Administering my first market survey

Tuesday, April 29.  Hi everyone!  How are you?  I hope doing well and enjoying life!  Today was a good one.  Had some blood drawn and gave a urine sample as part of my physical.  Spent some time at home doing some work, then went to give some lessons.  Had a nice spaghetti dinner with Paula and just chilled out watching tv.  Pretty normal and pleasant.

My new experience for the day was to give my market survey for my hats for the first time.  I gave it to Ben, who's dad Glen I teach as well.  It went pretty well, and I got some interesting answers and also got a chance to see which questions needed to be tweaked.  I found it a little awkward to do it during a lesson because I felt like I was imposing on their paid lesson time.  So perhaps I will give it to them to fill out on their own.  But then they don't have the hats in front of them.  Hmm.  Not sure about that.  Maybe I'll give it after the lesson and ask them to stay for a few extra minutes.  I still have to refine the one I used today and make one for non-golfers too.  I have to resist my impatience.  But I'm learning everyday!

I may be going to Thailand again in mid to late May to pick fabrics and keep the process moving.  My friend Rick is working on the renderings of the hats for the mold makers, and when he's done, I'll send them to Thailand.  Ideally, my trip will allow enough time for me to see how the designs come out and allow me to choose fabrics.  That will allow production to start and for me to be most efficient with my time away from golf.  I will keep you updated.  Til next time, peace and thanks for all of your support.  I am on my way!

New words and definitions

Monday, April 28.  Hey all.  I hope everyone is doing well.  Finally, a normal April day in Michigan.  Cool and like it's not quite sure whether it wants to stay winter of become summer.  Sooner or later real Michigan was going to show it's head.  But no worries, it's supposed to get warmer and warmer as the week goes on.  I'll take it!

Today was a good day, and my new experience was learning something new.  I always thought that the word "prophylactic" meant "condom," but discovered that it actually means "preventative."  Hmm.  I learn something (or do something) new everyday!

That's it for today all.  Love to you all.  Peace and enjoy your day or night!  Talk to you all tomorrow!

Baseball and Apple Pie

Sunday, April 27.  Hey all!  Today was a great day!  My new experience was to go to a Tigers game with Tom, another one of the instructors I work with.  One of my students gave me his season tickets, which were great seats and included free parking right next to the stadium and access to the Tiger Club, which is a private restaurant/bar at the park.  We went at about 6 for an 8 pm game, so we went to eat dinner at Cheli's near the ballpark.  Good atmosphere and a great burger.  It gave us a chance to hang out and talk and catch up a little.  We haven't really hung out a lot since we were going to the casino this past winter.  So we had a great time!  I hope that my student can't go to more games and I can go again.  What a nice treat!  Very cool.  I'll definitely get a season pass as a business expense when things get going with all of my projects.  Just way cool, and a business writeoff!

Anyway, otherwise it was a fun day and a busy one, one in which I also finished my UM application.  Finally!  But it's now 1:30 in the morning and I am tired, so off to bed.  Until we talk again tomorrow!  Bye for now.

Talking to John

Saturday, April 26.  Hello everyone.  Today is Mom's Birthday.  So happy birthday, Mom!  I love you will all of my heart and I know you love me.  I am grateful to have you in my life.  Thank you for all of the love and support you give me.

Today, other than Mom's birthday dinner, was a pretty normal day.  Some teaching, some time in the afternoon to work on my application and evaluate some real estate deals, then dinner.  After dinner, I drove Paula home and hung out for a while.  My new experience of the day comes from engaging with her kids and some of the friends that were at her house.

John is a friend of AJ.  He's a very quiet kid, but always very nice and respectful.  Tonight for the first time I decided to engage in a conversation with him.  It started innocently enough, but moved on to spirituality, and yoga, and Buddhism, and meditation, and manifestation, and religion, and many interesting topics.  It was fun and very interesting.  I would have had no idea that he was capable of such a conversation, or for that matter interested in this kind of stuff.

So what I got out of tonight's experience was getting to know someone relatively new, but also seeing that one can often times be very surprised at what you can get if you just open yourself up to people.  Perhaps I can continue to do this with everybody I meet.  You never know, I could actually learn some things and be pleasantly surprised at the strange and wonderful conversations and connections that I can make in attempting to get to know new people.  Very not me like, but stretching and doing new things in every way is what this is about, right?

Love to all of you.  Thank you (especially NaNa) for continuing to read even though the content may not be totally scintillating.  I do appreciate the comments and you all following me on my journey.  Off to bed.  An early start tomorrow.  See you again tomorrow!

Offering free golf and Offering upon sight

Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25.  Hello all.  What I should be writing is that I am so busy that I don't have time to write!  That would be new too, I guess.  But I will carry on with my commitment and write for real and not take the easy way out.  The last two days have been good, lessons, stuff to do with Gabaan, stuff to do with real estate, and basically trying to put the pieces together and manage to do some fun things too.

