Final Post of 2004!

Following my other nomads, the 2004 All-Drake recap: What a year it has been! Born under the Belizean stars of the Caribbean island San Pedro, and ending with a sunset on the beaches of Southern California, 2004 was; a very good year for the Drake. In the beginning it was all East Coast, West Coast, with some side-trips down to the dirty south: NYC, San Fran, Atlanta, and Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Moreover , I witnessed the best-kept secret East of the Mississippi: Guelph, Ontario! Not once, but twice! Dont laugh, that town is fo real off the hook! I also had very memorable experiences in the old country, in old Europe: Germany, Austria, and Hungary, Thank God for Europeans and their sipping-coffee-in-the-café-all-day-long attitudes! If they acted like we do, I think I would go crazy!

All said and done, I must say that my biggest resolution of this year was fulfilled: To move out of Michigan. Im now reaping the benefits of a migration from the worst weather in the US, to arguably the nations best (and for those who have been to Southeastern Mich., you know its not just about the weather). Normally, I try to be humble and downplay any of my accomplishments but damn……Woooooooo! I cant tell you how pleased I am with this move! Although it cost me a little on the international travel side of things, it feels so good to fly back to a place you can actually feel good about! Its very empowering to know that you can set goals, achieve them (of course with the aid of good friends and family), and function on your own. Plus, Im enjoying a new personal lifestyle out here. The POS speaks the truth: The only baggage that you bring with you is all that you cant leave behind..


Whats in store for 2005? Im guessing new faces, old faces, and perhaps a new continent to set foot on! Maybe a change in my professional life, maybe not. For now I think its safe to say that Im going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the West Coast lifestyle for awhile. Well, thats the plan, well see about that.

Happy New Years everyone, and may all your hopes and desires for this forthcoming year exceed your wildest expectations! Seize the day, be grateful for what you have, have compassion for those who are less fortunate, and party like a rock star!! Remember, good things can happen to bad people!

PS Point and case: I just sat outside soaking up the sun for 15 minutes..Dios mio, its beautiful out there.

New Year's Resolution for 2005: Contribute more, Judge less

I just want to reverberate what Dody compiled at http://nomadlife.org/2004/12/how-to-help.aspx and urge everyone to please donate what you can. With 114,000 reported dead and all the macabre images and stories being revealed, I really can't imagine a more dire time where your help can really make a difference!

In a microcosmic twist, one of our supervisors called our business center together to report that a relatively young colleague had passed away unexpectedly last night. Being as how this office is quite small and everyone knows everyone, there was shock, disbelief, some tears..and these people weren't even related. Suddenly, the speculation of how horrible things were in Asia hit a little bit closer to home. I tried to recreate that scenario..multiplying it by 114,000 times...the population of Ann Arbor, Michigan..wiped out without notice.

Sorry that the blog has turned sort of morbid, but it just seems to be prevading everything: from the office to the news. Anyway, back to my point...pls donate. For those employed nomads, It is also worthwhile to take the time and see if your employer will match anything you donate (most of which is tax-deductable!).

Update #1

An early call to my brother this morning yielded this picture: Automobile failure in Lincoln, Nebraska. Surprisingly, it wasn't his, but his buddys. I guess his isn't scheduled to kick the bucket until southern Utah. At any rate, such misfortune can be bothersome after being on the road all night, and I wish Alex's vehicle a speedy (and non-costly) recovery. Godspeed, gentlemen.

Siyonara Snow!

Hello Sun! My little brother's roadtrip to California starts in 30 minutes! Expect regular car breakdown reports throughout the week...

...keeps rising..

Wow, its amazing how difficult I am finding it to do work, well no, actually its not...but, I feeled glued to the net and CNN..I actually have the International version of the latter as well, and that's LOTS better! How can I focus with that going on? I found it interesting that the local news in LA even noted that the Pacific ocean rose 10 cm in San Diego--from the quake...way over here in the US.

I want to echo the thanks to Dody (and Tom) for keeping us informed about what's happening, it's hard to get a personal sense of what has happened, but it becomes a lot more clear when you read notes like the one from the MCP of Sri Lanka. Absolutely incredible.

