I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do since divorcing from my career last year. I took some time. I went back to therapy. I started getting up at the same time every single day (something I’d not managed for more than a week in over a decade). I’ve got my evening and morning routines down to the letter! In the mornings, I get up before taking … Continue reading Smashing My Routine
A visit to a small coal mining town unveiled some terrible stories of life in the mines and the abuses of the coal industry. Continue reading Misery Remembered: 3 Scenes From A Coal Town
The other day my wife and I took our kids to Gardens by the Bay – one of the major tourist attractions here in Singapore. If you’ve not heard of it, it’s a stunning nature park spanning 100 acres. It sits adjacent to the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel. Inside the gardens are two massive temperature-controlled dome-shaped glass conservatories. One is known as the cloud … Continue reading Fun Facts and a Dystopian Fiction
It occurs to me that I’ve gone through something of a divorce over the past year or so. Only, it’s not been to a person but a place. Of course, there have been others. York for one. We had a few difficult years together. Then there was Oxford where I went to university. That was a nonstop party. And I’ve certainly sowed my wild oats. … Continue reading A Singapore Fling
A field guide to wonder and awe Continue reading The Awesomeness of Awe
A couple of weeks ago, just past midnight on July 5th, I took off out of Hong Kong, flew across the Pacific Ocean, crossed the International date line and arrived in Los Angeles at 10pm on July 4th. There are few approaches during my ten year career I can think as memorable as that one. It was like descending into a war zone. Thousands upon … Continue reading Homesick
Ten years ago, on April 8th, 2011, I met my wife for the first time at a dive bar in Hong Kong called Al’s diner. We immediately hit it off. The evening ended with us dancing to a number of 80’s classics. Despite several jello shots it took me a while to work up the courage to kiss her. I knew she was special and … Continue reading Kissed For The Very First Time
Greetings, Dear Reader! The SnapDragon Family is currently on the road, seeing some sights during this all-too-depressing season of lockdown during winter in Pennsylvania. (starts shivering, and hides head beneath a blanket) We’re cozied up in our Berkshire Class-A RV, embracing the open road and relishing the chance to travel to the American southeast. Sure it’s just us three—we’re still in a pandemic, mind you—but … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On All I Need.
Provided by ellieejay My first international class in Guatemala, followed by a semester in London, then a semester in Granada… and what do I have to say for myself? I’ve learned nothing. Contrary to popular belief and folktales told by previous students who have studied internationally, living abroad for 5 months does not make you a world expert or even a world traveler. Needless to … Continue reading I’ve Studied Abroad 3 Times & I’ve Learned Nothing
Hi everyone, Today I want to talk about traveling again but the traveling time itself (for example, the time you spend in airports or on planes, in buses etc.) (If you want to read about the benefits of traveling to different destinations, check my post here). I am writing this post because I will travel across the ocean tomorrow and one of the things I … Continue reading When on the Plane
Hi everyone, Today I want to talk about traveling because I will be traveling a lot this summer, starting today, and I feel inspired. In fact, traveling is a necessary part of my life for two main reasons. First, I do not live in my home country. I am in the US, but my family is in Turkey. That in and of itself makes me … Continue reading Life Lessons from Traveling
