A lot has happened since the last journal wrapped up.  Having adapted and refined the minimalism philosophy since that trip, we're well on the way to getting this thing down pat.

The five month transition between these two trips, however, has been brutal.  Arguably it has been the most difficult season in my entire career and I've been teaching nearly 20 years.  October and November were by far the worst but those dark times helped me learn stock trading and choosing a very aggressive approach where I'm now seeing some nice returns.

It was also in November that I got slammed from behind by a car at high speed while biking back home from work.  I nearly lost my life.  I only survived due to my fitness training which taught me, among other things, the skills and agility to land properly in a fall.  I was able to roll with body momentum and walk away with mere scratches.  It could have been much worse.

Since then I upped my trading game with the belief that I've got nothing to lose -- after all I should be dead after that accident.  The result has been incredible gains.  They've lasted longer than the 3 months where beginner traders apparently lose all their profits.  This wasn't reckless investing either, these were all carefully well thought out positions.  But once I decided to take the plunge I went all in.  While the current pace isn't sustainable long term, the strong market performance at the end of 2023 meant that I was making more money than my full time job.

While not wanting to quit my full time job and rely completely on trading, the question had to be asked:  how much faster could the trading accelerate my dream to retire from the rat race?  This question would later become a theme for the trip that an older retiree in Pattaya would help answer.

To be fair, we're very fortunate to have such long extended holidays at my job during winter and summer break.  But the covid pandemic was a major warning that these holidays are not guaranteed.  The last 3 years took all the travel away.  It did, however, provide the foundation for the minimalist philosophy and where the decluttering began.  

As for this actual trip, it is going to involve a flight into Phnom Penh where some gambling will happen.  This idea came about by meeting a colleague from another school at a party.  He couldn't stop raving about Cambodia.  I was able to understand that very well, after all I can't stop raving about Thailand.  So I figure why not give this a try, after all Phnom Penh and Pattaya aren't that far apart.  It's made for a cycle tour.   

Once in Pattaya, I'll make another attempt to sell my condo.  It's time to smarten up and make up for all the bullshit in the past where I lost money by trusting others who couldn't be trusted.

Stay tuned, this trip is going to be beyond epic!