Observations

minimalism

Why I’m Passionate About Minimalism

I Was a Hoarder I wasn’t always a minimalist; like so many others in the USA, I hoarded stuff and filled my life with things—both the physical variety of consumer items purchased from Amazon and delivered right to my doorstep, as well as the time sucking variation, those that occupied[…]

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Thoughts on Nomadic Relationships

I didn’t write the following, but the author, Colin Wright, seems to have written pretty much everything I would have written about relationships which work for me (this style of living isn’t for everyone). Enjoy! The following is an excerpt from an e-book by Colin Wright, Come Back Frayed. (source)[…]

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Minimalist Living through Earthships and Tiny Houses

Recently I saw this amazing video which cast a new light on how we build our homes and use energy, resources, and materials around us both in the construction and active dwelling in our homes. I highly recommend this video to anyone who likes to ponder the way we living[…]

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Choosing Between Gas versus Diesel

I’m trying to choose between gas and diesel for my next vehicle. I had heard from various places and advertisers that diesel engines last about twice as long as gas engines and are better for carrying loads. All good and well, but I also was curious why they might have[…]

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Feeling Disconnecting from Family & Friends after Travel

It’s just my theory; I don’t have any studies to back it up other than dozens of random conversations with other travelers and expats, but I do firmly believe that the more we travel am different cultures the more we become disconnected from our own culture. Feeling Disconnected after Travel;[…]

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Dogs on Campus in Taiwan Universities

Among the many surprises of spending extended time on a university campus in Taiwan was seeing dogs wandering around inside the various buildings. I saw them in halls of student dorms, halls and common areas of the classrooms and wandering around outside on campus. Apparently this is the norm here.[…]

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Asians Not Removing Shipping Plastic

I love Asia and Taiwan in particular. The people and food are fantastic. However, I have occasionally noticed some behaviors that are quite different than those of America. One such habit among Asians in at least four countries of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan is leaving the thing protective film[…]

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Living Without Goals or New Years Resolutions

Until recently I had made goal setting a major function of my life. I would create a system of goals every six months and build my schedule around accomplishing my goals. But, recently I’ve began to see goal setting as unhealthy physically, mentally and emotionally. As such, I’m beginning to[…]

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Bonobo Happiness

Lately I’ve been obsessed with learning more about Bonobos partly because until recently I had not even heard of them. In the briefest terms, they are the primates closest to us in the genetic tree, having only 1.2% difference in DNA from humans. That number is considered remarkable when you[…]

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Airlines Should Seat Window Seats First

I’m sure that there is some think tank type committee that meets in a secret bunker sipping wine while making major decisions for the airlines which affect millions of travelers every year. Perhaps they hire genius level experts who clean house on Jeopardy or can beat Deep Blue in a[…]

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Ice Cream Trucks versus Trash Trucks in Taiwan

While sitting at dinner in a small street cafe, I heard mechanical music off in the distance. At first I thought it was the ice cream truck coming and had a pavlovian reaction. My mouth started watering and I started craving ice cream. I was curious to see what kind[…]

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The Seven Challenges of Taiwanese Bathrooms

One of the great challenges for me in Taiwan was adjusting to their bathrooms. Picture this, you just ate some new funky food like chicken feet to impress your Taiwanese friends. An hour later after leaving the night market you really, really need to use the bathroom. The situation becomes[…]

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