On Thursday, my new thing for the day was to offer one of my students, Roger, free group instruction for his high school golf team.  He has been taking lessons for me for about five years now and he's just been great and worked really hard.  He also has a great commitment to really coaching and teaching the kids he works with.  So I decided to help him out and offer free instruction if they wanted to come as a group some time.  We could maybe do four hour long sessions with the whole team and they would just have to pay for the golf balls.  It seemed like the right thing to do and felt good.  We'll see if they take me up on it.

On Friday, my new experience was to go look at an investment property and make an offer, or letter of intent, right after I saw it.  It happens to be the first property I've looked at that has been cash flow positive right from the seller's asking price, so I figured I'd tie the property up.  Don't worry, the offer is conditional and will be contingent on a whole lot of things happening before it's done.  And it is non-binding too, so no real finality to it.  It just means that no one else can do anything with it if the seller accepts the offer.  I don't know, it just felt fun and a little scary to do it, but I know that I'm not tied into anything, so really no harm if we don't go ahead with it.

Anyway, I'm off to finish a couple of things I've put off.  I must finish my UM application for the MBA, write my first article for the newspaper, and come up with a market survey for the fedoras for my students to fill out.  Those are the tasks I've set out to finish by Monday, so I better get going!  See ya, enjoy life and smile and laugh!

Making a student a friend

Wednesday, April 23.  Hello from sunny and warm Michigan.  It's been 70 degrees or warmer for almost a week straight now.  It's great but I'm sure we'll go back to reality pretty soon.  I'll enjoy it while it's here though!  Today was another great day.  I found out earlier this morning that the hat company in Sampeng will invest in the molds ($1,500 each style, each size!), if we order at least 200o hats and deposit 20000 baht, returnable upon order.  That keep my costs down and gets me closer to making this a reality!  To think that this started one night when I went to target and bought a fedora for fun a few months ago is unbelievable.  Keep your dreams alive and never give up, and you never know what will happen!

Today I gave five golf lessons and all went very well.  My last one was Howard, who I have taught for many years but haven't seen for over two years.  His wife, who I also teach, told me last fall that he was having a very hard time emotionally because he was losing his job and was having a hard time.  I told her to tell him to come out for a lesson and he finally did.  I left my role as a golf instructor today and really connected with him as a friend today, sharing with him that I have also recently gone through hard times and that things can get better.  I have never really done this and so this is my new thing for the day.

It felt nice to leave the role of professional instructor and try to be his friend.  We are all just humans going through similar struggles and sometimes you can find support from many places.  He is doing much better now and playing golf again and has a better outlook on his future.  But it was nice to be his friend and golf teacher today, and I didn't feel like I was going outside of my duty.  After all, after a while, all of my students are really my friends, especially the long term ones.

And we are all here together really, aren't we.  I guess when I feel like it's important or appropriate, I will not be afraid to reach out and help people.  So long for now, friends.  It is a very exciting time and life feels good.  I hope you all take the opportunity to take advantage of our chance to live life and stretch yourself and have fun!  Enjoy and I'll talk to you tomorrow!  Bye!

New foods

Tuesday, April 22.  Hello everyone.  How are you?  I hope well.  I am still doing great, although today was a little less eventful than yesterday.  Not everyday can be exciting and filled with awesome things, but a day like today just makes you look a little harder for things to be appreciative of, and when you find them makes you see even more how lucky and abundant our lives really are.  So I guess it give a better perspective.

Today's new thing for the day was having gazpacho for the first time.  Went out to Real Seafood and shared the cold summer soup with Paula.  Loved it.  Kind of fresh and zesty and refreshing.  I'm curious as to the ethnic origin of it, and if anyone knows, chime in.  But it will be something I'll order again at some point in time.  Seafood, vegetables, and a nice taste.  What's not to like about that?

Going to bed now, another busy day tomorrow with golf.  I hope all is good with you and I wish you a good night and a good day depending on which side of the world you are on.  Love you all and thanks for your support!  Later.

I am a columnist!

Monday, April 21.  Hello!  I am posting a little earlier today (3:40 pm) because my new thing that I've never done has already happened.  Today is a day off from golf, but on my way to the dentist I called the Dexter and Chelsea Newspapers and spoke to the editor about writing a golf article for them.  Now I know I have done this before with the Ann Arbor News, but they are too arrogant and insecure and would not let me write and article, only an op/ed piece.

Terry, the editor, loved my idea and basically said that I could do it!  So I will be writing and submitting articles to him shortly.  The theme for the first couple will be "How to get ready for the upcoming golf season."  If they like what I do, I will hopefully write more for them!  Very exciting and a great opportunity.

To those of you still reading and who have read from the beginning, pretty amazing to see the transformation in my life.  Support from friends, taking some chances, doing some new things, challenging myself, and maybe most importantly, having a hell of a better attitude helps, doesn't it?  I'm flying high, on my way to the top!  See you tomorrow.  Love to all.  Peace.

