One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.

“Which road should I take?” she asked.

“Where do you want to go?” Cheshire cat asked.

“I don’t know.” Alice answered.

“Then…” said the Cheshire cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

Life is that way.

If you don’t know (or never answer the question) where you want to go, every road will take you there or no where. Just like a boat in the ocean. If you don’t set your compass towards a certain direction, you would still float. You have a good time here and there, but somewhere along the way you will feel that there is just something missing.

Some people say: “It’s not just about the destination, it’s about the journey.”

I agree except if you don’t know where you are going… you can enjoy the sun, the dolphins or the octopuses swimming around you all day long, but it will still feel empty and boring.

I bring up these stories because today is my birthday. I am thankful that I had the chance to experience some amazing stuff in life: amazing people, things, journey, books, music, and places. Where do I want to go from here? Where did I go in the past that I really enjoy?

You can’t really get more of what you like if you don’t know clearly what you really like. Because of this I will write down a list of things that I truly enjoyed and know that I will reminisce for the rest of my life. Plus why not give myself a little pat on the back on my birth day.

Here are experiences that I remember and truly enjoyed (in no particular order)

  1. Moved to Indiana by myself when I was 16. First feeling – what the hell?!
  2. Climbed Inca Trail for 4 day and reached Machu Picchu – Wohoo!
  3. Scuba Diving in Great Barrier Reef – Scared to death! Thought I couldn’t breath.
  4. Traming in New Zealand South Island – Brought cooked lamb from the Chinese restaurant to the mountain and made all the hikers really jealous
  5. Drove my mom and uncle across New Zealand and felt like we were in Lord of the Ring – the movie!
  6. Visited Thailand with my of 3 best girlfriends and took pictures with beautiful ladyboys
  7. Drove across the Midwest cornfield with Lin in and got a ticket – doh!
  8. Watching Madame Butterfly in Munich – Front row seat and truly felt like a million bucks!
  9. Drank Kiwi Caipirinha on the hottest day in Brazil and felt so refreshed beyond belief
  10. Hiked in Mount Rainer and saw Edith’s Creek – I am not kidding! There was such a creek.
  11. Cave diving in Yucatan, Mexico. Could not control my BCD and got stuck. LOL!
  12. Sky diving in Monterey. Felt like life just passed me by and actually enjoyed the free fall moment.
  13. Quitted my job and left corporate America without much planning. Would I do it again – of course!
  14. Started organizing entrepreneur Meetups ‘cause I felt like it
  15. Started putting together BizTechDay feeling that was the right thing to do
  16. Started a company – man this is more scary than anything else I have ever done.
  17. Went to Egypt and Muslim women wanted to take pictures with me and touched my hair.  Thought I was the tourist…
  18. Saw the real painting ‘The Kiss’ and felt it took my breath away
  19. Went hiking with my mother on Hong Kong Island
  20. Ate (will eat more) my mother’s mom made dumpling
  21. Arm wrestling with my grand father. He was a strong man even his 80s
  22. Hitchhiking at the San Juan Island with my friends and got on the back of the truck
  23. Went protesting in Hong Kong for Tiananmen square
  24. Swam with the shark in the Melbourne Aquarium
  25. Every time I drank Archery Summit Oregon Pinot or Penfold Bin 389
  26. Sang jazz at Tula’s, Seattle
  27. Walking down Parisian street with mother and pointing out all the dog shit
  28. Biking across all the canals in Amsterdam and feel quite high afterwards
  29. Ate the best Raman on the street of Tokyo – in heaven. Really!
  30. Ate the best sushi the Tsukiji Fish Market – wow.  Beer/sushi at 10:00 a.m. My first for sure.
  31. Saw rap/jazz dancing in a Korean club. All the girls dressed up like MC Hammer.
  32. Ate fried locust on the street of Thailand
  33. Drink whiskey from the Scottish Whisky Society in Edinburgh
  34. Saw a naked artistic show in Edinburgh Art Festival – Wow.
  35. Realizing what I am truly good at while I am still fairly young J
  36. Told my mom how much I love her on my birthday
  37. Went to a wedding in a Castle in England

And here are some things I still want to do:

  1. Live and learn Spanish in Barcelona and Madrid
  2. Have a sip of Chai tea while looking at Taj Mahal
  3. Work in a French Restaurant in Paris while leaning French
  4. Party at Ibiza and be a bartender there for a day
  5. See all the ruins in AnkaWot
  6. See the Northern Lights while sipping a glass of Champagne
  7. Climb Grand Canyon from bottom to top or the other way around.
  8. Pet animals on Galápagos Islands
  9. Eat Pho in Saigon, the real Saigon
  10. Start an nonprofit helping kids to learn entrepreneurship skill
  11. Learn how to cook Thai food in Thailand
  12. Take the Sound of Music Tour at Salzburg
  13. Visit the birth place of Chopin
  14. Meet Jason Mraz and sing a duet with him – I am yours
  15. Run a marathon in Hawaii
  16. Archery in Scotland – Scream Brave Heart!
  17. Play Soccer with the kids in Brazil
  18. Play Frisbee in Bali
  19. Build a multi-million dollar business and sell it
  20. Own a Penthouse apartment free and clear
  21. Be inspired by the person I love every single day for the rest of my life
  22. Make a difference in someone important in my life
  23. Build a school
  24. Make my mom a grandmother
  25. Watch the “Before Sunrise” movie in Vienna and walk the trail
  26. Watch “Before Sunset” movie in Paris and walk the trail
  27. Witness a solar eclipse
  28. Paddle a boat on the Blue Lagoon
  29. Do public speaking in front of 10,000 people
  30. Be a leader in a rally
  31. Write a letter to at least 3 of your closest friends to let them know how much they mean to you
  32. Beat a video game
  33. Watch god father in New York
  34. Write a book on something that means a lot to you
  35. Put together a 10,000 person conference
  36. Learn how to walk like a model in New York
  37. Do a photo shot with cool women in Hollywood
  38. Join a social etiquette class and further refine your mannerisms
  39. Go on a blind date! (for the singles!)
  40. Learn how to play the Violin
  41. Sing and play piano with Diana Krall
  42. Win a lucky draw for a million and buy a home that day
  43. Learn how to dance Tango in Argentina
  44. Yoga Retreat in India
  45. Go on a road trip in Africa
  46. Take 3 months off travelling around the world
  47. Volunteer for a year
  48. Act in a film with Jude Law
  49. Be on the cover of Fast Company
  50. Celebrate New Year with 10 of my loved ones every year for the rest of my life
  51. Have dinner with Obama and Nelson Mandela
  52. Go to the World Cup

Let me know when you want to join me on any of these items, and I will let you know when and where we are going to do it.

June 2010  
April 2010  
February 2010  
June 2009  
April 2009  
March 2009  
February 2009  
January 2009  
December 2008  
November 2008  
October 2008  
September 2008  
August 2008  
July 2008  
June 2008  
May 2008  
April 2008  
March 2008  
February 2008  
January 2008  
December 2007  
November 2007  
October 2007  
September 2007  
August 2007  
July 2007  
June 2007  
May 2007  
April 2007  
March 2007  
February 2007