http://www.poweredbytofu.com Adventures of one quarterlife crisis and a year-long trip around the world. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:52:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I arrived in Budapest yesterday afternoon and crashed at my hostel. Although I usually try to get out and do something to fight the jet lag, I just wasn't up for it. The hostel, Budapest Bubble, I'm staying at is really small and personable. After grabbing some coffee at the ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/08/22/biking-in-budapest/ Since I got home in June, I re-activated my 24 Hour Fitness membership. Hey, unemployed people have to have something to do during the day! I'd tried their yoga classes before, but as an employed individual, it wasn't convenient to drive into Portland for yoga, since I already went to ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/07/28/17-do-yoga-for-a-month/ With a month to kill back here in Portland, I switched into planner-mode and decided finish some items on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I called a few golf courses in the area, but most classes were around $50 per lesson. This seemed pretty outrageous to me, but ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/07/23/21-get-golf-lessons/ This one was probably the easiest to accomplish while traveling. You can't travel solo and not make friends. You're forced to make friends! ;) Anyway, my first friend of the trip is probably the most memorable as we've kept in contact through the rest of my journey. We had so ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/07/18/80-make-a-new-friend/ After traveling for four months, it's hard not to approach your home town with more curiosity. After hitting all my favorite restaurants that I'd been missing (Chipotle and Ya Hala), I've checked out a few restaurants that remind me of my travels, Malay Satay Hut (Malaysian food) and this little ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/07/14/26-be-a-portland-tourist/ My only complaint with online money management software, Mint.com, was fixed today. Finally, the ability to add loan accounts! Asset (investment) accounts were added a few months ago, although my 401k provider is not listed. I was able to check it out with my IRA account though, and it's ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/07/10/how-minty-are-you/ After taking a half day rock climbing class in Krabi, Thailand, I was hooked! So I signed up for a class at the Portland Rock Gym here in town when I got back. Since it was a fairly informal "class" in Krabi, it was nice to learn all the basics, ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/07/06/20-take-a-rock-climbing-class/ I kicked the coffee habit while I was in SE Asia. Or maybe I just replaced it with tea? Or Tiger beer? Anyway, my morning headaches finally disappeared and then I found myself ordering coffee drinks at dinner as a treat instead of a necessity. Good on ya' mate! ;) http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/06/27/66-quit-drinking-coffee-for-1-month/ I forgot about this one!  I left Portland February 25, so March 25 I was... sailing the Whitsundays in Australia! At this point in my travels, it felt like I'd been out of the US for ages. So long in fact, that I'd started calling it "America" instead of "the ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/06/24/48-stay-out-of-the-us-for-1-month/ I spent the night in Beijing, in a neighborhood close to the airport. It was funny being back in China. I wandered around the neighborhood and went to the grocery store to get snacks (and cucumber chips). After a day of exploring, I was back at the airport and on ... http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2008/06/12/i-love-america/