As I write this note Melbourne is in a state of quasi Coronavirus lockdown. People can still wander around, schools are open. As are most of the shops. However people are increasingly working from home and normally busy streets in the CBD are empty. For those of us on the path to financial independence, or … Continue reading Imposed Frugality
When planning a long term bike tour there really isn't much point in doing anything more then outlining a rough route and schedule. There's simply too many unexpected events that can disrupt the best laid intentions. A broken bike chain, an injury, visa/passport issues can all wreck having with a schedule. However, when I was … Continue reading Bike Touring a world afflicted by coronavirus
For the last two months I've reentered the workforce on a 3-month contract, after having had the past 13 months off work. I'm working as a Project Manager in one of the big Australian banks, so it's very much a quintessential corporate IT gig. Before starting I actually calculated how much of the rest of … Continue reading Back to work……
Last week I cleared space on a wall in my spare bedroom, switched on the printer, grabbed my coloured pens and post-it notes and got started planning my cycle tour from Melbourne to Lisbon. I've been dreaming of this trip since getting back from my first serious bikepacking trip around the South Island of New … Continue reading Planning a bike tour
Back in July I travelled with my wife on a trip from Australia to China, Korea the Philippines and then back to Australia. All up we took 6 flights. According to the website Atmosfair between us we were responsible for a total of 8,817kg carbon emissions. That's an absolutely crazy amount of damage and it completely … Continue reading Calculating carbon emissions
A few weeks ago, when we were visiting South Korea, I escaped the hustle and bustle of Seoul and spent a couple of nights at a temple with my wife. We joined a 2-night stay at Jeondeungsa Temple. This temple is nestled in a wooded valley on an island close to the North Korean border, … Continue reading Templestay Korea
I have long legs and this means that long distance flights in standard economy class seat are agony. This is why, over the years, I've developed a strategy to improve my chances of being assigned a free exit row seat. The first thing I've learned is to always check-in at the airport. Those emails airlines … Continue reading How I secure an exit row seat
All over China loudspeakers blast out public service announcements that, in Australia, would seem borderline patronizing. I heard on one train journey: "Smoking is prohibited on this train" "Take care of your children and keep them away from hot surfaces" "Be careful putting liquids on the foldout table in front of you" The most interesting, … Continue reading “Stop staring at your phones”
I've just spent a couple of days in Shenzhen and Dongguan, visiting some of the factories that will be supplying Below7 products. It's the first time I've done anything like this before and I've learned a lot. Now it's time to reflect on what I did right, what I did wrong and what I'll improve … Continue reading Visiting factories in China
Starting some sort of Tech Startup isn't for everyone and its inherent financial uncertainty goes against the doctrine of a traditional FIRE strategy. However, it's a path that many tech entrepreneurs have done fantastically well from and is something that anyone in Tech should at least consider. Why do this? Anyone can start a business. … Continue reading TechFI: The Tech Startup
