Have you ever thought to yourself "I really think I could/should... "? And I don't mean things like "I really should do my laundry/get a haircut/ walk the dog." What I mean is that a desire forms within you to do something a bit more grandiose than your regular, typical, everyday things. Things like run a marathon, or become a chef, or accomplish a feat worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records. Well, I do. I think most of the time it's a fleeting notion, a temporary moment of wishful thinking. And then, just like that, it's forgotten.
Well for me, over the past few months, I've been asking and pondering this question quite a bit. The reason is that my time with WaMu is coming to an end in July. People have begun to ask me "What do you want to do after you're done?". And honestly, I don't know. But like corn kernels in a hot pan, ideas have been popping in my head. Thanks to my severance and a nice transition package, I'm in a very fortunate position of being in financially stable for a few months after July. Plus like thousands of other laid off workers, I also will begin to collect unemployment insurance. All of this is to say that I have the means (and opportunity) to actually pursue some of my "popcorn dreams"...
Recently there have been two things in particular that have been constantly resurfacing in the shallows of my noggin. One is to continue the pursuit of one of my life goals -- to set foot on each of the seven continents. And the second is to be published, whether a book or an article.
To address the latter, with this blog, I have decided to try to take the first step towards “formal” writing, and join the 21st century by jumping on the blogging bandwagon. To be honest, I do not consider this blog to be a formal publishing, but it's a start. A brief history on my writing credentials: I really have none. (Well, except for the random one sentence quote I had in Esquire magazine. But I don't count that.) In school, I took the customary required English courses and did all right. Being the stereotypical Asian, math and sciences were my strong suit. Post college, I began to travel extensively for work, both abroad and domestically. To help keep in touch with friends and family, I would send updates via email sharing my experiences and observations of the locales that I visited. Feedback on my emails seemed to be good, and I was encouraged by others to write more. But in my mind, I always waved the praise away, like someone shooing away a buzzing insect. Nonetheless, the seed was planted, and since that time, I occasionally wonder “What if?”… I am not sure where this blogging vehicle will take me, but I suppose only time will be able to answer that question.
As for the former, I am excited to share that I am actively pursuing that goal as well. Currently, I have visited four of the seven continents: Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. And as this past Thursday, I've booked a trip to the next two -- South America (Argentina) and Antarctica! I will be heading down south this December. I know, it's still nine months away, but visiting the Great White South can only be a seasonal trip. Instead of braving the drastically frigid winter (I'll leave that to the Emperor penguins), I'll be visiting in the perpetual daylight of their summer months. And although I have expectations of seeing abundant wildlife and the epic blues of thousands of years old ice, my main expectation is that everything will be more intense that I could imagine.
Assuming that I actually stay committed to this blogging thing, I envision over the next few months, I'll be combining the two aforementioned goals, and blogging about the preparation (and eventual taking) of my southernly adventure. I look forward to sharing this experience with you all. And of course, I'll probably be writing about other miscellanious popcorn dreams along the way too. Between trip planning, the upcoming job search, and some photographs sprinkled throughout, I should have plenty to share, right?
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