Well it’s that time of the year again. The time to reflect on the past year and prepare myself for the year to come. This year was unlike any other for me, and it was definitely a turning point in my life. So here goes:

Top 3 Places

1. San Diego, California

2. L.A. California

3. Thailand

Events

1. Roadtrip to California.

2. Loi Krathong (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

3. Taking off of the runway in L.A.

4. Getting in touch with my spirituality.

People that changed my life (had to list 10 for this one)

1. Evita Robinson- for making me realize what a strong person I was.

2. Jean-Pierre Chery- for being a big brother to me.

3. Tyler Batson- for opening my eyes to the world around me.

4. Bogdan Tiflinsky- For making me realize that cameramen have souls too. And becoming a part of my family.

5. Evan Engel- Same as Bogdan. Can’t wait for you guys to come to the Bayous.

6. Nui, Black, Tor, Mint- for showing me what real friends are.

7. Nora Godkin- for bringing out the animal in me!

8. Benz and Meang- for being awesome friends that I will never forget.

9. Ying- for being my big sister and friend!

10. Thai mom and dad- for bringing us into their lives, and treating us like their children.

11. Cameron and Kanako- For being my partners in crime.

12. Last but not least, Mom and Dad for supporting me along the way.

Most Memorable Moments (Needed 4 for this one)

1. Loi Krathong (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

2. Showering in the waterfall (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

3. Caressing a tiger while it slept (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

4. Jet Set Zero

Successes

1. Getting out of Calhoun, Louisiana.

2. Making a group of true friends. Ones  I will never forget.

3. Finding happiness.

This year was a major milestone in my life. I have been blessed with so many great things. I know that 2011 will be a year filled with many more adventures. 2010 was just the beginning.

It’s a funny thing about travelling. In my “regular” life, I am a very busy person. I work two jobs, play competitive fastball, go to the gym and still manage to have an active social life. I rarely have time to stop, relax, and think. Travelling changes all that.

Many people talk about “finding themselves” when they travel. I believe that this is a bit of cliché, but there is some truth to it. When you remove yourself from your normal routine, you suddenly have an opportunity to view your life from a distance, so to speak, and reflect on the decisions you’ve made and the path on which you are headed. Some of my biggest life changes have come after a trip when I’ve realized that my life is not quite moving in the direction it should be.

And the Jet Set Zero experience is no different. I am working here, which keeps me busy, but I find myself with WAY more down time than at home. I have a lot of time to think about work, relationships, goals, what makes me happy, and the decisions I’ve made that have brought me here. This process is really one of my favourite parts of travelling – kind a “refocus” that is difficult to do when you’re busy living your life.

Some background if you don’t already know me: I used to be heavily involved in music. For a number of years, playing the saxophone was my whole life and I was fairly successful with it. I performed with David Foster and toured around Europe, among other achievements. But something happened after I graduated. My original goal was to become a music teacher until a year of student teaching opened my eyes to what a bad fit that would be for me. Then, I wanted to major in performance, but everyone knows how tough it is to eke out a living doing that (so I scrapped that plan – went with my head rather than my heart). I played in all kinds of bands as an adult but eventually that decreased as other responsibilities took priority.

Now, I am a huge music fan who spends a large portion of her money on seeing live music and going to shows. I have a sizeable collection and get grumpy if I have to walk anywhere and don’t have my ipod. Lots of my friends are musicians, but I myself no longer play.

Last night we went to a jazz club here in Saigon. It’s actually called “Sax’n'Art” as it focuses on the saxophone. The moment we walked in and I saw 4 saxs sitting on stands on stage, I felt that familiar tug. “Why am I not up there?” I thought to myself. “Why did I ever give that up? When exactly did that happen?” The main guy, prominent jazz saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan, ripped into one of the best versions of Sweet Georgia Brown I’ve ever heard and I’m pretty sure I had a gigantic grin on my face until the last note. It sounds cheesy, but it actually filled my heart with joy to hear them play – it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that. His sax even had that unpolished look that I love of an instrument that has played a lot of tunes and seen a lot of gigs. Our evening at the jazz club was one of the better nights I’ve spent here.

As they played, I had time to think about my departure from music, and how much I miss it. I think that, among other things, picking up that saxophone again is one thing I will attempt when I eventually return home. And I have travelling to thank for bringing that to my attention.