Meet Pelle, a ten-year-old from Tasmania. I spent 2 weeks in Tasmania with Pelle’s family. His uncle, Ben (Uncle Brandy-Snap) is one of my best friends who now lives in the States. Pelle’s father Jesse, has also become a good friend. Here’s my story with Pelle and what I learned from him. It was six…
I chuckle at a story from the Zen philosopher Alan Watts: There is a conversation at an English dinner party. The hostess started up the question of death. She asked the various guests what they thought was going to happen to them when they die. Some thought about reincarnation, others thought about different planes of…
Central park. I look at the people. I wonder. What are their fears? Do they have problems like me? Do they worry about the future? Do they hold grudges? Are they stressed? I lie down on the grass, feel the sun on my face. I don’t have the answer. I’m not here for answers. I…
The best investment to deal with fear. Maybe, it’s the best investment I’ve ever made in my life. This investment has gotten me to where I am today. To New York. I didn’t know what this investment was at the time. Now looking back, it’s clear. Uncertainty. Uncertainty has been the best investment I ever made.…
I gasp. I wake up. I hear a car horn from my old Lower East Side apartment. I call it the dungeon. I like living in the dungeon. But tonight, I’m in the belly of the beast. I’ve crossed the threshold. I’m inside, but I’m not out. I’m still in the darkness. I’m in the…
I look at the trees. Tompkins Square Park, East Village. They are so grand, yet so humble. They are taken for granted by most. No one pays attention to them, but they don’t mind. They don’t need attention. They just grow slowly. Patiently, humbly, quietly they grow grand. I admire that. To be humble. To…
He chases after me. “HEYYY!!! Wait!! Come back!!” I look back and chuckle. Mulberry street, the night before. The Feast of San Gennaro, the festival in Little Italy. Deep fried Italian rice balls. Ham and cheese, pesto, and bolognese. To die for. But after eating 3 of them you start actually thinking about dying. Box…
September in NYC. Sports at its best. End of baseball. Beginning of football. Yankees, Mets, Jets, and Giants dominate the Headlines. I’m at a bar in the Lower East Side. Hair of The Dog, on Orchard and Stanton. The quintessential divey sports bar. Fun crowd, pint glasses clinking, top 40 music during commercials, and everyone…
“Checkmate.” He said in his Swiss/German accent. Jan beat me again. “Schiesse!” I say, as I shake my head. I’m a bad loser. The emotion sets in. Muscles tighten. Body heats up. Feelings that arise with frustration. On top of losing, I’m losing to a 22-year-old. I have 10 years on Jan, yet he’s out…
I met him randomly at a bookstore in New York. I had the privilege to shake his hand and thank him for the impact he’s made on my life. James Altucher was a web developer that was wildly successful. He lost it all. Then he became a hedge fund manager, financial expert and author. He…
One World Observatory, New York City. The Freedom Tower. I look down at millions of moving parts below. Observing these moving parts of NYC, is like observing the moving parts of my mind. — The city was calling me. Throw out the budget for a month. It time to live in the belly of the…
New York is a manifestation. Formless ideas transformed into blueprints. Blueprints from an unknown dimension, to a human mind, to a piece of paper, and finally manifested into concrete and steel structures. These ideas were invisible before creation, yet just as real as the creation. We know for a fact invisible things exist. Think radio…
Seinfeld. The show saved me. It saved my life. George Costanza is in dismay about his life. He’s regretted every decision he’s ever made. He has an epiphany and decides to do the opposite in all aspects of his life. Through this inspiration, he attempts to engage a random girl at the restaurant, and tell…
I failed again. This 30 part blog series was supposed to be was supposed to be written in 30 days. I’m only on blog #19. It’s been 85 days. That’s 4 times slower. My original plan failed. I’m still working on it. Slowly. Looking back, my life has been a series of failures over the…
I unplug. I move my body. I let loose. The road, the river, the setting sun, its reflection against the buildings. Running. One of my favorite rituals. The motor which is my mind, slows down. It turns off. It’s usually obsessing about future scenarios or second-guessing decisions I made int the past. The mp3 of…