Tossing the football in the backyard

Sunday, April 20.  Hey all.  Wouldn't you know it, another beautiful day in Michigan.  Probably not quite 70 degrees, but pretty nice and the sun made appearances throughout the day.  I had a good day.  Taught my 5 lessons in the morning until 2pm, went home to relax and get a few things done, then went to Eli's birthday party at Steve and Emily's house at 4.  Paula and I then went to my house to just hang out and taste her homemade lemon creme pie (excellent by the way, and it will be a staple of the new pie making business she is starting!).  At about 9, Rick stopped by to spend the night before heading back to Chicago tomorrow morning.  The three of us hung out until about 11 when Paula went home.  Now I'm writing today's entry.

Wow.  Truly my entire day.  I don't think I've done that before, but I've got another new thing that will be my entry for the day.

At Eli's birthday party, I tossed the football around first with Paula (and she really can throw) and Zeke.  It was fun to throw the pigskin in the yard and although I've done that before, it's been years and I definitely had new receivers that I've never tossed to before.  Sometimes, simple things bring great joy and a smile to your face.  Anyway, I hope I don't wake up with a sore arm tomorrow, but we'll see.  As the weather gets better, I itch more and more to go play golf.  So that's gonna happen pretty soon if the weather stays like it is.

Enjoy your day, appreciate how lucky we are, and smile lots everyone.  I'll talk to you again tomorrow.  Later.

Clearing lists

Saturday, April 19.  Hi all.  Very tired right now, so this will be short.  I had a nice day, the weather was great and I gave some effective lessons to some great students.  Otherwise just hung out and had a little personal challenge today, but managed to work through it.

Today's new item is erasing all phone records and text messages from my iPhone.  This may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but to me it represents letting go.  Everything that has already happened is immediately in the past, and outside of learning something from it, it does no use to hang on to, physically or mentally.  So cleansing my phone of all the text messages and phone messages and call records to me was a way of me knowing and confirming that the present is what matters, and that even pleasant memories of the past are the past, but what is most important is what is happening now.

Now I understand that being present and not existing in the past or future involves more than just erasing messages, but I also think that being able to live in the present fully involves taking many little steps that encourage being in the present.  And my little step was erasing past messages, even the ones I wanted to keep because they reminded me of good things and made me feel good or smile.  That's it for now, we'll see what happens tomorrow.  Great things for sure, I just don't know what quite yet!  Have a good one guys and we'll talk soon!

Doing better with my dad

Friday, April 18.  Hello from warm and sunny Michigan!  Unbelievable weather today...80 degrees and felt like summer.  I'm grateful.  I had a great day today, hung out with Paula and went shopping and ended up having dinner with Mom and Dad.  Also saw Dean and Goong by accident at the restaurant so it was good to see them and catch up a little.

Today's new thing was taking my Dad and accepting him on his terms, not mine.  At dinner he was his old self as we talked about the real estate deal.  Now remember, last night I called him and said that my initial conclusion was that we should NOT do the deal because the risk was a little too high.  He came at me with all the reasons we shouldn't do the deal and more and how I should learn in school (of course, as long as it's in school it's ok) what to do, and be patient, and start small, and don't try to get rich quick (why not is my question), etc.  I could feel my blood start to boil and the desire to argue with him come up.  Frustration like always.

After all everyone, I actually told him last night what he was telling me today!  That we shouldn't do the deal.  He was speaking to me like I was telling him that we should do the deal!  So, unlike in the past, today I decided to let him be him, and take him on his terms.  If he wants to just argue and be pessimistic and negative and skeptical, then ok.  I managed (with the help of Paula hitting me under the table) calm down and just let him go.  I know he means well and I know that he does and says everything out of love.  But he just has no idea that he is argumentative for no reason and was reacting to me like I was arguing or disagreeing with him even though I wasn't.  I just didn't let it get to me today.  And that's hard for me.  He actually said that the only way to make money in real estate is to know when the market is going to appreciate and buy then sell.  That making money by buying prudent income properties is no way to make money.  He doesn't know about Robert Kiyosaki and many others who have become millionaires many times over doing just that!  

Of course, those of you who know my Dad also know that he knows everything about everything.  Well, I know more about real estate than he does, but this time I'll let him think that he knows more than me and just be ok with it.  Happy happy.

Anyway, life is good, dreams are coming true, and everything is moving in a positive direction.  I will live my own life, own my own life, and be the expert of me.  And that is the way that I am going to live.  Not stubborn.  Just honest with myself and true to myself.  Have a great night or day, and enjoy and be right where you are, I love you all and thank you for all the love and support I feel from everyone.  Including Dad.  See ya!

Meeting with the players

Thursday, April 17.  Hello all!  Truly a beautiful day today in Michigan.  Sunny, warm, and over 70 degrees for sure.  Today was the first day that I did not get chills teaching golf.  I had a good teaching day and felt like I really focused and connected with all of my lessons and had a good time doing it.  Pretty low key night, dinner at Great Lake and went over to Dave's with Paula to get my check.  We hung out for a little bit and I'm going to get to sleep early tonight.  Pretty tired.

