A New Chapter
The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are. My flight will leave Boston, Massachusetts on February 5, 2006 for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For the next one and a half year, I plan to set foot on the continents of Asia, Europe, America, Africa, and Oceania; and possibly Antarctica.
There is something about this particular fresh start that fascinates me – the prospect of a new adventure, all by myself, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the dawn. I don’t suppose I’ll make an enormous discovery like Vasco da Gama or Christopher Columbus, but I know I will find my own adventure wrapped in a gift called “tomorrow”. I’m talking about retina-burning beaches with vodka-clear water, mountain ranges with echo-bending gorges, deserts with panoramic shimmering views stretched into crimson sunsets, Savannah lions and Serengeti wildebeest, architectural masterpieces, ancient wonders, and so on and so forth. I’m going to find something out there that only I can find – my own little poetic adventure around the world.
In the past few years, I was restless and haunted by the fear that my best years will be wasted before reaching my self-actualization goal. I pursued academics and recreational sports fervently but none gave me any sense of fulfillment. I talked about boredom but somebody pointed out that it is primarily with myself that I am bored; and that the cause of my boredom is my consciousness of a barren, meaningless existence. I cannot stand routine and constantly seek excitement and novelty to avoid boredom because I do not know what to do with myself in my free time. I have lost the concentration of a child.
Therefore, the greatest discovery I can stumble upon in this therapeutic journey is the discovery of myself. I need to see the real world with my own eyes, not through BBC, PBS or National Geographic magazines. I need to catch a glimpse of life on the road and a feel on the essentials. I need some time to chew on issues like existentialism, ambition, and professional career. I need to eliminate the chilling possibility that my life is random, accidental, and unmotivated.
Who knows? I may receive life’s most powerful advice from an old couple while sailing across the Atlantic, or find inspiration while crammed in a six-person van with sixteen other passengers. I may find buried treasures in a jungle, or as some of my friends are concerned, I may just end up with more grey hairs and less money in my pockets. I don’t know, but I’m not afraid either.
In time, at the conclusion of my sabbatical, whatever I end up doing and wherever I end up being, let this short essay be a reminder that the reason I do this is because I choose to embrace the unknown in exchange for a chance to rediscover myself; and in doing so, have an unforgettable trip, and keep on living a remarkable life without regret.
Farewell Dinner at Cheesecake Factory, Chestnut Hill, MA
There is something about this particular fresh start that fascinates me – the prospect of a new adventure, all by myself, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the dawn. I don’t suppose I’ll make an enormous discovery like Vasco da Gama or Christopher Columbus, but I know I will find my own adventure wrapped in a gift called “tomorrow”. I’m talking about retina-burning beaches with vodka-clear water, mountain ranges with echo-bending gorges, deserts with panoramic shimmering views stretched into crimson sunsets, Savannah lions and Serengeti wildebeest, architectural masterpieces, ancient wonders, and so on and so forth. I’m going to find something out there that only I can find – my own little poetic adventure around the world.
In the past few years, I was restless and haunted by the fear that my best years will be wasted before reaching my self-actualization goal. I pursued academics and recreational sports fervently but none gave me any sense of fulfillment. I talked about boredom but somebody pointed out that it is primarily with myself that I am bored; and that the cause of my boredom is my consciousness of a barren, meaningless existence. I cannot stand routine and constantly seek excitement and novelty to avoid boredom because I do not know what to do with myself in my free time. I have lost the concentration of a child.
Therefore, the greatest discovery I can stumble upon in this therapeutic journey is the discovery of myself. I need to see the real world with my own eyes, not through BBC, PBS or National Geographic magazines. I need to catch a glimpse of life on the road and a feel on the essentials. I need some time to chew on issues like existentialism, ambition, and professional career. I need to eliminate the chilling possibility that my life is random, accidental, and unmotivated.
Who knows? I may receive life’s most powerful advice from an old couple while sailing across the Atlantic, or find inspiration while crammed in a six-person van with sixteen other passengers. I may find buried treasures in a jungle, or as some of my friends are concerned, I may just end up with more grey hairs and less money in my pockets. I don’t know, but I’m not afraid either.
In time, at the conclusion of my sabbatical, whatever I end up doing and wherever I end up being, let this short essay be a reminder that the reason I do this is because I choose to embrace the unknown in exchange for a chance to rediscover myself; and in doing so, have an unforgettable trip, and keep on living a remarkable life without regret.
Farewell Dinner at Cheesecake Factory, Chestnut Hill, MA
posted by milk at 04:41
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