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Posts Tagged ‘Travel’

The Best Rivalry: Improving Together Through Sports

Posted in Daily Life, Health and wellness, Hobbies, tagged , , , , , , , on December 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Playing sports with my boys has been a wonderful way to bond. We’ve taken lessons, watched videos, and practiced together. I didn’t have much formal training as a child and didn’t train efficiently, so I’m glad I can now relive some of my childhood dreams. Though I’m no longer young and need more recovery time, I’ve become more conscientious and train in a more productive way, and there are far more resources available today.

My ten year old son is already better at basketball than I was at his age. One of our rituals is playing one-on-one at the end of practice. Like Sawakita from Slam Dunk, we want to see at what age he can beat me when I’m playing seriously. I think he’ll feel the same satisfaction and joy like Sawakita did the first time he wins. This motivates me to stay fit and keep improving so I can be a worthy opponent.

One of this year’s most satisfying moments was winning a two-on-two pickup game against two middle/high school teenagers. While my son struggled on defense because of the height difference, he made his shots and held his own on offense. That experience inspired me to look for more parent–child team competitions so we can train and improve together.

Our family also started learning badminton together, and I’m considering integrating sports training into some of our trips. It seems like a great way to meet like-minded people and have fun while traveling.

Recent one-on-one games (I called it the Sawakita challenge):

Game 1:

Game 2:

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Run and Explore

Posted in Daily Life, Health and wellness, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , on December 11, 2022| 1 Comment »

I’ve been running 5-8K daily for years, following Murakami’s footstep. It’s a routine that helps me stay fit and sane. As it’s a daily habit, I mostly run similar routes, so it’s not particularly exciting. Even though it might not feel fun at the moment, it’s essential for me, as it helps calm my mind and feel better about myself.

Running in new cities, whether during work or tourist trips, are different. They are novel and fun. I find it much easier to do longer runs in new cities, and think it’s a great way to experience the cities’ layout, sights, and people.

Being able to run outdoor in a new place has become one of my favorite things to do during travel.

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2013 Review

Posted in Books, Daily Life, Reflection, Relationship, Travel, tagged , , , , , , on January 1, 2014| 1 Comment »

New habits I like: blogging; Thai boxing; swimming

Travel to over 20 cities. The more memorable ones are places where I get to know new people, learn/try something new, or catch-up with existing friends.  

Highlights: property tour in Chengdu, Chongqing, and Sanya; business trip in Columbo, Mumbai, and Delhi; vacation in Rome and Florence; backpacking in Kunming, Lijiang, and Dali; guy trip to macau; catching up with friends in Singapore, Shanghai, and London; attending my best friend’s wedding in Maldives.

Reflect more on books I read. My favorites (in no particular order):

Other activities I enjoy: windsurfing, squid fishing, watch live soccer and rugby games (my takeaway: trying thing for the first time is often enjoyable, especially activities that involve learning new skills or something about yourself); hiking; snorkeling; basketball; coming up with names 

Relationship goes well. Traveling to another city just to catch up with good friends is definitely worth it; steady and peaceful family life with plenty of home cooked food and a nice Christmas dinner.

Finance also goes well. I like Jacob’s Early Retirement Extreme philosophy. Todd’s How Much Money Do I Need to Retire? is a good short guide on retirement planning.

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On Travel

Posted in Travel, tagged on October 11, 2008| 2 Comments »

Most of us want to travel more. Maybe we want to broaden our mind and learn more about a different culture, see new places and try more food, or just to take a break and relax. If we haven’t travel much, we might get satisfaction just being to a different country, visiting famous tourist attractions, and trying foods recommended by travel guides. But to get more out of travel and make it an enriching experience is rather difficult.

Sometimes I feel I haven’t made my travel worthwhile and the time is not well spend. I’m the type of person who’d feel dissatisfied if remain idle or haven’t done anything meaningful for a day or more (killing time is an alien concept for me). I tend to bring books with me wherever I go so at least I got to read and feel like I’m doing something meaningful everyday. I generally bring fiction or other non-work related readings during travel and read them during commute or waiting time when nothing much is happening around. But if not manage well, reading can take the fun out of travel, especially when going out with friends. So I guess the best thing is to make myself a better wanderer (in terms of making my travel a great experience).

Below are some thoughts on travel from my Japan trip:

-Travel with friends who you can strive a good conversation with make activities more fun and memorable. Being able to share thoughts and discuss ideas with someone who understands is time well-spend no matter where you are.

-Enjoy the spontaneity. Let go of your mind from time to time (not something that come naturally to me) and do things you don’t usually do. We’d do more of this in everyday life as well, but I found it’s easier during travel when we’re in a different environment and have a break from everyday regularities. Some of the more memorable things often happen when you get lost, try unexpected things, or pump into a strangers.

-Keep note of what happen with journal and photos. Since our memory is not very reliable, it’s good to note down thoughts and things that happened along the way. Some people worry that taking photos might take the joy out of travel as we don’t get to enjoy the actual happening and savor the moment. But I think as long as you don’t overdo it, photos are a good way to record what happen, and often viewing the photos afterward make the original activities more satisfactory and fulfilling. Seeing things through a camera lens can also help concentrate your mind and notice things you’d not otherwise notice. Just make sure that you’d time to put down the camera and enjoy the place/activities/events.

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