Category: Around the World
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Meditating on a flight
Here’s a passage that recently came to mind as I embark on travel, from 50 Cent’s Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter: Whenever I’m feeling a little stressed, I’ll sit in that room and say my mantra for ten or fifteen minutes. It’s a very easy way to regain control of my mind. Having that room is…
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“The road is made by walking”
Walker, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more. Walker, there is no road, the road is made by walking. Walking you make the road, and turning to look behind you see the path you never again will step upon. Walker, there is no road, only foam trails on the sea. Border of a Dream: Selected Poems of Antonio Machado, translated by Willis Barnstone
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A place is a tool
Whenever you feel like what you’re doing is really difficult, try changing where you do it. I wrote about this in-depth at Forge. I also recently heard Paul Ford and Rich Ziade describe the office as a tool, which reminded me of a story from my student days, about how the library was a tool…
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A gym for reading
Yoshitaka Haba, who works as a book curator (!) and started a private library and cafe, Donkou / Kissa Fang, says: “There are lots of things I’m worried about, but the thing I’m most worried about is that the competition for our time is too intense. Right now, it’s possible to surprise, entertain, and impress…
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The case against the case against travel
A few weeks ago, I came across this piece making the case against travel. There has been some interesting commentary on the piece already (here, and here), and I wanted to share some points: 1. One thing worth appreciating is context: while travel has remained the same in many ways, it has also drastically changed.…
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Subtle life changes
In September 2021, my fiancée and I went to Hong Kong. What was supposed to be a six month visit turned into nearly sixteen months. We really liked it there. Sometimes, when I caught up with friends back in North America or Europe, they’d inevitably ask, “What’s it like?” When I lived on Hong Kong…
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Make a map
I recently came across Dishoom’s cookery book, a “highly subjective guide to Bombay with map.” The description very clearly explained a path to becoming a leading thinker or authority on something: make a map. The most obvious place is to start with an area you’re familiar with; where you live, where you work, your favorite…
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Hotel playlists
Luxury hotels have a problem: choosing the right type of music, so that it sets the right ambience for the service team and for its customers. The Wall Street Journal: “While some cutting-edge independent hotels and hip brands like W Hotels have long focused on music by hiring DJs and producing concerts, the trend is…