ve been told I can write. I never thought I was any good at it. I tend to ramble, drift off topic, and write in a stream-of-conscious-I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-grammar kind of way. I can’t spell to save my life - I’m seriously not kidding, ask anyone who knows me. However, despite this, I’ve been told I can write by people that don’t know me as any better than “Marlene’s daughter.” Speaking as someone who has trouble spelling ‘grammar,’ I take this as a compliment.

            I still don’t think I’m that good at it. In the grand scheme of things my opinion is worth nothing more than the wisdom of a 20-something graduate student in the crumbling economy of another world empire. What do I really know about the world? Who knows, or cares. All I know is that if you asked me what I could actually see myself doing after I graduate I’d answer you with either working with C to ‘save the world, one bamboo stick at a time’ or write.

I enjoy the stories of the people I meet, especially the ones people tell without even realizing it. As of right now, writing is my back up plan. I have no idea how I would go about, or even fund either of these endeavors, but that’s all part of the thrill for me. I can’t see myself thriving in an office environment. I’m too restless. Although I know that beggars can’t be choosers in this environment, I also feel that now is the time because of this environment. It isn’t like the job market in the west is going to magically change drastically in the next year so what do I have to lose?

The way I see it? Screw how things are ‘supposed’ to be done; just go for it. If it’s an idea worth pursuing, the rest will follow.

I know I usually give you a little something extra if you make it through my posts so this has been on my playlist lately enjoy!

     I’ve been told I can write. I never thought I was any good at it. I tend to ramble, drift off topic, and write in a stream-of-conscious-I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-grammar kind of way. I can’t spell to save my life - I’m seriously not kidding, ask anyone who knows me. However, despite this, I’ve been told I can write by people that don’t know me as any better than “Marlene’s daughter.” Speaking as someone who has trouble spelling ‘grammar,’ I take this as a compliment.

            I still don’t think I’m that good at it. In the grand scheme of things my opinion is worth nothing more than the wisdom of a 20-something graduate student in the crumbling economy of another world empire. What do I really know about the world? Who knows, or cares. All I know is that if you asked me what I could actually see myself doing after I graduate I’d answer you with either working with C to ‘save the world, one bamboo stick at a time’ or write.

I enjoy the stories of the people I meet, especially the ones people tell without even realizing it. As of right now, writing is my back up plan. I have no idea how I would go about, or even fund either of these endeavors, but that’s all part of the thrill for me. I can’t see myself thriving in an office environment. I’m too restless. Although I know that beggars can’t be choosers in this environment, I also feel that now is the time because of this environment. It isn’t like the job market in the west is going to magically change drastically in the next year so what do I have to lose?

The way I see it? Screw how things are ‘supposed’ to be done; just go for it. If it’s an idea worth pursuing, the rest will follow.

I know I usually give you a little something extra if you make it through my posts so this has been on my playlist lately enjoy!

     I’ve been told I can write. I never thought I was any good at it. I tend to ramble, drift off topic, and write in a stream-of-conscious-I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-grammar kind of way. I can’t spell to save my life - I’m seriously not kidding, ask anyone who knows me. However, despite this, I’ve been told I can write by people that don’t know me as any better than “Marlene’s daughter.” Speaking as someone who has trouble spelling ‘grammar,’ I take this as a compliment.

            I still don’t think I’m that good at it. In the grand scheme of things my opinion is worth nothing more than the wisdom of a 20-something graduate student in the crumbling economy of another world empire. What do I really know about the world? Who knows, or cares. All I know is that if you asked me what I could actually see myself doing after I graduate I’d answer you with either working with C to ‘save the world, one bamboo stick at a time’ or write.

I enjoy the stories of the people I meet, especially the ones people tell without even realizing it. As of right now, writing is my back up plan. I have no idea how I would go about, or even fund either of these endeavors, but that’s all part of the thrill for me. I can’t see myself thriving in an office environment. I’m too restless. Although I know that beggars can’t be choosers in this environment, I also feel that now is the time because of this environment. It isn’t like the job market in the west is going to magically change drastically in the next year so what do I have to lose?

The way I see it? Screw how things are ‘supposed’ to be done; just go for it. If it’s an idea worth pursuing, the rest will follow.

I know I usually give you a little something extra if you make it through my posts so this has been on my playlist lately enjoy!

