Wrapping up the incredible year that was in a few words seems unfair to it. The hundreds of memories, the dozens of emotions, the countless thoughts, and valuable learning experiences all distilled down to text and photos on a screen. I end this year in the best shape of my life. Physically and in terms of esteem. When others are struggling, I try to help them.
The constants in my life: fitness, small business support, not knowing what I’ll be doing from one day or even hour to the next. Unchained, unstressed, and uncomplicated.
Most of my nights are spent going for long walks at night listening to music. Sometimes for upwards of 3 hours just wandering aimlessly. It’s my own way of traveling far away when I can’t be far away like the next section…
Travel
The world is becoming smaller. New experiences and memories banked with some bucket list items checked. There were a few experiences and visuals on this trip that were so impressive that it made reality feel like an untrustworthy construct. There will be a few photos from both far away places. In no particular order, in no particular photo edit. Just a few snaps from the thousands of little experiences I collected.
The Philippines
This was my first time traveling to The Philippines. Four airports and three flights in one day takes it out of you. 16 hours in the window seat isn’t the business but the memories of flying over Tokyo and seeing Mount Fuji from the plane (again) was worth it.
I have to thank my driver, Aries for taking me on these adventures that Manila couldn’t provide.
Speeding out of Manila and driving 10 hours north through the fields and mountains of central Luzon; knowing that every single inch of the way forward will be a new recording in my mind.
Finally arriving in Sagada as darkness fell. Hiking through dense foliage on a darkening path and seeing a shire a la Lord of the Rings. Utter silence when looking out over a landscape that doesn’t appear real.
I look back at this now and wonder what the hell I was doing there. Stopping for food in a fog-shrouded mountain town, nearly sliding down a hill from the steepness of the grade, getting stopped by the Filipino military, avoiding mud and landslides. I swear some of the towns we drove through looked like Silent Hill.
After Sagada, it was a 12 hour drive to Tagaytay. Which was the complete opposite of sprawling landscapes. Instead, I found myself eating at some of the fanciest restaurants I’ve ever been to while overlooking a volcano within a lake on an island.
Manila, Sagada, Tagaytay.
Vietnam
If the Philippines was the semi familiar destination, Vietnam elicited a nervous excitement I hadn’t felt since I was in beginning phases of my travels. The closest memory I could conjure would be on the ride from Ataturk airport into Istanbul back in 2012.
I didn’t speak a lick of Vietnamese, performed almost no research on where I was staying, wondering what would happen. But the people of Hanoi were so incredibly nice and helpful.
Once I stepped out of my hotel, and into the streets of Old Quarter, my nerves were replaced with those of wonder and amazement. The electric atmosphere of cars, motorbikes, conversations, scents of familiar but 100% authentic Vietnamese food on every street. I can now say I’ve had pho and banh mi in Vietnam.
Ha Long Bay was a bucket list item. Drifting past limestone structure towering out of the water and up into the mist made me feel like I was in some purgatory but if purgatory was beautiful.
Another experience strengthening the claim that reality feels untrustworthy in special places on Earth.
Hanoi, Ha Long Bay.
Looking back at all these photos and videos makes the accomplishment more concrete and feel less insane, in the best ways. If only my eyes could record some of what I experienced on this trip. Having the entire hotel and expansive view to myself at the Shire of Sagada, swimming up to a waterfall at Daranak, swimming in Ha Long Bay with no sign of humanity in view made a seasoned traveler remember what it used to be like many countries ago.
Reading
I read 34 books and 12,304 pages this year. Not as many as last year but enough to be happy. Most of the time was spent working and practicing other hobbies. Still, 24 books a year or at least 10,000 pages are my overall goals. My reading shouldn’t feel or be performative or quantitative. I read for enjoyment and enrichment.
The Sirens of Titan – Kurt Vonnegut
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – Stephen King
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki – Haruki Murakami
Wind/Pinball – Haruki Murakami
The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin
A Wild Sheep Chase – Haruki Murakami
The Long Walk – Stephen King
Men Without Women – Haruki Murakami
Dance Dance Dance – Haruki Murakami
Armada – Ernest Cline
The Running Man – Stephen King
Timeline – Michael Crichton
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop – Satashi Yagisawa
Duma Key – Stephen King
Kindred – Octavia Butler
Boys in the Valley – Philip Fracasi
The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton
Hounded – Kevin Hearne
Paprika – Yasutaka Tsusui
Human Acts – Han Kang
Tender is the Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica
The Untrustworthy – Agustina Bazterrica
Dragon Teeth – Michael Crichton
Flower in the Attic – V.C. Andrews
The Buried Giant (reread) – Kazuo Ishiguro
Blindsight – Peter Watts
The Lost World – Michael Crichton
Dungeon Crawler Carl – Matt Dinneman
Norse Mythology – Neil Gaiman
Krampus: The Yule Lord – Brom
The Man Who Died Seven Times – Yasuhiko Nishikawa
Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt
IT (reread) – Stephen King
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – George R.R. Martin
Favorites in no particular order:
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki
The Long Walk
Dance Dance Dance
The Running Man
Kindred
Duma Key
The Outsiders
Flower in the Attic
IT
The Buried Giant
Trying to get through more works from authors I enjoy. Heavy Japanese literature compared to previous years. I have a few titles on deck but I kind of like not having a set list and picking up whatever looks good at the moment.
Life
My life isn’t where I excepted it to be. Not out of any sort of regret or outlined expectations, but rather a sense of gratitude for how utterly spontaneous and unpredictably fun and fulfilling life can be if you allow yourself to let it happen instead of trying to live it on rails. Goals are set, goals are met. Sometimes the goals come to me and accomplish themselves.
Just some random snapshots from the year. Scrolling through the gallery and selecting the photos that elicited some sort of snap memory. My life is probably better than most.
When you hear a song that reminds you of difficult era of your life, an era when you had dreams of doing something or traveling somewhere. Something and somewhere that seemed impossible back then when you were broke, starving, stressed, and alone. When you hear that song now, do you remember that time? Or do you look back and into the memories you have of defeating and accomplishing the impossible? By doing that something or have returned from that place.
I walk the night with those songs playing and look back at that skinny and woefully unmoored kid. I walk the night with those songs playing as the wonderingly wandering adult who has accomplished more than I had ever hoped to at this age.
Future
I have some plans for 2026. Changes are coming is all I can predict. But one of my strengths is figuring out how to navigate whatever mapless road life throws me down. I live my life by my rules and nobody holds me back. Eventually, I’d like to slow down and share some of the experiences here. Like I used to when I started this blog. The stories just haven’t stopped yet for me to sit and write them down. Maybe with I’m older. Come to think of it, I leave on another jet plane in 9 days to different skies from the time of posting this. Looks like 2026 will be starting strong and the stories will have to wait because the book it still writing itself.
Take care everyone. You can be happy…
phxdown 