For those who haven’t noticed, I finally got around to implementing a long-needed blog feature: the ability to subscribe to posts via e-mail. Continue reading »
Oct 262011
Oct 252011
You might expect that after having been to so many unusual festivals around the world, they’d eventually start to get old.
But you’d be wrong.
The thing that keeps me coming for more is the sheer diversity – the fact that the water war of Thai Songkran is completely and utterly different from the peace-and-love music festival of Roskilde, which is in turn nothing like the traditional Japanese dance of Awa Odori or the decadence of Brazilian Carnaval.
…And well, once again, I can honestly say that nothing I’ve ever experienced has been quite like the Electric Daisy Carnival.
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Oct 242011
Despite my current “partyboy” lifestyle, it might surprise you to learn that I didn’t go out much at all back in High School. In fact, I was a pretty stereotypical nerd – shy, skinny, pasty, spending my weekends in a dark room playing video games or reading Popular Science. By college I’d only started to come out of my shell, and I don’t think I really became the “excessively social” (as some have called it) individual I am today until after moving to Japan.
It should be no surprise, then, that I was never much of a raver. I went to just one rave when I was about 18 and honestly felt way out of place.
But all that just changed. Because although I have been tremendously productive during these last few months at home, the scheduling also provided an opportunity for one very unexpected experience.
This weekend I went to the Electric Daisy Carnival, the world’s biggest rave.
And I loved it.
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Oct 232011
Right before leaving Hanoi, I said that I’d be back to resume my trip in a month.
That didn’t exactly end up happening.
Three months and four ticket-changes later I’m still here in LA. My dad’s recovery has been slow and arduous, taking considerably longer than expected. Each time my departure date approached it just didn’t seem right to leave, so I delayed again and again and again.
Thank God my business class ticket allowed no-fee changes.
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Oct 222011
Thanks to the superhuman logistics agents at CSA Insurance, just a couple days after my dad’s horrendous injury we were traveling home in style. We awoke Friday morning with an SUV waiting to take us to Noi Bai Airport where a wheelchair brought us straight through security.
(Funny side-note: they barely even checked us. I carried in a metal can of coffee and a liter of water, and despite my dad’s titanium hips setting off the metal detector they didn’t even stop him to check. Not much ‘terrorism’ in Vietnam I guess 😛 )
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