You only feel your feet when they touch the ground... -Buddha

Dear Mom and Dad (and anyone else who gives a damn),

     I was supposed to be back in KL yesterday, however getting on that 6am flight didn't feel like the right thing to do, so I slept in.

     The Bali you told me about is quite different than the Bali I found here. The Bali you spoke of is the cluster fuck of tourists. I managed to get through a half of a day of that madness before I retreated back into the hills. It really is a shame; you don't have to go far to find what I've found. If only you had pushed your big toe a little deeper into the oncoming surf...

     A part of me would love to write about what I've done and seen; the usual play-by-play of my time here. However, that is really all too superficial and trivial in the grand scheme of things. Needless to say there probably are a few things I should explain.

     For starters, yes that is a cow bone in my ear. Did I ever think that those combination of words would ever come out of my mouth or onto digital paper? No. In fact, seeing those words on paper reminds me of the time I called MB out of the apartment in Cambridge (Mass) just so I could say 'There is a wild turkey in the playground.' Anyways, I digress, the reason for the bone is simple. I lost my earring, they make bone earrings here. So in order for it not to close up this is my 30 cent replacement. It's sterile, don't panic, and I bought a bunch before I left for SEA so I see no need to buy more here as money is running low.

     The first thing Indonesia taught me upon arrival in Jakarta is that the motorbike is your most efficient form of transport. Thus, I borrowed one. Don't fret Mom, I wear a helmut. I've been on roads so steep, narrow, and pothole ridden that it makes Bryce Canyon look like the 80 (or is it 90?) in Kansas. I'm fine on the bike, I've ridden on a Mexican highway mind you. It's the whole getting out of a parking area and avoiding the throttle that gave me some trouble the first few days. My right knee has had the embarrassing pleasure of being introduced to both the side view mirror and the asphalt. I can safely say that picking shards of mirror out of your leg is not pleasant, but neither is mouth surgery in high altitude. In other words, it could be worse.

     The morning joy ride has become a routine of mine. You get a lot of great thinking done winding around on streets where upkeep, lanes, hell even the direction of traffic (on the left here) is a mere suggestion. I've seen kids whose feet hardly touch the ground ride around here. My advice? Go at a speed you are comfortable with, use your horn, and don't drive like an ass.

     I enjoy being 'off-th-grid'; even though there is a grid around (clearly...I'm on it). Only a select lucky few have my local number and most live or stay here. Although I enjoyed the brief phase that I'll refer to as 'Adventures on Star Hill' back in KL; it is great to see that SEA has so much more to offer the expat community. Will I return to write the ending segment of my Star Hill chapter? Perhaps, it is KL after all...

     I've climbed up waterfalls in caves that only a handful of people on this Earth know exist. I cook by fire at night and fall asleep to the familiar orchestra of the rainforest at night. I'm finding that I get the same feeling in the rain forests as I do in the high country. I haven't yet been able to find the proper language to describe it, but when I do you'll be the first to know.

     Mom, Dad, I know you've always taught me to reach for the stars. However, the older I get and the more I see I'm coming to realise I prefer to grab ahold of the Earth. You know, the large ball of life and death we seem to take for granted. The sky is nice to look at but the soil is all we have. The mundane has the power to produce beauty beyond description.

Signed with love,

-M

Dear Mom and Dad (and anyone else who gives a damn),

     I was supposed to be back in KL yesterday, however getting on that 6am flight didn't feel like the right thing to do, so I slept in.

     The Bali you told me about is quite different than the Bali I found here. The Bali you spoke of is the cluster fuck of tourists. I managed to get through a half of a day of that madness before I retreated back into the hills. It really is a shame; you don't have to go far to find what I've found. If only you had pushed your big toe a little deeper into the oncoming surf...

     A part of me would love to write about what I've done and seen; the usual play-by-play of my time here. However, that is really all too superficial and trivial in the grand scheme of things. Needless to say there probably are a few things I should explain.

     For starters, yes that is a cow bone in my ear. Did I ever think that those combination of words would ever come out of my mouth or onto digital paper? No. In fact, seeing those words on paper reminds me of the time I called MB out of the apartment in Cambridge (Mass) just so I could say 'There is a wild turkey in the playground.' Anyways, I digress, the reason for the bone is simple. I lost my earring, they make bone earrings here. So in order for it not to close up this is my 30 cent replacement. It's sterile, don't panic, and I bought a bunch before I left for SEA so I see no need to buy more here as money is running low.

