It is now or never

Have you ever found yourself uncontrollably attracted to a certain culture, a certain tradition, or a certain cuisine beyond logical deductions? Have you ever felt the urge to visit an unknown or unfamiliar destination on the whim of an impulse without prior preparation? Have you ever gravitated towards specific places and felt that to be more like home rather than the actual location you have grown up in?

Yes, yes, and oh yes. If you have experienced any of the above, be rest assured that you are not alone. I am no stranger to these.

If you are open to the notion that each place carries within itself a certain vibration, then you can understand that we are sometimes called to those locations to facilitate certain types of experiences to take place. As Carl Jung had once beautifully put, “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” I postulate if I may, in extension to this, is that each locale also embodies a set of distinguished yet unique inherent qualities. The coming together between a place and a place, or a place and a person: if there is any any reaction, is no less powerful or evident than the synergies generated by two individuals.

This theory was then put through tests and trails, and each time I come out more convinced than ever that I am a co-creater of change everywhere I go. I finally realised what it is like to be in the right place, at the right time, to meet the right people.

My whirlpool journey around Europe in 2013 bears witness to this sentiment. And it had all began with Prague…

My intrigue with the city unforeseeably developed from watching Czech man Prague born, David Svoboda winning the gold medal for Men’s modern pentathlon on the last day of London Olympics 2012. Not mentioning his convincing victory, I was probably more mesmerised by his handsome good looks. Reviewing this in retrospect, it was then Prague had made a lasting imprint. My sudden infatuation dissipated rapidly before it had a chance to mature, only to conceive later that I had perhaps already been held captive under the city’s elusive and enigmatic allure.

Following a series of self-revelations, I could no longer put away the impalpable burning desire to start afresh. In pursuit of figuring out my true heart’s purpose and finding my own place in the world, in June of 2013, I resigned from an envied, secure and well paid corporate job and plunged myself into the unknown, and to solo travel indefinitely. I was ready. I was ready for fun, for play, for adventure and surprises. I was ready to view the world through my own lenses, and I was ready for the world to see and accept the new me. It truly was, now or never.