Buying tickets (2009-05-07/08)

Furlough travel plans led me to once again purchase international flights leaving 2009-05-16 and returning 2009-07-01. Here's the itinerary:

• New Zealand (Christchurch to Aukland) 2009-05-18/30
• Indonesia (Denpasar, Bali) 2009-05-30/06-13
• Thailand (Bangkok) 2009-06-13/23
• Japan (Tokyo) 2009-06-23/07-01

A Circle Pacific ticket appears twice as expensive, so these are changeable (for a fee) and refundable flights, in case we want to go to China or return to the US.

Planning contigencies (2009-05-06)

There's the chance of work in China, but I'm going traveling on furlough. It appears it's possible to obtain a Chinese business visa in Hong Kong, where an American citizen can visit for 90 days without a visa. I liked Hong Kong, so a trip there is a contingency plan in case of work in China.

Planning travel (2009-05-01/05)

There's time to travel. Once again the questions are "Where should William go?" and "What should William do?"

Where Should William Go?

I've been to Asia (China) since I last asked these questions on my blog. The continents (besides Antarctica) that I haven't visited are South America (though of course I live in the Americas) and Australia (though I have been to Oceania, which includes Australasia). If I went to South America I'd want to practice Spanish. I'm resuming Mandarin, so Australasia seems good.

In fact, it might be fun to circle the pacific (see "Part II of the Vision" and "How do you arrange your flights?" on The Art of Non-Conformity). Previous comments recommended New Zealand, Thailand, and Japan. I've found friends and friends of friends recommend Bali.

What Should William Do?

Below are my travel priorities:

1. Photograph wildlife. Since fantasy was an early inspiration to travel, why not photograph a dragon? Another possibility is kiwi-spotting in Trounson Kauri Park.
   
2. Walk. While it's almost winter in New Zealand, there might be great walks.
   
3. See mountains. The Lord of the Rings movies suggest beautiful mountains in New Zealand. In addition, Ryan offered to climb Mount Fuji to persuade me to visit Japan.
   
4. Visit forests.
5. Sail.
6. Visit ruins.
7. See castles.

That's a lot to cover! Aside from living in Paris, my longest trip to date was one month in east Africa. I'd like to travel longer than a month this time.

[Resized photograph.]

Planning furlough (2009-04-27/30)

Despite the prospect of work in China, there is currently little coaching or development management for me. Consequently my company sent me on furlough. The finances suggest the furlough could stop in 30 to 60 days; sales staff suggest it will stop sooner. Since I've saved (expenses and taxes at home average 52% of income), this seems like an opportunity to both help my employer and to travel while I'm still brave enough to do it. I think it is more likely than not that there will be work when I return.

[Resized photograph.]

Resuming Mandarin (2009-05-03)

It's a coin toss whether I will return to China this summer--this time with a business visa for coaching, consulting, or development. My employer might have an opportunity, and might send me. Asking simple questions before a Friday social (你想喝葡萄酒吗/Nǐ xiǎng hē pútáojiǔ ma/Do you want to drink wine?) suggests my rudimentary Mandarin study makes me the best non-native speaker in the office. I would enjoy traveling China again, and I need work, so I have resumed studying in hope of temporarily relocating there.

Imagining financial planning (2008-08-06)

Another life I imagine might be some sort of a financial planner. Clearly I like to play with numbers, and review personal finance books (e.g., illustrating compound interest and the cost of current gratification, or explaining stocks and bonds). While I'd like further education, I already have some competence with finance, following this advice:

• Simplify by donating or selling unneeded items.
• Maintain a used car as long as possible (e.g., by minimizing driving).
  
• Have no debt--in fact, through budgeting save an emergency fund for one year's expenses.
  
• Save and research for major purchases (including SIFF and travel).
• Pay bills online automatically.
  
• Almost always pay the full balance on credit cards selected for their features.
• Regularly review three free credit reports.
  
• Contribute to an (Roth or traditional) IRA.
• Use savings to defer income in order to start a business.
  
• Research and purchase auto, dental, disability, liability, life, medical, renter's, and vision insurance, combining when possible.
  
• Have an estate plan.
  
• Set up a 401(k) and fully fund it.
• Periodically review asset allocation.
• Have written goals and milestones for net worth and retirement.

While I'm not (yet) a millionaire, I would be interested in coaching others in Seattle, particularly those starting out in technical fields.

[Corrected wording.]

Imagining travel writing (2008-08-02)

Although it is probably more efficient to make needed money with another interest and take time to travel, I sometimes wonder what life would be like as a freelance travel writer and photographer. It's fun to imagine other lives.

I would continue my quest to visit every continent (except Antarctica), and then visit various regions within each continent. Without worrying about other income, I would also travel more slowly, writing each day--rather than recording only a small portion of the trip afterwards (like China, Paris, Hawai`i, east Africa, or the perimeter of the USA) or not at all (like Germany, Los Cabos, Banff National Park, or Honduras). That way I would finish my recollections before my next trip began! (For example, I don't remember which cathedral in Germany I was in when I took this natural light photograph.)

[Edited link.]

Hiking Boulder River (2008-07-26)

For me, July 2008 has included three short hikes a short drive from Seattle:

• St. Edward's Park with graduate school colleagues on ---05,
  
• Cougar Mountain (though I considered Ebeys Landing) with friends on ---12, and
• Boulder River with my dad on ---26.

A couple of these let me spend part of a day in the forest--one of my goals for this year. Only on the most recent hike did I remember my camera. I'm enjoying the exercise.

Building SF ATIS (2003-06-07/2004-03-24)

Sending the final invoice this month for maintenance of the real-time Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) Web site for the San Francisco Bay area has me reflecting on my company's past projects to discern what I would like to do next. I liked managing a team to build the site using repeatable processes. I contributed by implementing the site's driving times calculations in SQL and VBScript, writing an SQL test suite, and configuring Big Brother monitoring. Often I reviewed code and design documentation. In fact, some days I mostly made decisions. The result was an accessible and easy-to-use map and text system capable of delivering a million page views per day via (BIG-IP) load-balancing two three-server stacks.

I'm proud of our ability to rapidly reach this result within a fixed fee and schedule. Our team took less time to revise the requirements and build the site than the previous company had taken to produce the requirements--and did so in the remaining budget!

Seeing Forbidden City (2008-05-14)

Walking around in the summer warmth of the famous Forbidden City, taking photographs of the red buildings, I feel the elation of a first meeting with someone beautiful. Forbidden City is a fling, however, as I doubt I could live in Běijīng knowing that the sky is not misty but smoggy.

There are surprisingly few people in Forbidden City in the early morning as we work our way south to Tiān'ānmén Square. The crowds arrive later and travel north. We hear Spanish in the gift shop and chat with a traveler from Spain.

After Forbidden City, Tiān'ānmén Square, and a disappointing lunch, jet lag lures us into a nap before a Peking Roast Duck dinner at Quanjude. A friend of a friend who is in Běijīng working for Microsoft meets us. The duck there is delicious.

[Added more links.]