… I both hated and loved the next 45 minutes of my existence. I hated the fact that it was cold, slippery and lonely and that my eye balls were being pummelled by snowflakes. But I loved the fact that I was out there pounding through my sets and feeling the burn. With each journey up the stairs/hill, the layer of snow got thicker on the ground, but my mission got more empowered. …
Kim and Karen continue their family world tour. On a quiet Thai island they had free internet, catching us up on the travelogue:
… Koh Lanta is on the west coast of Thailand, about 70 kilometers from Krabi bordering the Andaman Sea. The temperature was between 35 -40 degrees daily, … the sea temperature was between 26 – 28 degrees so it wasn’t as cool and refreshing as you needed at times. The island only has 20,000 people
… The agenda was pretty simple: Planning for the rest of the trip, swimming, drinking pineapple shakes and watching some of the best sunsets I have ever seen while eating supper at the beach restaurants.
There is not too much to do on Koh Lanta and needless to say, we found it very relaxing and reflective and we enjoyed the down time before we ramp up for India, Jordan and Egypt.
We did do a snorkeling day trip to Koh Rok, a small island 45 minutes away. We snorkeled at 3 different places and enjoyed lunch on the island. There were big monitor lizards lounging around the lunch tables, waiting for scraps. It was this islands version of a begging dog. …
We are sharing for good reason—not because we are insane, exhibitionistic, or drunk. We are sharing because, at last, we can, and we find benefit in it. Sharing is a social and generous act: it connects us, it establishes and improves relationships, it builds trust, it disarms strangers and stigmas, it fosters the wisdom of the crowd, it enables collaboration, and it empowers us to find, form and act as publics of our own making.
For individuals, sharing is a choice; that is the essence of privacy.
Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, told me that before the net, we had “privacy through obscurity”. We had little chance to be public because we had little access to the tools of publicness: the press, the stage, the broadcast tower (their proprietors were last century’s 1%). Today, we have the opportunity to create, share and connect, and 845m people choose to do so on Facebook alone. Mr Zuckerberg says he is not changing their nature; he is enabling it. …
Kate struck a nerve with her recent article in Swerve – Lonely Town.
She reflects on her personal experience after reading a the Globe and Mail story called “Alone, so alone, in Vancouver”:
… I’ve been complaining about loneliness in my adopted city for years, often to skeptical Calgarians who spend their holidays merrily tromping through our rainforest.
My husband has had two career moves that brought us to Vancouver from Calgary, the last time in 2001. This lovely city offers many pleasures; still, as we enter our 12th year here, we constantly dream of Calgary, where, when we visit, our generous, exuberant friends are as eager to seize any chance to see us as they were back when we lived there. In those days we got together all the time, no matter what the weather. At home in rainy North Vancouver, weekends come and go with nary a phone call. If we want to play host, we have to book people weeks in advance. …
Kim and Karin’s young son won a contest to have his Doodle up on the Google home page for 24hrs Down Under.
CONGRATS.
The family is on the road: Bali, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, India (if the visa’s come in time) Jordan, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Namibia, South Africa, Dubai, Argentina and Peru
Beautiful video by Michael Glaser documenting a trip by family and friends up Two Pine to commemorate the anniversary of his dad Rob’s passing. Thanks for this, Michael. It’s a fitting tribute that generously shares the experience to those who couldn’t be there today. I can feel the snow on my face.
… Koh Lanta is on the west coast of Thailand, about 70 kilometers from Krabi bordering the Andaman Sea. The temperature was between 35 -40 degrees daily, … the sea temperature was between 26 – 28 degrees so it wasn’t as cool and refreshing as you needed at times. The island only has 20,000 people
We are sharing for good reason—not because we are insane, exhibitionistic, or drunk. We are sharing because, at last, we can, and we find benefit in it. Sharing is a social and generous act: it connects us, it establishes and improves relationships, it builds trust, it disarms strangers and stigmas, it fosters the wisdom of the crowd, it enables collaboration, and it empowers us to find, form and act as publics of our own making.
Rick McCharles 