Travel

So after 24 hours, 5 movies, 4 airplane meals I finally made it to Singapore. It is 2:00 am and I’m exhausted so I went straight to me hostel, the Fern Loft. When flying westward during the day, you move with the sun, so it stayed light for a very long time. I went to reach for my sunglasses (to cover my eyes for a nap) which were hanging on my search collar (true California fashion), but they weren’t there. NO Way. First my wallet, and now my sunglasses. So, it doesn’t take a genius to know that if I boarded the plan with my sunglasses, they have to still be on the plane somewhere. I looked all around, under my seat, checked the bathroom, nothing. With more than half the people on the plane speaking very little English, I decided to draw a picture to illustrate my issue.

Sure enough, someone from a few row back found them on the ground. I started feeling better after that. And now that I’m on the ground, it feels a lot better. I’m quite in the traveler’s state of mind just yet, but soon enough.

Packing for 10 weeks can be bit overwhelming. On one hand you figure ‘I must take everything – I must be prepared” while on the other hand, being over there for such a long time it is nearly impossible to account for everything prior to the trip. Well, I tried. Considering the amount of ground I will be covering, I wanted everything to mobile, out of the back pack.

I checked, double checked, triple checked. And it wasn’t until I was more than half way up to LAX, (coming from San Diego) before I realized I was missing one thing. My wallet. Perhaps it was just the one thing I over looked because it doesn’t belong in the pack. I don’t know, I can’t explain.

Well… Dad Came to rescue – He Dropped everything, met my brother at the park and ride to grab my wallet, charged up Highway 5 to the 405, getting to LAX in the nick of time. I was sweating bullets, pulling my hair out, all of the above. The airport staff was able to expedite the wallet pass security and rush it up to the boarding gate. It all came together. Quite incredible.

So I took this as a lesson to stop and think. You know, keep my feet on the ground. Even though, right now I am 32,000 up in the air.

Cavin Fellowship 2010

Well, here is how it all began. 1 design project, 4 days to complete. The stakes were high and competition tight.

Of all the "all-nighters" in my architecture life, this one in particular, was by far the most rewarding.

To read more about the winning submission, click here.

So... after a lil shock and a lot of planning I have a little more than a week until I leave for my trip. First up ... Singapore.