How did you decide on your last charity donation? Did you treat it like a car purchase, comparing different alternatives? Or did you treat it like a fast food burger, deciding on the spot? I'll let you in on a guilty little secret of mine: I love Burger King. It's not exactly the healthiest choice of food, but they do have vegetarian burgers. Those are not easy to find in Thailand. I pick one up every time I make it to the airport. I'm aware that the nutritional value isn't that great and … [Read more...]
The Ugandan Bus Stop Dilemma
Imagine you get off a bus in rural Uganda. A guy walks up, takes the backpack you're carrying out of your hand, and proceeds to walk off towards a nearby building. Is he trying to steal from you? Is he trying to scam you? Is he trying to help you? I found myself in that very situation. Travel savvy people might immediately suspect a tourist tout. Before you jump to conclusions, keep in mind that I was a half day's journey away from where anyone could reasonably expect a tourist on a … [Read more...]
That Time I Played a Single Video Game for 3,600 Hours
If you play a computer game for more than 40 hours a week on average, skip classes, and don't shower for up to two weeks - is that an addiction? That was pretty much me some 15 years ago. At the time I was playing 'Everquest'. Total time spent inside that virtual fantasy world of elves and dwarves? More than 3,600 hours. I don't know the exact number, but that's what I last remember seeing on the game. I don't plan on logging back in again just to check. At one point I quit. In the space of a … [Read more...]
What’s the Life You Want to Remember One Day?
There is this popular, dramatic moment in movies where the selfless protagonist gives up their life in order to accomplish a heroic objective. Here's a secret: That's what we all will do one day. The day we die, regardless if it's the dramatic or the anti-climatic kind, we do so for everything we've done up to that point: For the relationships we cherished, for the things we built, for the know-how we shared, for the fun we had. By then, that will be all we ever did and all we will ever do. What … [Read more...]
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Let's assume, the moment I step out of the coffee shop I'm sitting in, I get hit by a bus. Considering it's a busy four-way crossing with not a single (working) pedestrian light in sight, that's actually not too far fetched. What would I want to have posted on this blog if that were indeed to happen? It's not a terribly unusual train of thought for me. Every time I set foot in an elevator, I wonder what it would be like if it suddenly it went into free fall and, the worst case scenario, … [Read more...]