Today's new experience was having a meeting with some of the big real estate players in Ann Arbor.  I met with David Kwan, who's trying to sell us his share of a commercial building downtown, and his partners Peter Allen and Fred Beal.  Peter is an investor and professor at the business school at the university, and Fred owns a construction company and is also obviously an investor.  Very nice guys.  I felt very comfortable with all of them and felt like I belonged although I clearly have much to learn in comparison to these guys.  But it felt good to be part of the circle of movers and shakers in a business that I want to be a player in.

It looks like for now that we will probably be passing on this deal.  I am disappointed but I feel like I've learned a lot about the process and have grown from it.  It is also good to be introduced to folks who have had success in the business.  I felt like I belonged.  Everything is perfect about the deal except one of the tenant's leases.  Too uncertain about whether or not they'll stay.  Also not much equity to take out of the property at this point.  Also would need some changes to the operating agreement to reduce risk for our group.  Everything but the shaky lease is workable, however, but that's a big one and there's really no way of getting around that one.  If they were to leave, it would leave a healthy cash flow positive situation a pretty big cash flow negative situation, and I don't want our first investment to have that much risk.  It feels almost all right, but my gut says that it's not 100% right.  So no final decisions yet, but I'm leaning towards passing.  I'll have to discuss with Dad and Chad and see what they think.

Until tomorrow my friends.  Thanks again for all your support of me and my continued path towards personal improvement.  I'm getting there and feel great!  I wish you a good day or night, wherever you are.  Later.

A walk-in

Wednesday, April 16.  Hey all.  A beautiful day in Michigan today.  70 degrees and sunny, a great day to teach golf.  I had six lessons.  Otherwise it was a pretty normal day, and Paula made a great dinner for me: veal chops with polenta and gorgonzola cheese.  Tasty!

Today's new item was walking into a medical clinic to get an x-ray.  No appointment, no complications, just went in and got my script for a chest x-ray filled.  I waited about 10 minutes, they called my name, and went in and got my film taken.  Even though the radiologist will not look at the film until tomorrow, the tech said that the film looked great and didn't see anything problematic.

It was a relief to hear that as I have been back smoking on and off.  It is also a good sign for me that it is time to quit for good.  I have been lucky and am very grateful that nothing has happened from my bad habit so far, but I cannot count on that continuing forever.  Sometimes we need to pay attention to the signs sent to us by the universe, right?

So I feel lucky and grateful, and it is time to make a lifestyle change for the positive.  So I'll just keep on trying to quit and won't quit trying!  See you all tomorrow.  Have a great day wherever you are, and enjoy everyone!  Later.

A therapy session with no drama

Tuesday, April 15.  Hello all!  Good day here in Michigan.  Finally some warm, sunny weather and more to come!  Maybe the long winter is finally over.  I had a great day.  Taught some golf, watched some tv, and just relaxed a little.  Life is good!

My new thing for the day happened at my therapy session with Judy.  I hadn't seen her in quite a while, over a month, and it was nice to go back to keep myself centered and on track.  And what was new about today was that there was no drama!  Nothing bad, no tears, no bad news.  What a change.  This amazing change in me has happened so quickly and so completely that we just kind of talked about all of the exciting new things happening to me.  We talked about how things seem to be going my way and opportunities keep opening up for me.  She was happy for me and just gave me a confirmation that I am heading in the right direction.  So cool.

Tomorrow is another busy day for golf, as it is supposed to be sunny and near 70 degrees.  So I am looking forward to teaching and having a great day.  Tomorrow Paula is cooking me dinner...veal chops.  So sounds like another great day with exciting things in store.

Til tomorrow my friends.  Good night, good morning, and enjoy whatever it is you are doing, and I'll talk to you soon.  Bye bye!

Talking to the middleman

Monday, April 14.  GMAT day!  Not exactly my idea of fun, but everything went fine.  Woke up early enough to take my time in the morning, found the place ok, felt good.  The math part kicked my ass like I thought it would, but ended up with a 630, which is my best score by 50 points ( I took the test twice 5 years ago).  630 is also just below the median of scores of those accepted into the Michigan MBA program, so I feel good about that.  We'll see.  I have to write a few more essays and the application process will be complete.  I'll be done in a week or so and can wait and see what happens.

Anyway, after the test I went to get a coffee from Starbucks, and that's when my new thing for the day happened.  I called Mr. Wilton Hom, a gentleman who runs a company that sets up US companies with manufacturers in China.  Exactly what I was looking for, and it fell right in my lap!  We had a nice discussion and although he doesn't have direct experience with apparel, I think that at some point or another we will do business together because he has contacts and programs in place to help make the China thing a little less daunting.  I found out that he's leaving for China's big semi-annual fair next week, and it would be too late for me to go now, but the next one is in October and we could plan something for that fair.  

So that leaves me thinking that the first line of production may be produced in Thailand, and when it's a success, then maybe I look to China to go for bigger volume and lower costs.  We'll see and it'll all fall how it falls when it falls.  Well, cheers to everyone and I'll sign off for now.  Have a great day or great night, and Happy New Year to everyone in Thailand!  Talk to you tomorrow.  Love and peace to y'all.