As I was watching all the wreckage last evening, it occurred to me that Digs and I had actually made plans to celebrate Christmas and New Years in Southeast Asia, I was really pushing him to return to Phuket (he hates revisiting places), or some other tropical paradise in the area..but, once I got the new job offer in California I told him I wouldn't be able to make it out there, and that he would have to make other plans. That's bizarre to think about, had I still been working in Detroit, I probably would have been out there for the holidays...and then who knows..

I guess it just reinforces the idea that the world certainly is a crazy place, and that when we take comfort in the false security brought about by materialism or live our lives in the future, we're really just living in fantasy worlds...a psuedo-reality created by our society (bloated in the West). Carpe Diem as bro Kirkatuk would say!

Time and time again we see that everything you have can be taken away in an instant, and how fragile life really is. I look forward to the time when I'll be able to take another transfer and my job will reflect and promote a more meaningful and selfless role. Until then, I take refuge in the only thing you really can take comfort in in this world, friends and family.



"Nobody dies wishing they had worked harder or had made more money, they always wish they would have spent more time with family or loved ones, or traveled more..trying to spend more time relating to humankind."--Author unknown, from '1 Giant Leap'

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being." - Carl Gustav Jung, 1875 - 1961

"The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other,and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold eachother, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out." - James Arthur Baldwin, 1924 - 1987

What To Say?!

I'm really at a loss of words for what is happening in Asia right now. It's really interesting that a lot of us think similarily...I share Suzanne's Anger about the US media chosing not to give adequate coverage to a story of such significance (but hey, in all fairness FOXNews reported that 1 person died in a snow storm out East, nice job FOX!), and the ponderings of Asha and what it all means..I was flying back home from Detroit yesterday and was taking a shuttle from LAX to the LBC and people were complaining about delayed flights, indirect shuttle routes, early morning work schedules, etc. and I found it all to be quite trite and trivial..esp given that 23,000- to date- had just died, with over a million people displaced. But then again, people in Los Angeles freak out when it rains, so I guess you can't expect too much for them;)

This whole thing reminds of last year, around this time, when 25,000 people died in Bam, Iran, although this quake quickly seems to much, much bigger in terms of destruction and death...

but check this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4128135.stm
"Port Blair councillor Pratima Madhukrishnan, in Madras, said there had been no news from Great Nicobar, home to 45,000 people and close to the earthquake's epicentre." WTF.
"

From Trufant to Tijuana..

picture of the week...

I'm lookin' at the man in the mirra...

...I'm asking him to change his ways!! Going home in T-minus 2 hours. Big storm on the loose over in Midwest, 8 inches of snow I hear? Lenny and I prepared appropriately by spending all of yesterday drinking Coronas and haggling with street vendors in Tijuana.

Let it be known that I'm NOT going home alone, umm, I'm going with Lenny. There, I said it.
I feel like this is going to like the movie "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles". hahah!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Oh the Little Cultural Nuances...

Geez, and I thought Europe was bad. I'm just glad "beer" is "beer"
coast to coast.

[Winter] Seasons in the Sun!

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say, On a bright "Catalina" Christmas Day

Santa Catalina

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Another sunny weekend. This time an old friend Lenny came out. First time in Cali and Dios, mio he got a good time. Thing is, he's sleeping back at my apartment, I'm awake at work, still not recovered. A short recap: Closed down 2nd Street Fri night, spent the day on Santa [Catalina] Island Sat drinking Mai-Tais, Margaritas, Mojitos, (and "Chip's shot") you name it, we were celebratin' it..and then stumbled up to Hwood for a 'nog' party later that night, AND THEN back down to the LBC for some good ole "In and Out Burger". Omlettes at the Park Pastry, dallied around shirtless on Manhatten Beach Sunday and Lendog checked out Santa Monica, Redeo drive, Sunset Blvd, and all the other areas I could manage to squeeze into the daylight..we even got to see the sunset on Mulholland Drive. Aww, how romantic.

I must say Catalina Island is absolutely beautiful. And I don' t say that that often. And quite frankly, after living in Detroit for 2 years, I don't think I've said it enough;)

Thank You, Santa [Ana]

picture of the week..desert winds gettin it hot up in herre...

Thursday Pick-Me-Up!

2 of my buddies back in Michigan are heading on over to Europe over Christmas Vacation.

http://www.wollborg.com/blog/

Although with that type of intinary I really doubt there will be much in the way of blogging.

Anyway, it's gonna be Joel's first time over on the European continent.

