Botox, yeah baby!

Botox, yeah baby!

Excuse me if I don’t smile for the next 4 months I’ve just had my face selectively paralysed in the name of beauty, the pursuit of youth, and most importantly because it was something I hadn’t tried before. Actually I’m joking, not about the Botox, but about being able to smile. I can still smile. A doctor friend who youth-ens, beautifies, and generally clarifies people’s...

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Family Time

Family Time

My pets come together each morning and bestow their affection on me at the most inopportune of places and times. My street puppy Cenizo follows me around all the time. At first I thought it was insecurity. It’s a big world out there and as Dad I offer sense of safety. But then he started to get brave, and now if left off the leash the distance I can walk before he’ll race to catch up to me...

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‘Til We Meet Again Oprah

‘Til We Meet Again Oprah

Thanks for the insight, for the inspiration … we’ll take it from here. I just watched the final Oprah episode. (Thanks to a neighbour with Tivo and a television – I have neither). Her last show was simply Oprah, no guests, standing in front of the camera giving thanks to her audience the world over that have supported her these past 25 years and sharing for the last time all the...

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Life Got in the Way

Life Got in the Way

So here I was a couple of months ago humming along quite fine. My life had rhythm, it had structure. I was writing regularly, I was getting to the gym – gaining weight – eating healthily, sleeping well, and challenging myself by learning Spanish here in Guatemala. Most importantly I was content. That was the last time that most of you would have heard from me. So much has happened since...

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Losing Momentum

Losing Momentum

Sometimes life’s curve balls force a temporary timeout but don’t let a slowdown in momentum mean a loss of determination. Who would have ever thought that playing Ultimate Frisbee would result in a cracked rib? I mean it’s only frisbee, gosh darn it! But that’s exactly what happened to me last week after a giant Thor-like opponent tackled me to the ground as I...

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The Lessons of Golf in the Game of Life

The Lessons of Golf in the Game of Life

I play a game of golf once a year. I’m not bad for only playing once a year, but let’s be honest I’m not great either. I once took a golfing lesson from an Australian golf-pro in Vietnam so I know the basics of how to stand, swing, and stay focussed on the ball despite the distraction of the swing and the overriding desire to see where the ball went. Sounds easy right, but it’s actually...

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A Dinner Party with a Difference

A Dinner Party with a Difference

Here’s a novel suggestion for your next dinner party (particularly if, like me, your cooking skills are limited to making toast and preparing cereal – which I do very well I might add!) : Invite your friends to your house and ask them to cook. Before you race to judge my dinner invitation as inhospitable and selfish, let me explain: I’ve never quite understood the traditional dinner party....

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The Importance of Making the Bed

The Importance of Making the Bed

I’m not naturally a Bed-Maker. In fact, I’m more the “Defend-My-Right-To-Not-Make-The-Bed” kinda guy. (Or at least I was.) I lived with a Bed-Maker for some time and without fail whether it was first thing in the morning or what seemed like the last thing at night – just when I’d think I’d been successful in my anti-establishment campaign to leave the sheets and covers askew for...

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Dining on a Bridge

Dining on a Bridge

For me, life is always sweetest when it unfolds to reveal a surprising treat that I hadn’t planned on but have the opportunity to savour. I’m always amazed how often these opportunities present themselves – sometimes it’s a case of stumbling across them, while other times it’s about seeing something in the distance/out of the corner of your eye and altering course to investigate...

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When the Band Plays (Go Marching In!)

When the Band Plays (Go Marching In!)

I was at my mum’s on a Sunday afternoon late in the summer, when I could hear music from a live band wafting across the backyard. “What’s that?” I asked. “Oh, they have a live band giving free concerts every weekend throughout the summer. I’ve been meaning to go down and see it,” she said. “Maybe next weekend I’ll remember.” “What about now?” I countered. “When the band...

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Friend Bumping

Friend Bumping

“Am I dreaming or did you just rollerblade past my taxi in Rio de Janeiro?” So read the text message I received when I returned home from my regular morning rollerblade along Rio’s four beaches – Leblon, Ipanema, Copacabana and Leme. It was from a Parisian friend who didn’t know that I was living in Rio and just happened to spot me in the split second he looked up during a cab ride...

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Part of the Fabric

Part of the Fabric

Sometimes when travelling, seeing spectacular attractions is not as important as experiencing and appreciating normal everyday local life. I am currently in Italy, a country that holds a special place in my life. It was here, 21-years ago, that I jumped into the great unknown and visited my first non-English speaking country, cementing my road to The Experience Junkie and kick-starting my travel...

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