Bill Riddell

Around SE Asia by Facebook

I had planned to write the travel diary of lifetime – accompanied by brilliant photography, a masterstroke of photo-journalism. Or something like that. I had pens, a laptop, two cameras, notepads, moleskins and every other device needed to document a month-plus lap around South East Asia.

I made a few early attempts, writing in the cramped cocoon of my sleeper cabin from KL, Malaysia to Hat Yai, Thailand. On arrival at our first destination, Koh Samui for New Years, I managed to write a bit on my laptop and on the ferry back to the mainland I scribbled away furiously on the rear deck in my moleskin.

However it did not last…

The only place that I consistently detailed the journey was Facebook.

Via patchy WiFi connections in hotels, backpackers, airports and coffee shops I updated friends and family every few days. Spurred on by encouraging replies and many thumbs-up for my micro-blogging style I present here my lightly edited updates and replies along with a few photos.

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Castles in the Air

Confession time – I’m a dreamer. Always have been and probably always will be.

In my mind I have travelled the world, done great deeds, associated with the wonderful/talented/beautiful and amassed great wealth via many ingenious ideas.

Furthermore I have spent countless hours planning my dream life. Researching what car to buy, where to live, what to do with my endlessly idle time and which supermodel to date – once I’ve made it.

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Traveling Away From Yourself

I’ve recently returned home after spending the year so far (and the last few days of 2009) travelling South East Asia at a manic pace with a very good friend.

In that time we covered 4 countries (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia), explored 14 cities and encountered countless new people (tourists & locals) while coming to terms with the new cultures and centuries of history.

This time has opened my eyes to the power of travel to transform our lives, in part by leaving elements of our identity behind and absorbing new ones on the road.

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Doing and Doing Well – Writing, Driving & More

Skill sets and sub-skill sets, racing and driving, paddling and swimming, finger painting and creating a masterpiece. Technically they are all the same thing – but in reality worlds apart.

Lets examine some examples of doing and doing well…

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My Thoughts on Religon

I think religion is a bit like communism – in theory its is wonderful notion (a community of people sharing for the greater good). But anything can be corrupted or misinterpreted.

My belief is that religion served a vital purpose many years ago and that purpose has been eroded over the last few century’s.

That purpose is primarily to make people conform to and live by a set of standards. Today we have laws to abide by (otherwise we will be punished) and socially reinforced norms of behaviour (which will leave us as social outcasts if we do not follow) that for the most part take away the usefulness of religion.

“Major religions are examples of ‘noble lies’ aimed at uplifting human stature.” – Jack Miller

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Dead Tired – How to Sleep & Stop Killing Yourself

I-ve heard the phrase before, but it never ceases to shock me – “Sleep when I’m dead.”

To me that is completely the wrong attitude – if you are not sleeping correctly death will creep up on you sooner. Sleep deprivation has enormous affects on your health.

In the short term it can result in muscle pain (the body heals stressed muscles when you sleep), irritability, depression, poor memory and more.

In the long term it can contribute to Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, obesity and more. Sleep deprivation is even an effective form of torture.

Researchers have shown that people who have been awake for more than 16 hours are more of a risk driving than those with a blood alcohol content of .05 – it affects your motor skills and judgement. It is also shown to have a significant impact on school grades.

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Baffle Them With Bullshit

The rise of bullshit. It’s everywhere.

“If you can’t convince them, confuse them.” – Harry S. Truman

Or as my old teacher said – “If you cant dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bullshit.”

In interviews politicians and the like dance around a question for hours with bullshit and bravado, like a bullfighter taunting and teasing the interviewer. Never standing directly in the way of the question, waving their red cape around in a flurry and simply stepping out of the way when necessary.

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The Fog of Writing

You may have heard about ‘the fog of war’ – where mistakes occur due to confusion, incompetence and enemy tactics. Perhaps the battlefield is too big and you are overwhelmed, or it may be you are unaware of what you may face.

I’m discovering more and more that there is also a fog of writing, where you get in too deep, too immersed in your own writing and things begin to loose meaning, direction – even all sense.

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The Animal Saga Begins

Lately whenever writers block sets in I have found myself writing about my family’s history with pets. Over my 23 years we have had that many that I truly could write a book about them. I haven’t got their yet, however from time to time I will share some of my progress in an ongoing saga. Here is the first part, which deals with some of our cats.

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My family home, a few acres of what could be classed as a hobby farm set amongst bushland (native Australian forest) is really a pet cemetery. I would love to see archaeologists digging up the grounds in thousands of years and trying to explain so many remains.

Taking pride of place amongst most of the unmarked graves is Dennis. Dennis was the wise Buddha of our family’s many cats. He eventually taught most of what he knew to Spaz, his protege. They looked quite alike, both ginger, except Spaz was fat and had patches of white on his feet and chest.

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Trust Yourself – The Importance of Self Reliance

What do you do when the world around you is getting hostile? When the people you loved and the people society tells you to trust, have turned against you? When even your beloved parents say that you are wrong?

Do you believe them? Do you give up your way of thinking?

What if they all believed you were lying about an illness that was crippling your life and your body? What if everyone believed you were making up all those symptoms that had ruined your life?

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