The Picture

Is it “Nothing ventured, nothing gained?” or “Nothing ventured, nothing lost?” Most people run away from turmoil. I, in this particular situation, am running into it on purpose and willingly. Most people go through some kind of scenario in life where they are peer-pressured into, analogically, “jumping off a bridge.” Well, in this case, everyone's telling me not to “jump” (and logic and reason is on their side), but somehow I feel like I was meant to dive into the pit anyways.

Almost every Filipino wants to get out of the Philippines. It is a small and densely populated nation where more than 85 million drowning people are clawing at each other for a gasp of air. They want to run away from their diseased third-world country, plagued by starvation, crime, low wages, political corruption, poor economic growth, and terrorist attacks, just to mention a few. They all yearn to go abroad, usually because of the desire to live in a more civilized nation where life is relatively safer, is more comfortable, is more financially secure, has modern medicine and technology, has a higher quality of education, etc. Well, I had this and more. And then I sacrificed it all. I have let go of the comforts and financial ease of living in the US, a full scholarship to an Ivy League US college, and essentially the whole American Dream in order to become a modern nomad in the Philippines. I, a half Filipino half American raised in the US, now will be facing life in a turmoil-infested third world country, and I am doing so willingly. Furthermore, as this trip is a leap of independence and an emphasis of self-sufficiency, I am going there without any family or external support and without any extra money or belongings except what I feel are necessities for survival. What led to this? I kind of know, but it’s hard to explain completely. My instinct tells me my birthplace, the Philippines, is my “safe haven” although in reality going there may prove to be my undoing. I am clouded by visions of “striking gold” in a country where everyone tells me nothing glitters. I am trying to find what it is I am meant to do in life, and even though everyone tells me I am wrong, my heart still tells me that my purpose lies within the Philippines.

My journey begins on February 21, 2006. I will try to document my travels as I try to live in the Philippines and do some self-retrospection in hopes of understanding life and finding myself and my purpose at the same time.


About Myself

Well, my name is David, and apart from what you know so far, there's not much else to add. If you're looking for a formal background, perhaps my resume will suffice. If you want to know my personality or what I'm like in person, I'm open to meeting new people if you're in the area (the Philippines). And if you are far far away, I will try my best to maintain this travelogue/blog. And if you are looking for a historical or biographical account of myself, I think that it will be best to just reveal info and tidbits concerning myself in my travelogue as I go along. But if you're really curious about something, please feel free to e-mail me.

I get a lot of requests for my catharsis video, so if you're looking for the link to that, it is here.
Please feel free to forward that video link and/or the site link to friends and relatives.


The Site

Okay, what is the whole Coconuter site about? Well, it’s essentially about me, my travels & experiences, and anything else born from my mind that I feel like typing on this blog.


Survival

As far as surviving goes once I get to the Philippines, I guess I'll have to just play that one by ear. This trip is also a leap of independence so I will not be receiving any familial or relative help. So it's up to me to figure out ways to gather every penny I come across. Any extra money I will have once I get there will be little or none. I think I may be forced to do oddjobs once I get there, if it has to come down to that, until I find the promising golden opportunity that I have been looking for.