We literally chased this hot air balloon all over Napa Valley because we couldn’t figure out where it took off or where it planned on landing.

I love hot air balloons. I’ve just never been on one because I’ve never been able to convince myself that the ride would be worth the money. Maybe one day. This is newly listed at my Etsy shop. :)

Busy bee! Quick post! If you’re looking for shipwreck photos, ta da! This print is newly listed on Etsy!

Here are some of my favourite ‘ship’ related quotes:

“The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty.”

“If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.”

“You are the master of your own ship. There are lots of people who fall into troubled waters and don’t have the guts or the knowledge or the ability to make it to shore.”

I’ve became fascinated with  3 million shipwrecks on the ocean floor and started browsing around for more shipwreck photos around the world.

I’m embarking on a new project to -professionally- overhaul this entire website. I’ve gotten away with building my own websites all these years, but I can no longer keep up with the best practices, features, functions, bells, and whistles and it is simply way too time consuming for a vastly imperfect job at the end. And let’s face it, there are a million other things that need time and attention. So, I’ve invested in a professional and the project has commenced as of today. It’ll be a while until everything comes together but at least we’re in a forward motion.

The holiday sale is here! Receive 30% off your order at my Etsy shop! Promotion is valid until November 25th, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST. :) Perhaps you’ll find a nostalgic and inspirational fine art print or two for a friend or loved one this holiday season. <3

I have a thing for them. They’re just pretty.

On this gloomy Monday, I’ll leave you with Sarah Lewis’ Embrace the Near Win TED Talk to lift your spirits. It’s just fabulous.

I love that my “eyes” will change perpetually and will never be the same as yesterday. I love having new eyes today, tomorrow, and the day after. And not just in the context of travel but in the context of life and everything in it. Every new experience, no matter what it is, brings you a slightly altered perspective and makes you see things just a little differently. It’s actually a beautiful process.

Random note: I want to think much faster on my feet! There’s a workshop that’s held in Toronto except it’s $1,500. Why so much?

And already missing the summer we didn’t have.

Today, the dream team and I are delivering a presentation on the House of Marley in our Customer Experience Design class, which is quite a phenomenal class. In a nutshell, take everything you know about marketing and turn it on its head because they’re no longer the most effective ways of reaching your consumers. It’s hard to say whether the concepts and frameworks being taught work flawlessly in practice but the value is in challenging/stretching your thinking rather than giving you a set linear formula to follow. And of course, convincing others of this new way of thinking is a challenge in itself – you’d have to a) know it really well so that b) you can articulate it really well so that c) you can sell it really well. I wish I could share all the lectures. Professor Markus Giesler teaches this course and boy does it help to have someone as passionate and energetic as him to deliver such spectacular content. The combined power of stellar delivery and engaging content is unbeatable.

I’m also really looking forward to our kick-off meeting with our site on Friday for our capstone course project, the 7-month Strategic Field Study (“601”). Our team is made of rockstars and that’s always half the battle. Funny enough, all my MBA teams thus far (no matter self selected or randomly selected) have been made of rockstars and have brought very pleasant and successful experiences. So great an experience that there is always bittersweet sadness when it’s time to adjourn. This is quite contrary to the undergraduate days where you almost always had at least one free rider in every team project who made you want to rip your hair out. Reading week officially starts next week as well. Can’t wait.

Some days I’m completely good and other days, I want to book another small trip before the year ends to hold me over. I’m flip flopping all the time. Below is Pier 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco.