MandarinManMark

Hey Everyone! I just got back from two years abroad - 1.5 years living and teaching games programming in New Zealand followed by a 4.5 month trip through the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, China, North Korea and Japan. What a wonderful experience! I feel like a completely changed person now, and am even more unsure of where home is anymore! =P I'm settling back in San Francisco - there's a lot to set up, but hopefully I'll get back to "normal" life easily. As for photos and travel stories, there are many - too much to post, but as I'm back in the land of unlimited Internet and ambitious self-expression again, I'll try to get back to it. I

I've been mulling over making some large changes in my life, since I don't feel like I am progressing towards my goals. In fact, there are a lot of things to think about. What I want to accomplish, what makes me happy, my goals for a few years down the road... I think I've come up with three things that are my priorities: 1) Be a self-sufficient creator. Having my own company or products that supports me, creating exciting new products, research, or cultural items. 2) Learn. Learn as much as I can about our world. Travel to see and experience as much as I can. Read to help me understand as much as I can. 3) Family and friends. Find a soul

I just got back from China yesterday after a three week vacation. The return trip took me over 20 hours door-to-door! To get from my dad's flat in Suzhou to my flat in Auckland, I took a taxi, a train, a subway, a maglev(!), a three hour flight, an 11 hour flight, then a bus, all without any sleep! So I was exhausted when I got back, and slept for 12 hours, being awoken by my alarm clock for work. I had a good vacation, although I was sick for two of the three weeks! I got bad food poisoning the first week, and as I was just about recovered, I ended up with a bad cold! Well, at least the last week was OK, although it had its share of problem