Maybe not never, but not in a long time

Sunday, April 13.  Hello all.  Masters Sunday today.  Spring is coming.  A ritual that I can't remember ever missing.  I know all the holes and all the shots.  I can see them all in my head and while this year's tournament wasn't super dramatic, it's still one of the best sporting events of the year.  Anyway, today's new thing is studying for four straight hours for the GMAT.  Yes, I take it tomorrow morning at 8 am.  

I probably have studied this long before, but I know I haven't for at least 15 years, so it counts.  I think it'll help a little, but the GMAT is one of those tests that gives you so little time that scores usually end up quite similar.  But enough of that attitude, right?  I'm gonna do great on it!  I figure a score of 650 or higher.  As long as I stay calm and careful and actually answer the questions they ask, I'm ok.  In the end, we'll see, I guess.  But I'm ready, confident, and I know I'll do well.

Ok well it's off to pick up some carry out and study a little more.  I'll put in a movie and get to bed early so I have enough rest for my early morning.  And, as promised every day, I'll talk to you all tomorrow.  Be safe, enjoy, and have fun with whatever you're doing!

A strange lunch

Saturday, March 12.  Hello all.  Yesterday, 70 degrees.  Today 40 degrees.  Michigan in the spring!  Today was a good day.  I taught five good lessons and didn't get worked up over lack of space.  You see sometimes in the winter and spring there are more instructors teaching than heated spaces available.  And I've been known to dislike that situation and express my dislike.  Today, I just went with it.  And like with so many other things, it turned out all right.

During work Mom called and said that she would be delivering food for me with Dad.  They drove all the way to Ann Arbor to buy me dim sum at Great Lake just so I would have more time to study.  Very cute.  My new item for the day was eating a lunch of salapao and cold pizza.  Yes, no other kind of dim sum, no kanom jeep or ha gow, just salapao.  And for some variety, cold pizza.  Grant you they were all different kind of salapao, some with barbequed pork, some with a variety of cremes, some with steamed pork.  But I've definitely never done that before.

That's it for today folks.  I've got to go do some studying and find some sort of dinner.  I'm going to try to go to bed a little earlier tonight because I have to teach another five lessons tomorrow then study again for my exam on Monday.  Love to all and I wish you a great day!

Creating a custom club

Friday, April 11.  Hey all, hope everyone is doing great.  I'm writing my entry a little earlier today because I have some time, and I managed to do something new pretty early on in the day today.  The day itself has been so far a good one.  I had a 10 am lesson, talked with the guys at work for a while, then went to drop off some documents for my lawyer, Basil, to look over.  As you may or may not know, my sister and I have formed a real estate company and have been looking to buy our first property for about a year now.  We have found one that just might be it, a 3 story commercial property in downtown Ann Arbor that is in a great location and in great shape.  It currently rents to a salon and Haas MSL, a public relations firm.  And most importantly, any investment would be immediately cash flow positive, which is good because it means no out of pocket money to get the place running.  It is also nice because everything is already in place: tenants, building, everything.  So as part of due diligence, I'm having my attorney review some documents to see if there are any skeletons in the closet.  Exciting though!

My new thing for today has nothing to do with real estate, however.  Recently I blogged that a new golf company, Scratch Golf, has been very good to me and has given me clubs to use and promote.  Many golf companies will give free clubs to golf pros to help promote their products.  Today, I got the chance to actually design my own sand wedge.  I could pick the shape, the finish, the logo, the position of the logo, and even have them stamp my initials, "TT" on the back of the club.  Very cool!  I feel special.  Haha.  But seriously, it is a nice perk of being a golf pro, and most importantly it's a club that fits me well.

So onward and upward, more new experiences everyday, big and small.  I hope you all have a good day, evening, or night, depending where you are.  Enjoy the moment.

Lastly, I would like to thank all who helped me out and showed great generosity in time, energy and spirit when I was in Thailand.  So a special thanks to Dad, Korn, Tor, Nana, Pae, and Nop for taking time out of all of your busy lives to help me with the hat business or just spend some time with me.  I appreciate it!  Talk to you tomorrow!

Curbside to go from CPK

Thursday, April 10.  Hello everyone!  How are you?  I hope well.  Today was back to reality day.  Teaching golf in a cool and rainy Michigan day.  It is challenging to go from 94 degrees to 44 degrees.  But I am lucky to have so much work upon my return.  Gotta make some dough, right?  Pretty non-descript day.  Just lessons on and off from 11 am to 7 pm.  Good lessons and some of the students I haven't seen since last summer are starting to come back and it's nice to see them.

Today's new thing was nothing special but new nonetheless.  I was hungry after work and didn't really want to eat another burrito or fast food, so I decided to order a salad from the California Pizza Kitchen.  Now, ordering food from CPK and even ordering a salad from there is nothing new or unusual, but having them deliver it curbside to my car was new.  Very convenient!

