Gaining Focus

Never one to subscribe to the idea of New Year's resolutions, I look at the following list as more of motivation to achieve certain goals in the upcoming year, a sort of "focus point," if you will:

1. China
I'd like to consider myself well-traveled in China, having been to more places than I can list. However, some of the visits occurred when I was too young to appreciate the significance. When I was about 13, my grandparents took me to their home village in Shan Dong, China, and while I do remember some of it, most of the experience has been lost. Therefore, while my grandparents are still healthy, I'd love to have them show me around where we are from and match the places to the stories that I hear over and again at the dinner table.

2. Italy
I used to be one of those people who feared being alone. Can't eat alone. Can't travel alone. Can't. 2009 changed that when I had to travel to Houston by myself to visit an ailing friend. I not only enjoyed the independence and freedom to go as I please, but the cliche "now or never" suddenly became crystal clear. Funds or scheduling always thwarted my attempts at planning a European vacation, so next year, with or without companions, I would love to "backpack" (as much as my spoiled city self can endure) through Italy, and hopefully hit up a couple other spots before my funds are depleted.

3. Yelp
Call me an amateur foodie. Never been to Urasawa or French Laundry, do not follow celebrity chefs, uninterested in wine, but still love to eat and finding new places to execute cash outflow. My yelp bookmarks (places to try) have hit an outrageous 128 restaurants across the US. I believe small and expensive does not equate to delicious and authentic, so most of the places are local joints that allow one to experience the culture without traveling. Need to decrease that number by eating (in moderation) at as many places as I can fit into the schedule.

So there you go. A few serious but somewhat whimsical goals that are readily attainable in the next year.

Es-ca-pade

A recent night, while waiting for our dinners to digest, my grandfather passed me a note across the table. The penmanship may be unclear, but the message certainly is not:

行萬里路勝讀萬卷書

(translated from Chinese: We gain more from traveling ten thousand miles than studying ten thousand books.)

Without knowing, my grandfather has always instilled those values in my mother, who has passed them onto us. I logged more miles as a child than many people in a lifetime. Though some of the memories have faded with time, the experiences remain--eating, traveling and learning--and have shaped my view on the world.

It is those experiences and views that I want to share. And so begins v3.0 of my blog.

♫ Es-ca-pade

We'll have a good time

Es-ca-pade

Leave your worries behind...