PLAY

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. 
Current count: 42 countries.

we don't see things as they are. we see things as we are.
when the going gets tough, the tough takes a nap.
not exactly where I thought I'd be at 42, but I am embracing it all the same. ✌🏽 usually I'm in the ocean hiding out somewhere in the world. this year I am home, eating cakes, watching epic waves hitting the home break from the livestream, and working. no parties. no one missed anything. (oh weekend you just wait)
new to the collection: "snowcap" artillery plant. translucent trunk. delicate tiny variegated leaves. native to mexico. muy adorable. 💚 her name is "ori" short for pico de Orizaba, tallest peak in MX. #plantobsession #plantsofinstagram #rareplants
Part immersive art, part theater, part burning man. When you go the first time, leave the phone at coat check. It's a different experience with vs without. With any immersive, your experience will be uniquely yours. Much of it is not photographable. (shots are from my second visit. more movements in insta story while it's up) ✌🏽 thanks for the treat, @designer_kim #betterthanpartying #supportartists #dontdoitforthegram -- Artists: Can Buyukberber, Electric Playhouse, Joshua Davis, Gabriel Schama, TUNDRA Collective, Hybycozo, Zack Lieberman, Christopher Schardt, Dan Schaub, Max Steiner, Storylab, David Cat, and new media studio Ouchhh.
and in that golden moment, the small flowers peek out to greet the salty autumn sky. wherever you are, hope your weekend is this very second of "feel" suspended in time. #mysecretnyc
"it's your (wave), and yours alone. others may party-wave with you, but no one can ride your wave for you." (adapted from a #quote by #Rumi) spend time strengthening yourself in moments of aloneness. when you are most hurt, no matter how many loved ones you have, your pain will visit you when you are alone.
silhouette of joyride
last full-time week at Patreon. what a wild ride. shorter than I'd like, but feels right to turn the chapter. work will always be replaced with other work. the most important thing is knowing that I grew to be a better person because I was surrounded by good people. i got to meet @wyatt_earp -- who is a badass boss. not bc he is literally making Patreon grow up, tho he is doing that. badass bc he was on the end of the phone call when I broke down into a puddle and still months later said "go grow international project. I believe in you." badass bc he championed Amy who's 10 month pregnant to grow to VP and didn't bat an eye. you will not find that kind of inclusive move at many places. thank you for teaching all of us all the things, for wearing your vulnerability on your sleeves, and for truly walking the talk on equality. 👏🏽 (I don't have a picture of you so the sign will do)
#throwbackthursday .. at the White House meeting Michelle back when the highest American institution was respectable and telephone calls weren't riddled with national treason.
People ask why I spent so much time on this talk. I don't intend to be a mental health advocate. I am not a professional story teller. On top of that it's triggering and exhausting. I almost threw up and had to hide out for 30m in the bathroom stall after stage time, then I ran back to pet my dog for a bit so I could recharge enough to finish out a very meaningful conference. I cried reading messages from attendees on my flight back. It is all worth it because someone out there feel less alone in their silent struggle. Home, tired, and grateful 🙏.
"who are you when you are truly alone, with nothing but your mind?" an earnest talk about my journey through clinical depression, liminal domino, sense of self worth, and the weird quirky rise back using a combination of silent meditation and design thinking methodology. thank you #STORY2019 for having me. -- thank you @hijanetlee @stephkent @joshuaromancello @denrsch @courtneycgross and @designer_kim for talk prep. and thank you, most of all, to @ramyarajakumar for pulling me out of the rut, kicked my ass to get better, and inspired me to share my story. -- I don't know if there will be video but there will be a podcast for sure.
I am reminded of a quote Lauren said to me about my surfing: "there is a line between crazy and stupid. thaniya is right there on that line." here in Nashville, speaking at this conference with actual storytellers. imposter syndrome level 💯
"express love with actions, not words." 💛 I used to think my family is cold and emotionally inadequate because we never say things like "I love you" to one another. (Is it an Asian thing?) Today I understand my family is not less than others. There was plenty of love, expressed through a much deeper way: action. I will do all these things for you, I will pick you up, spend time with you, be present with you, hold you.. that is so much more than saying I love you at the end of a phone call. I learned it from my dog last night. She's pretty wise.. Sage.
9.11 With a single decision, Neil died instead of me on the tower that morning. He just got back from his honeymoon. Every year I wish I didn't make that decision. Every year I wonder what it would be like if he lived, and I didn't. It doesn't get any easier. #neverforget

TRAVELOGUE

Featured
Tanzania
The hard thing about hard things
Tanzania
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Tanzania
Portugal
72 hours in Lisbon
Portugal
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Portugal
Surf video
New York
Surf video
New York
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New York
Sri Lanka
Stay (for a while)
Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka
Thailand
Finding home
Thailand
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Thailand
Greece
Time to wander
Greece
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Greece
Greece
When the walls come down
Greece
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Greece
Behind the scene: planning for serendipity
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My irrational passion for surfing
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Yemen
Thirty days later
Yemen
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Yemen
Yemen
The island and its habitants
Yemen
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Yemen
Yemen
Day 6-9: The missing link
Yemen
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Yemen
Yemen
Day 5: Scand
Yemen
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Yemen
Yemen
Day 4: The Dragon blood forest
Yemen
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Yemen
Yemen
Day 3: Wadi crossings
Yemen
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Yemen
Yemen
Day 2: Haghir
Yemen
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Yemen
Yemen
Day 1: Acclimation
Yemen
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Yemen
Socotra - prep stage
Yemen
Socotra - prep stage
Yemen
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Yemen
California
Coachella
California
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California
United Arab Emirates
The Guardian in the Desert
United Arab Emirates
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United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The Abaya and Women's Rights
United Arab Emirates
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United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The new melting pot
United Arab Emirates
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United Arab Emirates
Qatar
TEDxSummit
Qatar
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Qatar
Qatar
Salaam allekum
Qatar
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