Joel, buddy, here's to your health:

http://www.beautifulzueri.blogspot.com/2003_02_09_beautifulzueri_archive.html

Notice the girl with the Michigan shirt, that means bring your license. And please, for the love of God, don't say anything about being Republican.

Dyin' over here..

My buddy Kirkatuk is known for a signature phrase he used to repeat often. When asked how things are going he'd inevitably reply, "ah you know, good buddy, can't complain, but sometimes I do"...followed with some quirkly smile..

When I was in Turkey, I worked with this guy named Rudi from Malta. I called him Rudi two times because he repeated everything twice.

Anyway he sent me an update today...he almost got it, so close:) HAHA. Okay, so maybe it's an inside joke but i found it HILARIOUS. Nice to know these little phrases that he picked up over that summer have been translated from English into Maltese into Italian into Spanish into French and back into English with little change in the meaning:)

"My workmates are all right too, so as Kirk used to say, I'd say I can't grumble, even though I do"

Working Abroad...

Many of you reading this are either working abroad or thinking about working abroad. My hat is off to you. Way to be.

I've been doing a little research into the subject myself and would like to share some of my findings. The following is taken from "The Lazy Person's Guide to Success on the Job":

"Sometimes it feels like there are no high-paying, relaxing jobs left in the United States. In which case you might consider working overseas, especially if you already have some foreign language skills. Here is a brief summary of a few overseas places.

Japan: Stay away. The work ethic in Japan has evolved into a truly pathological state. Fourteen-hour workdays and two-hour commutes are the norm. In Japan, your work is your life. Even the skimpy vacations afforded to its citizens are often spoiled by having to spend them with co-workers. Worse still, there is supposed to be some sort of "honor" in simply not taking vacations, even if they are available.

Other Places in the Pacific Rim: Bad and getting worse. Most of the economies in Asia model themselves after Japan. Did you ever stop to wonder why you can buy a decent pair of leather sneakers for $19.95? Best to avoid working in the Pacific Rim entirely.

Western Europe: Worth considering. Europeans have a more "civilized" approach to work. Six weeks of vacation per year is fairly standard, along with a strict nine to five mentality and loads of holidays. Countries like Italy and France virtually shut down for the entire month of August except for tourist attractions and nightclubs. In Spain, meanwhile, siestas institutionalize on a daily basis the very naps you would have otherwise had to sneak in.

Eastern Europe: Worth a look. The work ethic in these countries has been dulled after a half century of communism. They have the same liberal work hours and vacation as their counterparts in Western Europe, but aren't expected to make it up by being particulary productive during regular work hours. An entire subcontinent filled with US postal workers.

Mexico/Latin America: Not bad, though getting worse. Most of these countries still have siestas. However, with NAFTA, Mexican workplaces are starting to mimic those in the United States. And with talk of this agreement being extended to include all of the Americas, this attitude may soon pervade the entire hemisphere.

Other Developing Countries: Stay away. These people have to work hard just to provide for the basic human necessities. Clearly laziness is not a part of these cultures or they would have developed a whole bunch of shortcuts by now.

The Caribbean: Excellent conditions. Island nations never seem to develop much of a work ethic. Which brings us to that largest of island nations...

Australia: The tops. Australians are the laziest people on the face of the planet. Having even more liberal work ethic, hours, and vacation time than Europeans, Australians are keen to get the unpleasantness of work out of the way ASAP so they can get on to more important things like loafing around, traveling, and drinking beer. It would be challenge for even an exceptionally lazy American to be labeled as such in Australia (though feel free to prove this to yourself).


Well, that settles it. Movin' to Oz. Thoughts anyone?

It's Official!

Little Bro graduated (see smiling doofas in the middle). My, my, my, looks like they are handin out diplomas like candy these days.. ;)

That's Amore!

After all that exercise, I of course wanted to reverse any possible positive health affects and went straight for the beer in the fridge (which btw died this morning..my apartment now smells like a rotting compost heap). Anyhoo, stumbled over to a little known part of the LBC, Naples -http://www.beachcalifornia.com/naples2.html-for the XMAS Christmas boat parade! It was really awesome, little canals filled with decorated boats surrounded by these houses (very bling bling), and lots of kiddies stuffing themselves with food, adults with booze..Christmas Cali Style.

I like going down to Naples during the day sometimes, because it's so unique for the US. I'll post some daytime pics soon and you'll see what I mean (btw, thanks for this pic, KK).

