Here I document my adventures in travel, lifestyle, and thinking differently with the hope of broadening people’s perspectives. I hope you enjoy!
All in Lifestyle Design
Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to own an island. It started with a plan to own a Hawaiian Island with a set of 5 bridge-connected tree houses with trampolines to get up to them. That expectation was tapered over the years, and I began to think that buying an island wasn't feasible. Then I discovered PrivateIslandsOnline.com
One philosophy I hold is the ideal of continuous improvement. Often times, this involves taking two steps forward and one step back, or letting go of something to make room for something else. With this in mind, it's important to think about whether changes you make cause comprehensive improvement, or only provide a marginal benefit.
For most of human history, we have benefitted from working to get more-more knowledge of our environment, more food, more family, and more comforts. While these advancements have led to countless improvements over time, many parts of the world are now suffering from having too much.
Going into college, I decided to try a year without any hair products. The idea is that the cycles of shampoo, conditioner, and product that we put out hair through doesn’t actually do anything but cause it unnecessary stress.
Cold showers are often talked about for their supposed health benefits, boosting the immune system and speeding muscle recovery after hard workouts. This past year I took a deep dive into the practice.
One of my close friends at college, and the best barber I know, decided to take a leave of absence from UChicago this quarter for various reasons. After listening to his podcast “Failwell” I was inspired to learn more about both the creative process behind it as well as his musings on the topic. I hope by sharing it here that you too might begin to consider failure and success, college, and maybe even life itself slightly differently.
Back in October, I was coming home from an intramural “Midnight Soccer” match when someone threw open their car door causing me to crash, flip over their door while my bike crashed into it, and roll across the asphalt road. The accident happened less than a block away from my apartment, and despite my initial thought that I would shake it off, resulted in me being treated at the hospital and (eventually) being diagnosed with a concussion.
Whether we like them or not, institutions are here to stay. Although there are definitely times throughout history where tearing down the old and building something new paid off, for most of us, most of the time, it‘s most efficient to work within their confines rather than try to break free.
This past year I made the choice to upgrade my travel tea set from the red dragon porcelain to a titanium set. Although I loved the old cups, the cups were extremely small, and porcelain is prone to breaking. Not to mention, the heat transfer through the porcelain was high enough that I often risked burning my fingers when pouring the tea.