Now, it's off to do a little studying for the GMAT on Monday.  I'm not too worried.  Not arrogant...I'm never great at standardized tests, but I need a little brush up on the math portion.  Some of the stuff I just never use in life, you know.  I'll try to study for a couple of hours each night for the next four nights and I'll be a-ok.

So talk to you all tomorrow.  I hope you've had a good day, and if your day is just starting, have a great day and remember good things will happen to you today!

Feeling wanted by a club manufacturer

Wednesday, April 9.  My first day back home and I had an 8 am meeting at work with the President of Scratch Golf Company.  They have sent me some irons for free and I thought it would be good to shake hands and say hi to the guys.  In the process, he had me try out a whole different bunch of sand wedges to make sure the grind and bounce was what I preferred.  It was nice to be taken care of, or feel like being taken care of by a manufacturer and I will be sure to do my best to promote the product for them at work.  Very nice clubs by they way.  So that was a first.

My other first was to visit my friend Ryan's new house.  Needs some work but really light filled and has some nice touches to it and I think that he, Desiree, and her son Jacoby will really make it a home.  It was nice to see such a nice guy get something to go his way.  He seemed very happy an excited by the move and it made me happy to see him move forward with things.  I really liked the wood floors and the master bedroom.  It also had some nice touches like the original light fixtures and original windows which could eventually be stripped and refinished and look great.  All in all I think it'll be a nice place for them to get started and they'll be happy there.  It's got a good vibe.

Again, tired and jet lagged so I will bid you good night or good morning depending on where you are.  As I get back to my routine I will be more engaging in my entries.  I still feel very excited about where I am and my plans, and that excitement will surely come out in the next few days as I get rested.  Because Paula is out of town, I get a few days to myself and get to study for the GMAT on Monday and watch the Masters.  Not a bad deal, I think!

We'll talk again tomorrow, my friends.  Until then enjoy the moment and let life live you a little.  It seems to be working just fine for me right now!   Love you all and take care dudes.

Short but sweet. And nice.

Monday, April 7 to Tuesday, April 8 (even though I arrived on the same day I left, I have to make up for the lost day on my way over to Thailand, so this is it)  Today was a travel day.  A long one.  It started out kinda scattered because despite asking my dad to wake me up at 3 am (yes, 3 am), he didn't wake me until 3:15 am, which gave me exactly 15 minutes to shower, finish packing, and obsess over stuff that I knew I would forget but never do.

We did get to the airport on time and had no real difficulties except for a long wait at immigration.  Got on board ok, and didn't sit with dad, but got comfortable enough next to a quiet woman who didn't get annoyed that I had to piss so often.  Pretty uneventful.  Upon arrival at Tokyo, I only had 30 minutes to get to flight 26, while dad was on flight 12, which allowed him to relax and take it easy.  No more flight 28 followed by flight 26, I guess.  I was fortunate enough to have a space between me and the overweight dude, which made the flight fine.  I slept a lot and anticipated getting home greatly.  The flight went just fine.

My new thing for the day was to treat every airline employee and every immigration and customs official super nicely.  I usually have an issue with some of these folks because some tend to abuse their power and are not very nice.  The only one who wasn't nice was the US customs guy who let me through, but managed to be just about as  responsive and nice as a rock.  Whatever.  All the others were nice and engaged my pleasantries.  So I guess the lesson is that being super nice to those in "power" usually works and helps in these situations, but some people are just not very nice and maybe are having a bad day.  Whatever.  I think I'll keep on being nice to everyone and seeing what happens.  I think more good than bad in the end.

Good night all, I'm jetlagged and sleepy.  Until tomorrow.

Kissing Grandma

Sunday, April 6.  My last day in Bangkok!  Some errands to run, some loose ends to tie.  I started the day by visiting A Ma, who lives with Loong Tanate and Pa Nuannoi.  We were very happy to see each other.  I think that I am very blessed to be able to see her as an adult.  She always is so happy to see me and cries and says she misses me and thinks about me.  It is very touching.  Today, my new thing for the day was to give my grandma a kiss.  I gave her three in fact, all on her right cheek.  It felt very good and for a moment I was embarrassed that I had never done it before.  But better late than never!  We had always hugged before, but never kissed.

So we held hands for while, talked a little bit, and just each sat enjoying the one more chance to see each other and spend time together.  I know it's just a blip of time if I really think about it, but it is meaningful to me nonetheless.  The last three times I've seen her, I've wondered if it will be the last.  This time, like all of the other times, I told her that I would see her soon again.  I pray that, as long as she is comfortable, that I get that chance.  After about 15 minutes, she got tired and went into the bedroom to lie down.  I talked to my aunt and uncle for a while, then went into my grandma's bedroom to give her my three kisses and left.

I am a very lucky man.  I feel lots of gratitude.  I feel lots of love all around me.  I feel like my life is full of abundance.  Thanks to whomever thanks goes to.  Next time we talk, I'll be back in the States, back home.  I am ready.  Got some things done, had some fun, saw some people.  Time to get back to Michigan to make a little dough and to continue working on myself, my relationship with Paula, and most of all my big and bold plans and ideas.  I'm in the moment but excited about the future.  Cool.  See you all tomorrow, and goodbye and thanks to all in Bangkok.  We'll see you later!

