Bindaas in Bali

Bindaas is a word that my friends in Mumbai introduced me to that perfectly describes my mindset right now: carefree, fashionable and independent-minded. I’m not sure about the fashionable part but the other two definitely suit me. And, I’m in Bali.
Yeah, I’m pinching myself too.

If you only know me through my blog—first off, hi there new friend! (Thank you for reading my ramblings. I’m curious as to how you found me and why you’re following me and I kinda want to hug you now, which would normally be a little weird but it’s okay because we’re friends, right? Right. Good talk.)—then you might be wondering:

1) Where have I been the past 9 months

2) How did I end up in Bali?

3) Why (re)start blogging now?

You might also be wondering the same thing if we have met in real life and we just haven’t caught up in a while. (Not having a regular commute means I’m not making as many phone calls during traffic, but I’m still around. And always reachable on email or Whatsapp or whatever)

To answer your questions:

1) I committed the cardinal sin of blogging (especially considering my professional background as a social media strategist, I know better); I stopped writing. For a very long time. A VERY long time. Exactly 10 months ago. There are so many reasons as to why and maybe I’ll write about it one day, but I take full responsibility. I chose to not prioritize my writing and blogging. It’s been eating away at me, so I’m starting, again. For the third time now? Yikes. And I’m hoping to do a complete revamp of the blog. I know, one thing at a time…

If you actually were curious as to where I physically have been, I was all over the place (mainly in Portland, Oregon with visits to Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Toronto, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario; Oahu and Maui, Hawaii; roadtripped from Portland, Oregon to Chicago, Illinois with stops in Wyoming and South Dakota; Phoenix, Arizona; Chicago, Illinois (again); Dubai, UAE; Ahmedabad, Agra, Jaipur, New Delhi, and Amritsar, India; Seattle, Washington; San Francisco, California; Kutch, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Fort Cochin, Munnar, Alleppey, and Bangalore, India; Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Seoul, Korea; and now, [currently] in Ubud, Bali)

2) I found a cheap flight. How cheap, you ask? Under $550 USD from Philadelphia, PA to Bali, Indonesia. (Philly to Detroit to Seoul [18h layover, so got to explore a little of Seoul!] to Bali on Delta Airlines and Garuda Indonesia, both excellent airlines and great flights.) How, you ask? I follow a website called The Flight Deal (and I’m following them on Facebook and Twitter. Tip: turn on Twitter notifications for them, that way you get a notification on your phone every time they tweet. Does it get noisy? Yes. Is it worth it when you score a cheap flight like mine? Absolutely.) I booked my flight back in October because I had heard great things about Bali. I picked April because I was going to India in February/March and the cheap flight was only available until April. So I gave myself a few days after returning from India to unpack, do laundry, and pack before heading back to Asia to Bali for a month. And, voila! I’m in Bali.

3) Why blog now after I’ve tried and failed at regularly blogging a few times? “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” My blog serves me in so many ways. It lets me share my experiences with my family and friends (actual and new friends who find me through the interwebs ;-)). It helps me document my experiences and thoughts so when my memory starts to go, I have something to turn to. It’s therapeutic to me to write and share. When I write, regularly, it’s something stable that I can keep going back to. A stable thing that I get to control. There are so many things in life that are beyond our control, it’s nice to have something that you get to dictate. Literally and figuratively in this case. And because (or this hopeful thinking?) you’ve missed me and want to hear from me?!

So, I’ll be writing. And sharing. And reminiscing. And learning. And growing. And failing. And rambling. And going back and retroactively writing about what I’ve been up to. And you get to see it happen, right here. (Or not, but I’m really hoping you decide to stay and read and dare-I-suggest, chat with me through comments and what not?)

Here’s to standing up for the fourth time after falling down.