Momentos – July 2017

These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.

1

After interviewing Janet yesterday I’m thinking I should move on from freelance web design. It’s fairly easy money, but it doesn’t fit in with anything else I’m doing. Wouldn’t I be better off doing freelance writing and blogging? That way, like Janet, I could earn a living while honing my craft, expanding my network, and building my brand. Wouldn’t earn as much to start, but long-term it would be the smart play.

2

From this rented apartment in Moscow I had five Skype calls today: 3M1K students in India and Kenya, someone interested in 3M1K in Amsterdam, a friend in Mexico, and my parents in Ireland. That’s instant communication with people on four different continents, and I took it completely for granted until I sat down to write this and thought about my day.

3

Definition of amortal: “Unable to die from disease or age. Immortal if no physical ailment befalls you.” Human technology could be advanced enough thirty years from now to make amortality possible. Would that make us more cautious, unwilling to take risks? Die snowboarding today and you’ll miss out on ~50 more years of living. But die doing that in an amortal future and you’ll miss out on eternity.

4

Apparently there are 243 stations on the Moscow Metro system. I’m wondering if it’s possible to hit all of them in a single day. You know, just for kicks. The metro opens at 5am and closes at 1am. That would give me 20 hours, which works out to about six minutes per station, including travel time. Bring some friends, shoot some video, make a day of it.

5

One of the great things about running this 3M1K biz is that I learn a lot on the job. Through it all I’ve become a much better marketer, copywriter and freelancer. But perhaps most beneficial has been doing regular Skype calls with members, lots of practice listening and coaching. I still have plenty of room for growth, but starting to appreciate how far I’ve come.

6

Feasting at a little corner kebab shop in Istanbul, the kind of place where old men gather for a chat, throwing scraps to a couple of cats. Weather’s perfect, faces in windows and balconies, in the air there’s the evening call to prayer. A kid walks through care-free, stepping on the backs of his shoes. Across the way at a grocery there are two women in hijab smiling with a young man. One reaches out and touches his face.

7

Been a good day. Epic slow breakfast with more plates than could fit on the table. Long walks through the city. Blue mosque, iced coffee, stray cats, lamb kebab. Now it’s almost midnight and we’re on a party boat on the Bosporus with friends met in Tenerife. But I’m wrecked and have taken to hiding in a quiet spot below deck to conserve a bit of energy. Not as young as I used to be.

8

Shoe shine guy crossing the street in front of us drops a brush and we call after him. He’s all grateful and insists on serving me. I cave too easily, knowing it’s not going to be a freebie, and thinking it might have been a setup from the start. Confirmed a couple hours later when someone else drops a brush in front of us. We say nothing to this dude, just give him the stink eye when he turns back to retrieve his bait.

9

Step-counter app says we walked 33 kilometers the previous two days. Combine that with the heat here and it makes sense I’m wrecked. Would probably have stayed in resting all day if I was on my own. But traveling with a partner you feel obliged to make the most of it, to get out and do stuff. Tonight that stuff was drinks at a rooftop bar watching the sunlight fade and a red moon rise.

10

Almost 2,000 people have died in terrorist attacks in Turkey since the turn of the century, about half of them in the last 2.5 years. What worries me though is that almost every taxi I’ve taken in Istanbul has unusable seat belts. Check the numbers and you’ll see that 7,300 people were killed in traffic accidents in this country last year. But everyone’s all terror this and terror that and they don’t say shit about buckling up. 1

11

Layover in Bahrain at the fanciest lounge I’ve ever seen, with a massive spread of free food and attendants standing by. In prep for an upcoming podcast, I spend my time skimming The Vegetarian Myth and watching Cowspiracy, then proceed to feel like I shouldn’t be eating anything here. It was all probably produced unsustainably, and shipped in from thousands of miles away. But I eat it all anyway.

12

Fairly safe to say that most male tourists come to Thailand for sex and/or inebriation. When I first came here five years ago, I didn’t drink but I was definitely giddy at the prospect of the other thing. Now I’m all committed, that’s off the cards, too. It’s palpable on the plane though, all the lads with their smirks and beer bellies and lingering looks at the flight attendants, debauchery on their minds.

13

I’m here in Chiang Mai to learn how to fight, and I got stuck in today. An hour of boxing training, followed by ninety minutes of BJJ. Didn’t get to spar in the ring, but rolled quite a bit on the mat. My height was giving people problems, but they were giving me more. Still, I enjoyed it immensely. Something about that rough and tumble physical contact that’s good for the soul.

14

MMA sparring today, which was exhausting but so much fun. Got my ass kicked several times. Held my own a few times too but pretty sure that was when they were going easy on me or working on specific parts of their game. Also took a nice shot to the left eye, drew a little blood and left me with a good bruise. I’m secretly delighted.

15

Organized a dinner with seven friends tonight. Except I’d never met four of them before. Two I’d only known online for years, and one was a friend of another online friend. Two of the seven in 3M1K, five nationalities between us, many a story shared and lots of good food consumed. Just a random Saturday night in Chiang Mai.

16

My key habit for today has been to rest, and I’ve done a good job of that, Netflix binging from a horizontal position for most of it. Now it’s evening and I’m down the street waiting on a coconut smoothie and two helpings of pad thai from the food carts – which will cost me all of $4 – and taking a moment to look around and appreciate something I haven’t appreciated before.

17

Muay thai and BJJ practice again today. Loving it all, but wary that I’m learning too much sport and not enough self-defense. There’s talk in training of techniques to score points, and when you know someone isn’t allowed to punch you in the face or kick you in the nuts you leave those areas wide open. Still, much better this than nothing.

18

On my way back from training, did an hour of boxing today. Got some Dire Straits in my ears as I ride the scooter down streets lined with pagodas and memories. That stadium over there, a pink hotel on the corner, that little music spot by the moat… can’t help but smile thinking back. Life’s been good to me.

19

Ever since reading Cal Newport’s book last year I’ve been measuring hours spent on deep work, aiming for at least 60 each month, about 15 each week. This month is two-thirds done and so far I’ve only racked up 23.4 hours of deep work. That’s mostly because of travel. Got very little done in Istanbul and I’ll get very little done in Japan. Visiting such places is nice, but my work has to suffer for it.

20

Was told today of a Dutch man who worked all his life, never married, no kids, and never left the Netherlands until he retired at 65. Then he took a trip to Southeast Asia and traveled around a bit. That’s all I know of the story, and there’s surely more to it, but still it strikes me as a sad life. Work all through your prime and then get a little reward at the end? What a waste.

21

And then right after hearing that story I end up sitting in front of my computer all day, trying to churn through a bunch of work stuff. Even decided to skip training, though that was partly to give my back a rest, too. Feeling nicely accomplished though as I wrap things up tonight. Launching another product next week and I’ll have a good break from work while in Japan. Discipline equals freedom.

22

People are quick to throw out the “racist” label nowadays. “That’s racist!” they’ll say, though it usually isn’t. It’s like someone screaming “MURDERER!” at you because you brushed your teeth and killed a bunch of bacteria. But more important, when you label someone racist, even if it’s justified, you destroy any chance of having a conversation with them, of having them appreciate where they might have gone wrong.

23

Just finished recording a two-hour podcast with the Cuz on the topic of eating animals. We went deep on it, talking about souls and consciousness and the holocaust… all the while trying not to be too preachy. I don’t think we can be preachy actually, because neither of us have good answers, just lots of questions and contradictions what with our human brains and all.

24

Final fight class. Skipped the last two because of back pain but sucked it up today. An hour of MMA, then muay thai sparring. Took some hard kicks down low and punches up high. Sometimes you think you’re doing great and then a right hook comes out of nowhere. These past two weeks have been a decent intro to the fighting world. I still know almost nothing, but that’s more than I knew before.

25

I love lounge access, man. Less food options now that I’ve resolved to be more disciplined about vegetarianism, but I still get a kick out of rolling up to a lounge, handing over my special black card and getting ushered in to a plush hideaway like a VIP. The lounge in Chiang Mai today even had a 15-minute complimentary massage.

26

First time in Tokyo. Trying to appreciate it despite the pouring rain and only four hours of sleep and two weird plastic-wrapped rice ball things for breakfast. There are moments. Reuniting with herself, of course. But also that graceful old lady writing on the train. And me trying all the buttons alongside the toilet. And how damn polite and friendly everyone is here.

27

Heading up a stack of steps to a shrine. Everything’s so clean even though there are no bins. There are signs warning about bears, monkeys, snakes and boars. An old man is exercising up and down the steps, inviting us to join. We’re alone when we get to the top. On a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji big and bold from here, framed with cherry blossoms in the spring. Now it’s not so spectacular. We have to settle for stellar.

28

Random “superpower” I’d love to have: the ability to fall asleep instantly, whenever I choose. There are nights when I’m wrecked tired yet lie awake for hours, mind racing. Or days like today, traveling from A to B to C on a bus, a bullet and a train… trying to nod off for a little bit to catch up on some z’s… but nothing doing. The result is me sitting on my ass most of the day and being dog-tired by the end of it.

29

There’s a narrow pedestrian street that runs through Nabeyacho in Kyoto, discreet little bars and restaurants all along and in the alleys perpendicular. Neat wooden facades, tiny gardens, occasional lanterns, hushed conversation. We see an elderly couple exit a restaurant with a host and watch as bows are exchanged until the couple disappears around a distant corner.

30

Second lap of a supermarket in Nara, on the hunt for some food to comfort my tired and limping self. Trying to do the vegetarian thing but the deck is stacked against me here in Japan. Sushi seems like the best compromise this eve. Will pick up some muesli and yogurt and flowers as well. Then head to the checkout for an encounter with another beaming worker bee.

31

Hundreds of tame deer in the park here. Quite the scene with them wandering over little bridges, across open fields, along gentle streams. Flowers in the foreground and the tops of temples and pagodas peeking from the tress. You buy soft crackers and the deer walk right up and eat them out of your hand. Some have even learned the trick of giving you a little bow before and after, proper Japanese style.