     The first thing Indonesia taught me upon arrival in Jakarta is that the motorbike is your most efficient form of transport. Thus, I borrowed one. Don't fret Mom, I wear a helmut. I've been on roads so steep, narrow, and pothole ridden that it makes Bryce Canyon look like the 80 (or is it 90?) in Kansas. I'm fine on the bike, I've ridden on a Mexican highway mind you. It's the whole getting out of a parking area and avoiding the throttle that gave me some trouble the first few days. My right knee has had the embarrassing pleasure of being introduced to both the side view mirror and the asphalt. I can safely say that picking shards of mirror out of your leg is not pleasant, but neither is mouth surgery in high altitude. In other words, it could be worse.

     The morning joy ride has become a routine of mine. You get a lot of great thinking done winding around on streets where upkeep, lanes, hell even the direction of traffic (on the left here) is a mere suggestion. I've seen kids whose feet hardly touch the ground ride around here. My advice? Go at a speed you are comfortable with, use your horn, and don't drive like an ass.

     I enjoy being 'off-th-grid'; even though there is a grid around (clearly...I'm on it). Only a select lucky few have my local number and most live or stay here. Although I enjoyed the brief phase that I'll refer to as 'Adventures on Star Hill' back in KL; it is great to see that SEA has so much more to offer the expat community. Will I return to write the ending segment of my Star Hill chapter? Perhaps, it is KL after all...

     I've climbed up waterfalls in caves that only a handful of people on this Earth know exist. I cook by fire at night and fall asleep to the familiar orchestra of the rainforest at night. I'm finding that I get the same feeling in the rain forests as I do in the high country. I haven't yet been able to find the proper language to describe it, but when I do you'll be the first to know.

     Mom, Dad, I know you've always taught me to reach for the stars. However, the older I get and the more I see I'm coming to realise I prefer to grab ahold of the Earth. You know, the large ball of life and death we seem to take for granted. The sky is nice to look at but the soil is all we have. The mundane has the power to produce beauty beyond description.

Signed with love,

-M

Dear Mom and Dad (and anyone else who gives a damn),

     I was supposed to be back in KL yesterday, however getting on that 6am flight didn't feel like the right thing to do, so I slept in.

     The Bali you told me about is quite different than the Bali I found here. The Bali you spoke of is the cluster fuck of tourists. I managed to get through a half of a day of that madness before I retreated back into the hills. It really is a shame; you don't have to go far to find what I've found. If only you had pushed your big toe a little deeper into the oncoming surf...

     A part of me would love to write about what I've done and seen; the usual play-by-play of my time here. However, that is really all too superficial and trivial in the grand scheme of things. Needless to say there probably are a few things I should explain.

     For starters, yes that is a cow bone in my ear. Did I ever think that those combination of words would ever come out of my mouth or onto digital paper? No. In fact, seeing those words on paper reminds me of the time I called MB out of the apartment in Cambridge (Mass) just so I could say 'There is a wild turkey in the playground.' Anyways, I digress, the reason for the bone is simple. I lost my earring, they make bone earrings here. So in order for it not to close up this is my 30 cent replacement. It's sterile, don't panic, and I bought a bunch before I left for SEA so I see no need to buy more here as money is running low.

     The first thing Indonesia taught me upon arrival in Jakarta is that the motorbike is your most efficient form of transport. Thus, I borrowed one. Don't fret Mom, I wear a helmut. I've been on roads so steep, narrow, and pothole ridden that it makes Bryce Canyon look like the 80 (or is it 90?) in Kansas. I'm fine on the bike, I've ridden on a Mexican highway mind you. It's the whole getting out of a parking area and avoiding the throttle that gave me some trouble the first few days. My right knee has had the embarrassing pleasure of being introduced to both the side view mirror and the asphalt. I can safely say that picking shards of mirror out of your leg is not pleasant, but neither is mouth surgery in high altitude. In other words, it could be worse.

     The morning joy ride has become a routine of mine. You get a lot of great thinking done winding around on streets where upkeep, lanes, hell even the direction of traffic (on the left here) is a mere suggestion. I've seen kids whose feet hardly touch the ground ride around here. My advice? Go at a speed you are comfortable with, use your horn, and don't drive like an ass.

