Embarking on Adventure
Hello friends and family!
My last letter from a few weeks ago feels like it was eons ago as 2023 is well underway. With a visit from my brother (2x) and my parents this month, our place has been full of fun.
A Quick January Recap ❄
January has absolutely flown by. With my brother Kaamil and parents visting, I’ve found myself dreaming big and taking practical steps in equal measure. In both energies, I’m pursuing a life that allows me to be generous to the fullest extent possible, while learning and adventuring as much as I can.
These dreams in their most concrete form are still just brainstorms in my head and my journal that I’m still afraid to commit to this (electronic) paper. It’s strange how I know that I would tell them to you in person with ease, but I’m fearful of writing those plans down in this (barely) public forum.
All in all, January has been a beautiful month in Austin. I’ve been going to meetups, catching up with friends, experimenting with new technology, and otherwise attempting to avoid any days colder than 50 degrees. 🥶
Heading to Taiwan 🇹🇼
Today, I’m headed to Taiwan! (This letter is scheduled to be sent out as I’m flying). I’ve been wanting to visit since Jackie and I first began our journey together, and now it’s finally happening!
It still hasn’t hit me that it’s actually happening, but I’m sure it will be when we get on that plane!
In the spirit of sharing, here are my intentions for the trip:
- Family first – I’m so excited to be spending time with Jackie’s family, and that’s my priority on this trip. If we can’t do something touristy, that’s okay, as long as we get to spend quality time with one another.
- Full presence – I intend to keep every moment focused on the adventure of that moment, not living in any future plans or wondering what’s going on at work or at home.
- Saying YES – I’ll try new things, and always opt for the more adventurous route.
- Capture inspiration – travel, even if it’s just a weekend, can be a catalyst for transformation. I’ll capture learnings, opinions, and thoughts as I explore this beautiful island. (They will hopefully land in your inbox in late February!)
A Spoonful Makeover 🥄
A few letters ago, I might have mentioned The Spoonful, my brand new blog.
I’ve always wanted to create a blog that would allow for shorter, off-the-cuff posts, while also allowing space for longer, more thoughtful pieces. I think this iteration of The Spoonful has the perfect balance.
It’s not very populated, for now, but feel free to check it out nonetheless!
In the spirit of sharing what went into making this blog, briefly: I built the blog using a combination of the Bridgetown framework (for the blog website itself) and Ruby on Rails (for an admin interface that composes, manages, and publishes posts, with an API that’s available to the Bridgetown frontend).
I effectively created a lightweight CMS for myself. I know, I know, I reinvented the wheel – BUT nothing on the market is as customizable as my own code, and I’d like it to grow with me as the quality and quantity of my writing evolves over time.
Some New Stuff
Tech
I have more to write about all three of these, but in due time!
TV
- 🧧 Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace
- This one hooked me, ya’ll. Jackie started watching it thinking I wouldn’t be interested, and then the ancient Qing dynasty drama just grabbed my attention.
Books
- 🔥The Mythical Man Month
- These essays about software engineering were written in 1975… and much of their wisdom is still applicable today.
- 🍊 Freakonomics
- This book is a fascinating look at incentives, and how they rule the world we live in.
A Question for You
As 2023 starts to take shape, what are the adventures on the horizon for you? Whether those are travel, hobby, learning, relationship, or career related, where might you find something yet undiscovered?