Manchester United

Saturday, April 5.  Wow, I must really be turning into a Thai Thai.  My new thing for the day was to watch another football (yes football, not soccer) game with Pae.  This time at his club Booze, the Premier League (I think), and this time with a small wager on the game.  Man U, as they call the team here, was favored by a goal over Middleborough (not sure if that's right or not), and we both bet on Man U giving a half goal for the second half.  Despite many chances, our team could not get the goal they and we needed and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.  Bet lost.  But it was fun!

Otherwise today was a good day.  Got a chance to reconnect with another old friend, Nop, who owns a web development business and specializes in brand development and marketing.  He will help me with Gabaan and work on getting some market studies and all the stuff that should be done before production starts.  It was a great reminder to not rush into this despite my excitement.  The universe is seeming to give me everything I need to succeed just as I need it.  It was also nice just to see him, his wife and new 6 month old son.  Cool stuff!

We also went to Fortune IT mall to buy some pirated software and some concert DVDs, and capped it off with an hour and a half Thai massage that Nop paid for.  Pae and I then left Nop for dinner at his club and I also got a chance to see the construction of his new club to be opening soon.  So not really much to complain about today.  Lots of fun and more little steps towards realizing all of my goals (and even a few more new ones that sound like fun!).

Tomorrow is my last full day.  I will visit A Ma, go back to Alongkorn to get my pants and final fitting for my suits, maybe see A Kitti, and see Pae again because I forgot my folder and stuff in his car tonight because I went home by taxi.  He is quite the partier still!  Not like five years ago, but he can still get it going.  Anyway, time for bed and relaxing.  I am tired.  But happy and feeling really good about where things are and where they are sure to go!  Peace and til tomorrow, everyone.

Just having a fun day

Friday, April 4.  Hi everyone!  Today was my first day with nothing business related on my schedule.  So I went to the bank with Dad to open a bank account and Pae picked me up to go play golf with him and his friends at Thana City golf course.  It was hot, I had no shoes, and borrowed his clubs, but managed to shoot a 78 (without counting my 18th hole having fun messing around finish).  It was fun and his friends are great.  They may prove to be of assistance later as I spend more time trying to do business in Thailand

After golf, we ate dinner at the club, which was VERY tasty, then they guys played cards.  So my new thing of the day was playing "pok deng" which is a game I already know how to play, but they played a new version with which I was not familiar.  It was much fun and Pae and I were investment partners.  I cashed out early and about broke even, and he lost about 10,000 Baht and was a little pissed.  But still nonetheless fun.  We played until about 11 pm and he dropped me off at home where I proceeded to talk to Paula on the phone for a little then pass out.  I was pooped!

Sunday in Bangkok will still be pretty casual, I'll try to contact Nop, go buy some software, see Pae and hopefully get a look at the new club and get a massage.  I cannot leave without the $15 one and a half hour massage!  Til then my friends.  Enjoy and smile and I'll talk to you later!

The wholesale district

Thursday, April 3.  Today was the second day full of stuff to do.  My new experience was to go to the Sampeng wholesale district in Bangkok, a street lined with every product imaginable, only for wholesale purposes.  If  you wanted to buy one thing, forget it.  They talked in dozens or more.  But the scene was like some of the night time bazaar shopping scenes in Bangkok, this time though for merchants looking to buy products from middlemen for sale in other parts of the city.

We went there to talk to a hat manufacturer, who proved to be at least as capable of producing what I want as the manufacturer from yesterday.  My feel with this guy was actually a little better today.  I think he can do it and wants to do it.  And my gut says, at least with our limited exposure, that this might be the guy I do business with.  Molds are still an issue, and we also learned that the woven lining that I want will add quite a bit to the cost per hat.  Another day, more information but not yet the complete picture that will give me an exact idea of what each hat will cost to produce.  Patience.  I should be able to put the numbers together in a week or two I'm guessing.  I know that it can come together, it's just a matter of how many hats need to be sold per day/week/month for me to at least break even in year one.  I don't plan to break even.  I plan to blow the doors off, so I can really then do all the styles I want and think about expanding to other markets outside of the golf market.  

Other than that it was a great day.  I got to know Korn, our Bangkok assistant and connection/helper a little better, got to meet my good friend Pae for coffee and talk hats, entrepreneurship, China, real estate, opening new clubs, and the Thai stock market.  My next two moves will be to open a bank account here (maybe I'll do a little trading!) and to get a Thai ID card.  That I'll probably have to do next time.  These two things make coming to Thailand quarterly a less difficult idea.  I also got a chance to have dinner with Nana, A Liang, and Jod, which was very nice.  It is always great to reconnect and reconfirm loving and supporting friendships.

