gypsy | Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink

Jan 06 2014

The year is new.

Oh, so it is. I’m usually much more on top of my New Year’s posts, but 2013 was one heck of a year and I wasn’t really sure where to start. Then I thought, I’ll just begin with what’s always closest to my heart: the food. (And drink.) And I’m gonna preemptively put a few dollars in the proverbial jar, because I’m about to sound like a… well, maybe just don’t read this if you’re prone to fits of jealous rage. Right, the food… Continue reading →

Tagged 2013, adventure, asia, asp, Australia, brazil, europe, family, flights, france, friends, gypsy, helicopter, hire car, miles, miles flown, new year, new year's, new zealand, numbers, portugal, singapore sling, skiing, south america, southeast asia, statistics, strike mission, surf, surfing, travel, traveled, traveling, wanderlust, world tour, year's end

Nov 28 2013

2 Comments

Benevolence, Hither and Thither

Sap Sap Sappy Thanksgiving 2oThirteen.

This Thanksgiving Eve finds me sitting at an Ikea kitchen table that I shared with an ex, once upon a time. It’s now in my bedroom. In my parents’ house. There’s only one chair. (The other one was lost in a flood.) It’s also from Ikea. This visual gets more depressing with every passing detail. There’s even a candle. Unlit. And an opened box of Entenmann’s “donuts.” And a feline reposing in my lap. Just kidding… about those last two things, anyway.

The floor behind me is, literally, covered with books and laundry and 10 pairs of shoes and five pieces of luggage and 37 pieces of cameras and a statue of Ganesha.

So, at 28, this probably isn’t exactly where most people would want to be. But I am thankful to be here.

This has been one crazy year (so far). I didn’t realise until my mum brought it to my attention, but I set foot on five continents in eight months. That’s, like, the definition of a crazy year. But also the definition of a remarkable year.

Continue reading →

Tagged adult, Australia, continent, editor, espn, europe, family, france, friends, give, grateful, grown-up, gypsy, happy, holiday, home, house, ikea, moving, new zealand, nomad, paris, passion, ski, surf, thank, thankful, thanks, thanksgiving, thanksgiving eve, the u.s., transient, travel, u.s., wanderer, work, write

Aug 28 2013

#LivingTheDream / “Risky Biscuits” . #Singapore .

Singapore.

Tuesday, 27 August. 9:09 p.m..

Dinner time. Again.

I’ve been in Singapore for 3.5 hours and it would be incredibly easy, if not for the fact that everything seems to require cash. money. dolla’ dolla’ bills, yo.

As a freelance journalist and gypsy, I probably rely [a little too heavily] upon worldwide acceptance of Visa cards in moments when bills that need to be paid eclipse invoices that have been paid. This is one of those moments.

Upon disembarking after my 11-hour flight from Auckland, I sent an email to the madre that stated, “I’m here! Got a new stamp in the ol’ passport, just waiting for my bag then heading to the city. Love you!” I collected said bag and discovered that I needed cash to buy a ride on the city shuttle. I needed SGD $9. With fear in my heart, I headed to the nearest ATM and my fears were realised when I saw that TD Bank had withdrawn its malevolent maintenance fee with laughably poor timing. Also, I hadn’t been paid in the previous 11 hours. In short, I was penniless. Literally. And I was stuck in the airport.

I happened to have some random international currency in my wallet and I pathetically exchanged five Aussie dollars and five U.S. dollars for a little more than 11 Singaporean bucks and slunk onto the shuttle. When I arrived at Pillows & Toast Heritage, I was reminded that I’d only booked the room with a deposit and–guess what! This hostel only accepts cash payments. Feck.

I was reduced to asking for a mini loan from my mum, which, I can tell you, does not feel good.

On the bright side, I can eat with chopsticks…

Someone recently told me that living this way is “risky biscuits.” I was like, “Yeah, heh.” And I merely thought, I’m gonna steal that turn of phrase. Today, as I contemplated purchasing strangers’ overpriced Frappuccinos in exchange for cold, hard cash, in order to escape the aeropuerto, I saw cookies in an utterly unappetising light. For the first time in the history of me.

Come on, lifestyle sponsor, where are you?

Tagged airport, asia, ATM, behaviour, biscuit, broke, cash, changi, cookie, credit, credit card, currency, dollar, embarrassing, exchange, fee, frappuccino, freelance, gypsy, international, lifestyle, loan, mom, money, mum, new zealand, passport, pathetic, penniless, plastic, purchase, risky, singapore, sponsor, starbucks, stuck, TD Bank, travel, vagabond, wifi

Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink

Hijinks On The High Seas… And Beyond

Tag Archives: gypsy

The year is new.

Sap Sap Sappy Thanksgiving 2oThirteen.