Cashin' In...

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. That's what my Gramps always tells me. I'm not quite sure about all that madaras, but it does cut down on the bar tabs and hangovers!

So Saturday I (and everybody else in SoCal) finally cashed in. With temps in the low 80sF (upper 20sC) Hud and work crew hit the jackpot up in Santa Monica/Venice Beach early Sat. morning to participate in the 5K/10K (5K is enough for me.."soy muy flowjo") Christmas Run (http://www.christmasrun.active.com/). Anyway, I got back to the LBC and said screw it, and went biking for another couple hours. Got in from biking and said screw it, headed over to the gym for another hour. Ah, shorts in December.

Hanging Out

You know its been a good day when you are hanging off of street signs at night.

This is Junaid Iqbal, You Stay Classy United Arab Emirates

picture of the week..

This Waki Paki! For those in AIESEC long enough to remember Junaid from @ Michigan, I recently found out that he is an anchorman (think: Will Ferrel) in Dubai! I actually stayed with his cousins while I was in Pakistan a few years ago. On his friendster profile it says he "likes to party like there is no tomorrow"..amen to that, brudda. I can attest. Anyway, anybody over in the UAE will def. have to meet up with him.

Few know it, but Junaid actually graduated in Economics from the University of Michigan (btw I had one class with him, and I think we both made it in on average about 4 times that semester), just like me. Unfortunately, not all of UM's students share such a prestigious collegiate record. Witness: Larry Harrison: Oh Poor, Larry.

http://www.freep.com/sports/umich/umfoot8e_20041208.htm

And I thought my pathetic friends and I were the one sexually frustrated males in Ann Arbor...HA!

Griffith Park

So, I'm at work and things are a little bit slow, so I'm gonna do a recap of the weekend. Friday: After a wild night in HWood visiting with Anne, an old friend I knew back in High School (!), I woke up early Saturday morning and headed up to Griffith Park in the Hollywood Hills. What a great idea, even if I wasn't in the best condition for a hike! It was excellent to sit at the top and see the Hollywood sign on one side, the valley on the other, LA and Hollywood in front of me, and Pasadena and the mountains sprawling to the East. Imagine listening and watching all the commotion..fire trucks, police sirens, jam-packed expressways, thinking about people and their roadrage;), and then just being silent and feeling the cool breeze on your face..how relaxing!

Once again: The best things in life are unplanned and spontaneous!

Of course after spending some hours in the park, I realized I was really, really weak from the night before..but I had told KK I would head down to Manhatten Beach with her to a little townie bar that Colorado Buffs fans go to to watch their team lose in football:) Long story short: I ended up meeting Sam Berstein's son (for those of you from Michigan, think: 1-800-Call-Sam) and thanked God for coffee and Drambuie. This city is so random I swear.

Sat night KK, her friend Andria and I went back into Hollywood and hit up The Standard. Really dig that place, esp. when you see people from the night before.."Hey, did we pass out on a couch together last night?"

Sunday it rained in LA. Thank you, God. I had an excuse to stay inside and do NOTHING. Exhausted, I decided to change out of my clothes and shower, at around 7pm. Same clothes I was wearing since Friday:)

BTW, POS (you know who you are), Is fat, drunk, and dumb anyway to go through life? I don't know the answer to that question either, but, I think I may be getting closer and closer to the answer with every weekend that passes! Actually though, I was DD Saturday night. Thank you verah much!

Drake Hotel

My little "bro" Dave sent this to me from the Drake Hotel in Chicago, where he was staying. Not bad for a guy without a job;) Rumor has it he has his mind set on going out to LA after graduation in December and will be living with yours truly. Dios Mio, mio. Dios mio.

Who Am I Seeing?

Oha Cus! WHO AM I SEEING?! Since Ms. Tugba (pictured here with her team on the Turkish MC) refuses to get a blog on nomadlife.org, I guess I'll just have to post her pics:)

Icelim guzelleselim, bokkafa! Get a blog already yaaa;)

HeNsEldOgG

picture of the week! Congrats Ole HenselDogg. He's gonna be working with AIESEC over in Dubai for the next 6months, year, 2 years, who knows. I've known Eric for a few years and the people over in UAE are def. in for a treat when this Michigan native gets over there. BOOYAKASHA!