I don't know readers, but each day seems to be getting better and better, and I feel more and more in the moment and good about the direction of everything in life.  I just might be flat out happy and peaceful!  What do you know?  Things can change with the right attitude.  Peace and until tomorrow all!

International businessman

Wednesday, April 2.  Hello from Bangkok.  It is just a little warmer here than in Ann Arbor.  Like by 50 degrees or so.  But it is great to see Dad and we had a busy day.  First, we went to Alongkorn to cut 2 suits and 2 pairs of pants.  Dad says they are for old people, but I think the detail and precision and quality of fabric is fantastic.  And cheap too!

We then went to two different places to pursue the gabaan fedora idea.  The first looked a little sketchy.  Just a small storefront with no hats of any kind to be seen, and the guy who was supposed to be able to tell us whether of not they could produce our hats was mysteriously gone even though we made an appointment to see him.   Hmm.   Learned from Dad that in Thailand, sometimes they just won't tell you they can't do it in hopes you hang around enough to buy something they can sell you.  Seems ass backwards to me and a waste of time.  He even called back later to say he would stop by the condo, but didn't call or show up.  What's up with that, I wonder?

The next place was much more promising.  Much harder to find too, but actually looked like a factory.  The woman who met us knew what she was doing and gave us a beginning on what production might cost.  It should be 200 baht plus or minus a little per hat.  This price, however, does not include the new molds that will have to be made in order to make the fedoras in the shapes I would like them to be in, or the ball marker logo idea.  She doesn't know exactly what molds will cost, but we are estimating about $1,000 and up per mold per size.  Ouch.  That may make me have to reduce the style numbers from 4 to 3.  I'd use one of their molds to make two of my styles with different brim sizes, but will have to have the other two made.  So if we use one of their existing molds and create two new ones, start up costs would already go to $3,000 to $4,000 per style per hat, depending on 3 sizes or 4.  That could mean up to $14,000 for all four styles in four sizes, and that might be too much to start.   I could just start with two styles, make one new mold and start with then a $4,000 investment.  I then could do each of the two styles in four fabrics each for a total of eight different fedoras in two styles.  That sounds reasonable.

Well, that's already more detail that any one not starting a hat company needs to know, but it is definitely my new deed for the day.  Tomorrow holds two more companies.  We'll see what they come up with.  I may just have to bite the bullet and visit China and see how much less they can do it for.  My friend Pae may want to partner up and he has contacts there already.  So much new information already.  Very exciting.  Stay tuned, folks.  Oh, and please say a small prayer for Paula today, who goes in for a physical and the return of her bloodwork.  Thanks.  We can all use a little extra mental cheering, can't we?  Love and peace and enjoy your days everyone!

Flying and being present

Tuesday, April 1.  No post today.  Just kidding, April Fools!  Today is my travel day, and I am writing from Narita Airport in Tokyo before my flight to Bangkok.  It was a nice flight, and I had a space free next to me and a nice guy to talk to the whole way.  Slept a little, read a little, wrote a little, and practiced being present some.

My new experience for the day is writing a blog entry from a different country.  Currently I am sitting on the floor of the terminal waiting for boarding, my computer plugged in and my phone plugged in so I don't lose all power.  It is always interesting to be far from home, as it gives you perspective that there is much life going on outside of your own, and especially outside of your own head.  How crazy it is to be lost in your head with stories and nuttiness!  There is a whole world out there filled with wonderful people who all have their victories and struggles just like me.  All part of my process of learning how to live in the present and acknowledge the being that is my true self.  I am more present, and happier, than I have ever been.  I look forward to my week in Bangkok, and I look forward to returning home to the ones I love and my life.

But for now, I only look forward to ending this entry and getting in line for boarding for NW 27 to Bangkok!  Love to all.  Don't forget to enjoy and appreciate the opportunity that we all have to experience life.  We are all only here for a short time, right?  Cheers and til we speak again.

A business trip

Monday, March 31.  First of all, happy birthday to my friend Sue.  You are old, dude.  Today was a nice day.  Good lessons and continued gradual but peaceful and healthy steps forward with Paula.  We're letting things go where they go, and that's great.  I'm very excited about tomorrow's trip, and have more of less finished packing.  I still have all morning tomorrow to get a few errands done and finish packing.  Ready to rock and roll!

Today's new thing is packing and getting ready for a business trip.  I feel excited and different about this trip.  I've been lucky enough to pack and leave for many vacations, but never really truly a business trip.  The process is a little different, as I am not just thinking about how I'm going to have fun, but how I have to have all the documents, sketches, and ideas ready for the trip.  The details and such.  It feels great to check and double check that I have all I need for my week in Thailand and business, not just the right clothes for all the side trips and fun for a trip that's just a vacation.  I guess I just feel like I'm grown up and getting down to business.  It feels cool.

I will do my best to keep up the blog as I'm gone, as I'm sure I'll have many new experiences to share with you all.  The next time I write, I'll be writing from Thailand, where exciting new things will take place and where I'm sure it'll be hot as hell!  Til then, friends, and don't forget to enjoy and smile and laugh!  Later.