     I enjoy being 'off-th-grid'; even though there is a grid around (clearly...I'm on it). Only a select lucky few have my local number and most live or stay here. Although I enjoyed the brief phase that I'll refer to as 'Adventures on Star Hill' back in KL; it is great to see that SEA has so much more to offer the expat community. Will I return to write the ending segment of my Star Hill chapter? Perhaps, it is KL after all...

     I've climbed up waterfalls in caves that only a handful of people on this Earth know exist. I cook by fire at night and fall asleep to the familiar orchestra of the rainforest at night. I'm finding that I get the same feeling in the rain forests as I do in the high country. I haven't yet been able to find the proper language to describe it, but when I do you'll be the first to know.

     Mom, Dad, I know you've always taught me to reach for the stars. However, the older I get and the more I see I'm coming to realise I prefer to grab ahold of the Earth. You know, the large ball of life and death we seem to take for granted. The sky is nice to look at but the soil is all we have. The mundane has the power to produce beauty beyond description.

Signed with love,

-M

Dear Mom and Dad (and anyone else who gives a damn),

     I was supposed to be back in KL yesterday, however getting on that 6am flight didn't feel like the right thing to do, so I slept in.

     The Bali you told me about is quite different than the Bali I found here. The Bali you spoke of is the cluster fuck of tourists. I managed to get through a half of a day of that madness before I retreated back into the hills. It really is a shame; you don't have to go far to find what I've found. If only you had pushed your big toe a little deeper into the oncoming surf...

     A part of me would love to write about what I've done and seen; the usual play-by-play of my time here. However, that is really all too superficial and trivial in the grand scheme of things. Needless to say there probably are a few things I should explain.

     For starters, yes that is a cow bone in my ear. Did I ever think that those combination of words would ever come out of my mouth or onto digital paper? No. In fact, seeing those words on paper reminds me of the time I called MB out of the apartment in Cambridge (Mass) just so I could say 'There is a wild turkey in the playground.' Anyways, I digress, the reason for the bone is simple. I lost my earring, they make bone earrings here. So in order for it not to close up this is my 30 cent replacement. It's sterile, don't panic, and I bought a bunch before I left for SEA so I see no need to buy more here as money is running low.

     The first thing Indonesia taught me upon arrival in Jakarta is that the motorbike is your most efficient form of transport. Thus, I borrowed one. Don't fret Mom, I wear a helmut. I've been on roads so steep, narrow, and pothole ridden that it makes Bryce Canyon look like the 80 (or is it 90?) in Kansas. I'm fine on the bike, I've ridden on a Mexican highway mind you. It's the whole getting out of a parking area and avoiding the throttle that gave me some trouble the first few days. My right knee has had the embarrassing pleasure of being introduced to both the side view mirror and the asphalt. I can safely say that picking shards of mirror out of your leg is not pleasant, but neither is mouth surgery in high altitude. In other words, it could be worse.

     The morning joy ride has become a routine of mine. You get a lot of great thinking done winding around on streets where upkeep, lanes, hell even the direction of traffic (on the left here) is a mere suggestion. I've seen kids whose feet hardly touch the ground ride around here. My advice? Go at a speed you are comfortable with, use your horn, and don't drive like an ass.

     I enjoy being 'off-th-grid'; even though there is a grid around (clearly...I'm on it). Only a select lucky few have my local number and most live or stay here. Although I enjoyed the brief phase that I'll refer to as 'Adventures on Star Hill' back in KL; it is great to see that SEA has so much more to offer the expat community. Will I return to write the ending segment of my Star Hill chapter? Perhaps, it is KL after all...

     I've climbed up waterfalls in caves that only a handful of people on this Earth know exist. I cook by fire at night and fall asleep to the familiar orchestra of the rainforest at night. I'm finding that I get the same feeling in the rain forests as I do in the high country. I haven't yet been able to find the proper language to describe it, but when I do you'll be the first to know.

     Mom, Dad, I know you've always taught me to reach for the stars. However, the older I get and the more I see I'm coming to realise I prefer to grab ahold of the Earth. You know, the large ball of life and death we seem to take for granted. The sky is nice to look at but the soil is all we have. The mundane has the power to produce beauty beyond description.

Signed with love,

-M